Green Lantern Blu-ray: Review By J. David

To be perfectly honest, I avoided seeing Green Lantern in theaters due to its almost universal panning by critics and audiences alike. I simply didn't want to subject myself to what was being dubbed 'The Last Airbender of 2011'. But I didn't lose out hope and I figured, since I was going to buy the Blu-ray eventually anyways, I better do it before I lose interest completely and honestly, I was a bit surprised. No Green Lantern isn't a Dark Knight or a Superman or an X-Men, but it's a relatively fun movie and by NO MEANS as bad as the M. Night Shyamalan atrocity it has been compared to.

But you won't find me singing its praises in this review. Green Lantern is in fact the textbook definition of disappointing, especially considering the character's long-standing mythology, the millions of dollars spent on fully realizing the premise in live-action, the talented cast, and acclaimed director Martin Campbell. It looks great, it's well acted, and boasts a few thrilling action pieces, but when it comes to the characters, Green Lantern leaves much to be desired.

For a movie marketed and, more importantly, written to be a full-blown space opera, Green Lantern is WAY too down to Earth with a mere fifteen to twenty minutes of screen time devoted to the otherworldly elements of the universe. When Hal Jordan arrives on the planet Oa, the few minutes he spends there training are fast, tense, and character-driven. The action is well shot and choreographed, the characters of Sinestro, Tomar-Re, and Kilowog steal the show from anyone onscreen in human form, and the visual effects used in the blue screen, Hal's ring and suit, and space creatures are exceptionally good. But, it's all too soon that Hal becomes overwhelmed with responsibility and races back to Earth. It could be argued that either the multitude of writers couldn't agree on how to stay in space or director Martin Campbell was wary of over-using visual effects. Either way, it's detrimental to the film.

And not just to the pacing or excitement, but to the characters. Sinestro, one of the single most complex characters in the movies this year, is all but wasted. His actions are forced and uninspired. It's a shame that Mark Strong's performance is hidden beneath the thin writing and a post credits scene setting up a sequel that's still up in the air, seems entirely out of place. Parallax isn't exactly what I'd like to call scary but at least he has a semblance of a back-story. Other non-humans such as Tomar-Re and Kilowog, flawlessly voiced by Geoffrey Rush and Michael Clarke Duncan respectively, have less than ten lines of dialogue apiece, and the Guardians of the Universe come off as arrogant rather than respectable.

Thankfully, the Earth scenes, while nowhere near as fun or eventful as the space scenes, are handled reasonably well. Hector Hammond is a fun villain to watch and Peter Sarsgaard has a blast hamming (no pun intended) it up in the role. Blake Lively, sexy as ever, gives Carol Ferris the energy any and all superhero love interests need and Tim Robbins, like Sarsgaard in the role of his son, makes the most out of his limited screen time. But just how is the star of the film, Ryan Reynolds? It seems as though this is one of the more controversial issues surrounding the film and it appears to be split both ways: either you feel he's perfect or miscast. I'm going to have to side with the former, as Reynolds eats up every line, every stunt, and every laugh with as much energy as he can. I have no knowledge of the character in the comics, but Reynolds seems the perfect fit for the character presented here and I enjoyed watching him develop (not perfectly just to clarify) over the course of the film.

Director Martin Campbell may be uncomfortable with special effects, but at least he knows how to stage a gripping action scene or two including the above-mentioned training montage. I've heard numerous complaints over the final fight between Hal and Parallax being anti-climactic, but I found it to be pretty fun. Yes, it was too short and too small in scale but personally; I haven't seen a completely satisfactory climax in a superhero film since Batman Begins so I'm not going to repeat myself here.

Unfortunately, it all comes down to how woefully underdeveloped most of the characters are. There are many arguments to be made and I can see reason in every single one of them. Like I said, I have no previous knowledge of the story, but I can tell it's probably too big for a mere two hours. Still, when worse comes to worst, Green Lantern isn't a bad film, not by my estimation, and I had no problem sitting though it (more than once I might add), but for a film that should be shooting for the stars, it keeps plummeting back to Earth.

- Extended Cut

- Maximum Movie Mode - Green Lantern's Light: By far, the best feature ever created for Blu-ray and this one is no exception. Regardless of your stance on the film, sitting through this is an absolute blast.

- Focus Points of MMM can be viewed separately

- The Universe According to Green Lantern - DC Comics artists, writers and execs, as well as filmmakers and fans, dig into the Green Lantern universe, its characters, and mythological evolution.

- Ryan Reynolds Becomes the Green Lantern - Reynolds discusses his relation to the character and the process of bringing him to life onscreen. He wears his motion-capture suit throughout.

- Justice League #1 Digital Comic

- Preview of Green Lantern - The Animated Series: A six-minute sneak peek of the upcoming Cartoon Network series. For me, it looks a little too kid-friendly to say the least. Plus, I'm not a fan of the simplistic animation. Maybe you'll feel differently.

- Deleted Scenes: Four unfinished scenes that leave much to be desired

- DVD Copy

- Ultraviolet Digital Copy: I HATE this! Go back to the iTunes copies PLEASE!!! That way I can actually use them again.

You'd think a movie like this would be a demo disc for those who have yet to make the jump from DVD to Blu-ray, but unfortunately it's not. That's not to say Green Lantern looks bad on Blu-ray, because it most certainly doesn't, but the transfer suffers from one major problem that can be summed up in two little words: TOO DARK. Yes, the film appears to be much darker than it appeared in its trailers and TV spots earlier this year. I missed seeing the film theatrically so I can't vouch for how it looked there. Regardless, as I watched the film, I couldn't help but feel like some life had been sucked out of the picture. Blacks are too deep and colors fail to pop like they should in certain scenes. It's not so bad to the point of getting too upset over the matter, but it is odd.

On a positive note, fine detail is as abundant as ever in other releases, there's no evidence of DNR (other than what was more than likely applied in post), and CGI scenes ARE bright, crisp, and clear. It may not rank as one of the best transfers on the market as of now, but it's certainly not among the mediocre ones either.

I'm probably not exactly qualified to comment on the audio quality, as I do not own a sound system. In any case, the sound mix seemed just fine coming through the speakers in my TV. Dialogue is clear, explosions manage to pack some punch, and nothing ever appears out of sync. 'Nough said.

Standard Blu-ray plastic packaging with shiny slipcover. Nothing worth noting.

Green Lantern is a frustrating experience. It boasts some terrific special effects, a strong cast, and is helmed by one of the better directors in the industry. It could have been more. It could have gotten me more into the universe with more time spent in space and less on Earth. It could have thrilled me to end and earned a spot among the best of the best superhero flicks. And most importantly, it could have made me care for the characters. Fortunately, Warner Bros. has put together a nice Blu-ray release. It's not perfect, but if you love the film, picking it up is a no-brainer. As much as the film disappointed me, I really hope the sequel gets the green light and transports its heroes on an intergalactic journey well worth taking. It can happen and it should happen, because, as Hal Jordan himself states, "no matter how bad things get, there's something good out there, just over the horizon".