Green Lantern: First Flight Grading and Discussion

[darkwing_duck1]

Wow! Starting ANOTHER one!

I can NOT say enough good things about GL:FF! The animation is probably the best I've seen yet out of the DC DTDVD movies. The voice cast is excellent. More importantly, the DIALOGUE is well developed, particularly that from the Guardians (who are frequently treated as cyphers by GL writers).

The film avoids the "origin story" trap by dealing with the familiar details within the first few minutes of the film, and then moving on to the meat of the story: rookie GL Hal Jordan must save the Lantern Corps from corruption from within. I'll avoid detailed plot spoilers, since I can never seem to get the spoiler tags to work right.

The cast includes many familiar names to GL fans: Hal (of course), Killowog, Tomar Re, Aresia, Boudikka. They even included Ch'ip! Among the Guardians, Ganthet makes an appearance. Carol Ferris appears briefly in the opening minutes of the film, but that's all for her.

The GL Corps depicted in the film differs a little from that of the classic comics. In the comics, each GL is assigned sole responsibility for one of 3600 "sectors" of the universe, and, often as not, operates more or less autonomously There is some mention of sectors and such, but the Corps in this movie is shown operating more like a police department than the Texas Rangers.

Extras: I got the one disk version, which had a documentary for the aforementioned S/B:PE, a Wonder Woman documentary, one for Gotham Knights, and a "Blackest Night" featurette re the current comics storyline. I wish they had put that stuff on the 2nd disc of the 2-discer, and put the GL related stuff on disc one myself.

This is, quite simply, the best DC DTDVD yet, passing the excellent "Superman/Doomsday" easily. I suspect though, that the upcoming "Superman/Batman: Public Enemies" may knock it out of the top spot.

Run Time: ~80 min

Final Grade: A+

 

[darkwing_duck1]

Two other votes but no posts...hmmmm....

 

[Mr Light]

Green Lantern is the comic that got me back into comics after a decade absence. So I was really excited about this... and while the animation and action was nice I was very disappointed by the story. Sinestro is behind the murder of his best friend and the only GL he actually respected and trusted? Boudikka is a traitor for Sinestro and gets killed? The rings can be used to commit pre-calculated cold blooded murder? Qward is just some planet in our universe? Kilowagg only calls someone poozer once at the end and he's not the drill sergeant of the GLC? And he's not voiced by Dennis Haysbert? The rings are powered by a "mysterious crystal" and not by the willpower of the universe? Hal displays little to no carefree bravado that sets him apart from the other GLs?

 

[nx1701g]

Two other votes but no posts...hmmmm....

That's fairly normal actually. I had a grading and discussion thread that had over 100 votes before and only 15 posts.

 

[darkwing_duck1]

Sinestro is behind the murder of his best friend and the only GL he actually respected and trusted?

Given his obsession with "order", would he LET friendship stop him? Besides, he was behind the plot, he didn't actually "pull the trigger".

Boudikka is a traitor for Sinestro and gets killed? The rings can be used to commit pre-calculated cold blooded murder? Qward is just some planet in our universe?

Different universe?

Kilowagg only calls someone poozer once at the end and he's not the drill sergeant of the GLC?

They actually point that out in once scene.

Hal displays little to no carefree bravado that sets him apart from the other GLs?

I thought he displayed a great deal of self-certitude personally.

 

[darkwing_duck1]

Two other votes but no posts...hmmmm....

That's fairly normal actually. I had a grading and discussion thread that had over 100 votes before and only 15 posts.

I did not know that.

Just checked the voting and someone dropped the "f" bomb...no detailed review...that's frustrating...

ETA: For all the GL threads we've seen recently, I'm surprised at the meager number of votes too.

Are GL fans another group of Browncoats? Small numbers but BIG promoters? (and I say this AS a proud Browncoat)

 

[T J]

I liked it! The pacing and animation was good. Curtwood Smith died too fast for my tastes, lantern dumbass! The main fight was all we could have hoped for. With each movie they get better and better. Can't wait to see what's next.

 

[darkwing_duck1]

I liked it! The pacing and animation was good. Curtwood Smith died too fast for my tastes, lantern dumbass! The main fight was all we could have hoped for. With each movie they get better and better. Can't wait to see what's next.

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies is up next, due out this fall. There's a preview/documentary on the GL disc.

 

[RobertScorpio]

I liked it! The pacing and animation was good. Curtwood Smith died too fast for my tastes, lantern dumbass! The main fight was all we could have hoped for. With each movie they get better and better. Can't wait to see what's next.

Im with you. I watched it with my friend, who hates comics, he loved id. I also watched it with my wife and son. My son, a big time GL fan, was utterly thrilled, and I was thrilled seeing him thrilled.

This animate-movie has obvioulsy done somethings that dont jive with the comics but...you know what? WHO CARES? This movie works on its own and the voices were spot on. If they used this movie as a template and made a major motion picture, it would do BUKU box office..

So..if you're a comic geek who is upset it didn't 'follow this' or 'follow that', then I hate to be the bearer of bad news...DC doesn't care. As much as Paramount didn't care about all the TREKKIES bashing a movie that has done better than any other TREK movie..

A++ from me..

Rob

 

[Tomato]

Loved it. I should start buying these DTDVDs. Great stuff here's to hoping the movie can follow this level of quality.

 

[RobertScorpio]

Loved it. I should start buying these DTDVDs. Great stuff here's to hoping the movie can follow this level of quality.

amen!

 

[darkwing_duck1]

Loved it. I should start buying these DTDVDs. Great stuff here's to hoping the movie can follow this level of quality.

Loved it. I should start buying these DTDVDs. Great stuff here's to hoping the movie can follow this level of quality.

amen!

I have my doubts. LA movies are limited by their budgets, and GL looks to be a SUPER expensive film from that standpoint, if only to pay for all the CG animation for the ring effects.

To me, it's just one more example and reason why animation is the superior form for superhero movies, but the general audience in America just can't get past it's "cartoons are for kiddies" blinders.

 

[Mr Light]

Actually, much as I love GL, this animated movie to me suggests that the live action movie will not be financially successful. Joe Q Public is not going to want to see alien planets full of silly looking aliens. If it ain't Star Wars they don't care. All the sci-fi movies are made to be "relate-able" with a focus on human characters and their fewwings over crazy alien planet coolness. I point out Transformers as a perfect example of this. While I'll love it, I predict only $150 million for Green Lantern the Movie!

 

[T J]

I liked it! The pacing and animation was good. Curtwood Smith died too fast for my tastes, lantern dumbass! The main fight was all we could have hoped for. With each movie they get better and better. Can't wait to see what's next.

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies is up next, due out this fall. There's a preview/documentary on the GL disc.

[Burns]Excellent![Burns]

 

[darkwing_duck1]

Actually, much as I love GL, this animated movie to me suggests that the live action movie will not be financially successful. Joe Q Public is not going to want to see alien planets full of silly looking aliens. If it ain't Star Wars they don't care. All the sci-fi movies are made to be "relate-able" with a focus on human characters and their fewwings over crazy alien planet coolness. I point out Transformers as a perfect example of this. While I'll love it, I predict only $150 million for Green Lantern the Movie!

Who was it that was pointing exactly this out in the other "Superhero movie" thread? That modern superfilms are successful only in as much as they surpress the "super" factor?

 

[darkwing_duck1]

I liked it! The pacing and animation was good. Curtwood Smith died too fast for my tastes, lantern dumbass! The main fight was all we could have hoped for. With each movie they get better and better. Can't wait to see what's next.

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies is up next, due out this fall. There's a preview/documentary on the GL disc.

[Burns]Excellent![Burns]

Yes, esp since they once again are working with Daily/Conroy/Brown for the big three voices!

 

[Nick Ryder]

Yeah I have to admit, Supermanoomsday was lacking in that it didn't use Daly and Brown for the voices of Supes and Lex, especially since it was so Lex-centric. Although I suppose Adam Baldwin and James Marsters did an okay job, but what I really really really wished they would have done was follow the original story closer. Even if they didn't want to get into the whole JLA part and the 4 competing Supermen and the Cyborg Superman and setting up Superboy (dunno if they had the rights back to use him anyway), but they could still have done it closer.

GL sounds pretty good actually... at least it sort of sounds like some of the feel of the comics. I think animation really is one of the only ways you can do justice to a character like Green Lantern.

 

[Mr Light]

I can't wait for Superman/Batman. That should be amazing. I loved the comic. And bringing back all the TAS people? Awesome.

 

[CaptainCanada]

I thought it was pretty good overall. Probably the best of the current spate of DCU films, that I've seen; lacks New Frontier's scattershot focus and Wonder Woman's serious adaptation problems. The breakneck pace of the opening ten minutes is a bit abrupt (Hal doesn't seem even slightly phased by everything that's going on, which detracts a bit from empathy, I think; of course, Hal has never been Mr. Personality), but after that things really work well.

The climax could have used a bit more exposition, though; Hal basically turns into Ion somehow, but it's not explained in the slightest.

I liked the use of Boodikka; given that Sinestro's heel turn will surprise no one (even if you don't know the comics, his name is Sinestro), throwing in a genuinely surprising betrayal compensates (if you know the comics, you're familiar with her as a good guy; if you don't, she just looks like a love interest).

Victor Garber steals the show among the various VAs; helps that they finally delivered a well-written Sinestro (his previous appearances in the DCAU and other animated shows basically stopped at "he's like, evil, and he has a ring like a GL ring except it's yellow"). Otherwise, Christopher Meloni I thought was better than David Boreanaz in NF, though there's not a whole lot of character introspection going on here; Tricia Helfer's fine, as is Michael Madsen (took a while getting used to Kilowog's characterization).

 

[DarKush]

I had really been forward to watching this, but after I did, I just didn't feel it was all that. The animation was fine, the voice acting was good for the most part-I don't think Meloni brought enough brashness to the role. But I didn't really get into it until the end when it was Jordan v. Sinestro. I didn't like them killing Tomar Re, and while Boddika's betrayal was suprising, it felt of character (I'm not the biggest GL fan, but I from what I've read I don't recall her going dark). There was another female GL that became a Red Lantern (forgot her name) that I would've preferred be the traitor. I also thought some of the cursing-though mild-was unnecessary. I also was a little jarred by the ability the GL's had to kill with their rings. One of the coolest moments of the Sinestro Corps Wars was when the Guardians granted the GL's to kill and then how some felt about that.

Also, I had problems squaring this film's take on Jordan's origins with the far superior Secret Origins retelling in the comics. That comic story just seemed to fit the characters' better-I liked the idea of a friendship between Sinestro and Abin Sur-it showed he wasn't completely bad all the time, and it linked Jordan's origin to the larger events that are unfolding now in Blackest Night. SO just felt more epic.

I didn't like how the Lanterns were so hostile when they first approached Jordan. That didn't seem realistic and seemed to just be an excuse for some action. I also thought the Guardians were a-holes too regarding Jordan. They certainly weren't as welcoming as it should've been, despite whatever grief they were feeling regarding Abin Sur's death. I don't think they did a good job at all of explaining Jordan's power surge at the end and then they kept him too covered in green energy/mist during most of his slug fest with Sinestro, when it wasn't necessary. A little explanation from one of the Guardians of what Jordan had done or what they think he did would've been helpful.

Jordan was way too laid back throughout the film. He barely expressed any surprise at all when he encountered Abin Sur, when he meet the Lanterns or was transported to Oa. He seemed to know what to do almost automatically when he got his ring. I just wish they had spent a few moments showing him overwhelmed, testing the ring out, and especially training on Oa. He jumped right into the action far too quickly.

I enjoyed Wonder Woman a lot more than this. I also think Superman Doomsday was slightly better regarding storyline, though GL: FF killed it in animation. New Frontier was better, though I think NF floundered toward the end while GL: FF ended fairly strong. I do think GL: FF was better than Gotham Knight.

My rankings so far:
1. Wonder Woman
2. Superman/Doomsday
3. New Frontier
4. Green Lantern: First Flight
5. Batman: Gotham Knight