Green Lantern: Review By Huntsman

Jun 17th, 2011 by Huntsman
The Worst Superhero Film Of the Summer.
  • OVERALL
    1.5
    POOR
  • Story
  • Acting
  • Directing
  • Visuals
Let me say I've never read the Green Lantern comic when I did read and collect them. I was never really interested in DC comics. The just didn't have compelling characters outside of Batman and I only started reading Batman after I saw the movie back in 1989. Right now I can't name any of the major hero's from DC outside of Batman, Superman, and Wonderwoman. I can name Flash also but that's only because of the TV series that came out back and 1990 which was a good show. I think that's the problem with DC comics as a whole their hero's aren't as well known or recognized outside of the big two Batman/Superman while Marvel has many likable and recognizable characters like Captain America, Spiderman, Wolverine, Daredevil, to name a few and even a lesser know character like the Punisher is probably better known than the majority of the hero's/Villains in DC comics. So I don't think there will be many who truly enjoy this movie outside of the ones who read the comic.

Now I don't want you to think this is the worst comic book movie out there but it is the worst of the this summer by far. But there have been worst. The Fantastic Four movie that was never released. I have a friend who has a VHS copy of the movie and the movie is the worst comic book movie I've seen. Jonah Hex, Catwoman, Ghost Rider, Punisher: War Zone to name a few of the terrible ones. No I'd but Green Lantern on the level of the first newer Fantastic Four movie which was bad but not horrible.

Now that I put you in a downer about Green Lantern I'll go on about what I did like.

I like that DC and Warner Brothers took a chance with this character. Since reading into the back history of the character he has to travel to other planets and fight in space. So this is the first comic book movie I can think of that takes place much of the film in space. It's a risk I don't think many movie studio's or Marvel will risk right now. So I need to give DC and WB credit for taking a chance on some levels it worked well. For example in taking us to a alien world and introducing us to alien Green Lanterns. I'll get to what I didn't like about this later on in my review.

Next I liked Ryan Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively. Ryan Reynolds(Hal Jordan) is a good but not great actor who has done mostly comedies. He does bring life to Hal Jordan but the writing and script didn't help him much. After seeing this movie I'd have preferred if he had done DEADPOOL. I think he was born to do that character but I don't know if it's going to happen. I hope after this movie bombs which I'm pretty sure it will studio's will still give him a chance to star. Then there's Blake Lively(Carol Ferris) who plays Hal's love interest. Again she is hampered by the bad script but she still brings her beauty and charisma along with her acting talent to this film to brighten it up. She's one of the few bright spots in the show Gossip Girl and was outstanding in THE TOWN. Sadly these are the only two characters who are the least bit interesting.

Finally there's the special effects which were good but not great. Going into this movie I thought from trailers this would be the worst part but I was wrong the effects were pretty good. The worlds I saw were believable and the alien characters looked alive.

Now onto the what I didn't like.

There is the story/writing of the movie. You won't understand anything if you haven't read the comic. Outside the Narration in the beginning you don't get anything. Not details on who the Lantern's are or who the immortal guardians are and this supposed great evil in Parallax. Then there is the high school script and dialogue is out of a a student film you'd expect a child to write. That's how bad it was some of the lines were laughable when they were clearly not intended to be. Finally there's the two useless bad guys which were uninteresting and weren't really that bad or at least didn't seem that bad. Loki and Sebastian Shaw in Thor and X-Men: First Class seem more alive and evil than the two bad guys in this film combined.

Now we go to all the useless actors in the film. Tim Robbins(Senator Hammond) is a ghost in this film as you won't remember him once he's gone along with virtually all the other actors except for the two I mentioned above. That includes Angela Bassett(Dr. Amanda Waller), Jay O. Sanders(Carl Ferris), Geoffrey Rush(Voice of Tomar-Re), and Michael Clarke Duncan(Voice of Kilowog) to name a few. Then there is Peter Sarsgaard(Hector Hammond) who I guess was supposed to be tortured soul/villain but he was uninteresting and unlikable and wasn't much of a villain. Finally there is Mark Strong(Sinestro). Mark is a good actor and makes a good villain. Sadly he was underused in this film and I wish he had been the bad guy and I hoped he would have been when the guardians gave him a yellow ring. Unfortunately it wasn't to be and we were stuck with Hammond and Parallax.

You'd think the action and special effects would coincide with each other but the don't with this film. While the special effects were pretty good the action was terrible and downright boring. I heard this movie cost around 175 million to make and you'd think with that much of a budget they'd have better action. I can't think of one good action scene in this film and the climax where Parallax invades earth and chases Hal Jordan around the solar system is terrible

The last thing I'll talk about is the score/soundtrack which there isn't one or at least I didn't notice one. I think this film would have been helped out by a good score/soundtrack.

I was hoping this movie would take place entire ally in space. I would love to have seen a superhero Star Wars type of film. I think it could have worked that way with a better bad guy and better writings. They studio had the budget for it and I'd like to know what they spent all that money on because the couldn't have used it all on this film judging by the finished project.

Overall a bad film but not a terrible one. I have no doubt this will be the worst superhero film of the summer and one of the worst I've seen but no the worst. So I'd skip it and if you need a superhero fix go see THOR, X-MEN: FIRST CLASS or wait for Captain America. This film isn't worth your time or the money you'll spend on it.

Do you like this review?

Comments (48)

  1. ejk1

    @huntsman Crossgen is actually back under the Marvel banner, and new issues of Sigil have been released.

    11 months agoby @ejk1Flag

  2. Lane

    @huntsman - OK, I think the part of your review that struck me the most, giving me one of the first clues about your bias opinion was "After seeing this movie I'd have preferred if he had done DEADPOOL. I think he was born to do that character but I don't know if it's going to happen. I hope after this movie bombs which I'm pretty sure it will studio's will still give him a chance to star."

    First off, what indications do you have so far that the movie's going to bomb? It had a better midnight gross than both Thor and First Class, granted, it was on a few more theatres than those 2, and it's been sold out for nearly every showing as far as I can tell. Saying that you hope the movie bombs and that you're "pretty sure" it will just cuz you're holding out hope for a Deadpool film is ridiculous considering all of that.

    And secondly, who DOESN'T want a Deadpool movie? Yes, RR was perfect for the role and "born" to play him as you say, but does that mean he shouldn't be able to try other roles first before committing to a spin-off? Personally, I prefer he do as many CBM roles as he possibly can just to get a different feel for each performance from him, in the same vein as Chris Evans has done, which you didn't even mention. Atleast Reynolds crossed over to different companies to pursue a more expansive CBM experience, which you don't even give him credit for here.

    Yes, I'm a DC fan but I'm all for Marvel, too. I'm a superhero lover first, DC fan second. And I guarantee you'll never see a review from me like the one you gave here.

    11 months agoby @lane1Flag

  3. Huntsman

    @lane1 No my review doesn't reflect my stance on DC it reflects my stance on Green Lantern. If you can't see than than maybe you're the one with the problem.

    I've made some very valid points and have discounted some of your arguments you've just chosen to ignore them. You keep saying I'm some kind of Marvel Fanboy when it sounds to me like you're in bed with DC.

    So I'm just going to give up on talking to you and just say we agree to disagree.

    11 months agoby @huntsmanFlag

  4. Lane

    @huntsman It's noble that you're trying to defend your stance in the comments, but, unfortunately, your review reflects your real opinion of the film/DC and everything else. Seems to me like you're just trying to save face now that you've been called out on your views.

    And @dan1, I completely agree. Especially the part about conflicting viewpoints on Reynolds.

    11 months agoby @lane1Flag

  5. Dan

    @huntsman Why do we read Vampirella? Because she is fun to stare at and lust after lol. But my bud @ejk1 tells me the new comics are worth checking out, though.

    Yeah, I read that about Crossgen. Lots of infighting, and therefore some plot lines never got resolved. Pretty bogus. But I'm still curious to check em out.

    I mostly want to check out TWD because people tell me you can't get attached to anyone in it, just like the Song of Fire and Ice books (HBO's Game of Thrones). I like when series are hardcore like that.

    11 months agoby @dan1Flag

  6. Huntsman

    @dan1 That's one of the reasons I stopped collecting comics money being the issue. There's only so much money I can spend on myself. So back in 2007 I had to chose between video games, comics, and movies/DVD's and comics was sadly the odd man out. The only comic book I still really pay attention to and try to read is Amazing Spiderman.

    Crossgen was great company but with bad management I think that's why the went bankrupt. I still have all the issues to Sigil, Scion, and Sojourn. It pissed me off a great deal when the issues just stopped for no apparent reason.

    Vampirella is a decent comic I read back in the 90's but nothing special. I have heard really good things about The Walking Dead especially now that there is a TV show based off the comic.

    11 months agoby @huntsmanFlag

  7. Dan

    @huntsman I wasn't exactly supporting you, bro lol.

    Anyways, yeah, there are other good companies out there besides the big ones. A friend of mine wants me to get into these comics from the now defunct Crossgen. Plus I need to start reading Red Sonja, The Walking Dead, Vampirella, and a few others. Plethora of other comics in the world I haven't touched yet. If only I was made of money :P

    11 months agoby @dan1Flag

  8. Huntsman

    @dan1 Thanks for your support and discussion of my review. Do I feel like I was bashing DC no. I could bash Marvel and I did in some of my earlier comments. Marvel has done many things wrong over the years in both their movies and comics. It's just that they've done a better job at it than DC. If I'm going to be honest my favorite comic company the published great comics like Spawn, Witchblade, Wildcats, Stormwatch, and Youngblood to name a few. They were a different kind of superhero comic and outside Spawn and WItchblade they all ended. I believe DC now owns one of the of shoots of Image.

    Another great company was the now Defunct Dreamwave which gave us the great world of Warlands and it's off shoot Shidima, Darkminds and some really good Transformers comics.

    Oh yes I agree that the WATCHMEN was a excellent film and was DC's best film outside of TDK.

    11 months agoby @huntsmanFlag

  9. ejk1

    @dan1 and anyone else that values my opinion: I will be seeing GL later this morning, write my review, and then get deeply into the conversations. However, after reading Dan's first paragraph, I can already see where some of you are going, and that in itself will most likely be a topic my review will cover. If you wish to read my review, you will probably be able to find it sometime between 2 and 3 pm est (if not, then it will be finished sometime after midnight; I have work from 4-11). Anyone wishing to converse with me about the film, whether on reviews or in a forum, feel free to tag me after 1:30 am est, and I will gladly respond. Until then, I wish you all a good day.

    11 months agoby @ejk1Flag

  10. Dan

    Oh, and Watchmen was great. It might not have had the BO success, but it was way more substantive than some people give it credit. I'd really delve into that argument, but this isn't the place for it.

    11 months agoby @dan1Flag

  11. Dan

    Alright, just finished reading the comments. Here are my views on the matter... DC and Marvel are each other's competition, we all know this, and clearly some users on MW are either very much in one camp, or the other. Like my friend @ejk1 (who I hope forgives me for dragging him into this, but hope he chimes in), I am completely for both companies (among others, such as Dark Horse). I am a comic book reader, comic book movie watcher, and I like to think I'm balanced in my judgments on both companies, though if you look at my comic collection, DC slightly edges out Marvel.

    Reading @huntsman's review, what I take away from it is that he feels Marvel has done a more effective job bringing their properties to live action life in recent times than DC has. Looking at the score card, he's not exactly wrong, besides BB, TDK, and BO wise, SR. I've yet to watch GL, seeing it tonight, and then I'll be able to better gauge whether I agree with his assertions here or not. From all the reviews I've read of GL, people are seesawing between who they didn't like or who they did. One review tells me Reynolds sucks and then on closer inspection it's obvious they don't care for the actor to begin with, and then another review will say he was spot on for Hal Jordan. So I can't take anyone at their word for this movie since the views are so polarizing.

    I do agree with @lane1 though that this review sounds like a slam on the DCU (I very much disagree with the opening paragraph about people being unaware of DC's roster. Maybe because I run in different circles from @huntsman, but still, I know plenty of people who watched Justice League, and can name off tons of characters and small bits of info on each. People are not that ignorant), and a plug for Marvel. It's evident in almost every paragraph. Lack of grammatical/punctuation skills also brought this review down for me, on a technical level. It's readable, certainly, but could use some editing.

    11 months agoby @dan1Flag

  12. Dan

    @lane1 @narrator Man, I was asleep for all this. Good stuff lol.

    11 months agoby @dan1Flag

  13. Lane

    @huntsman And save for Jonah Hex not being a "majority" loved film, that's what I just argued. :|

    You keep trying to make my points less valid than you already think they are yet you offer no examples as a counter point to mine. You asked me to name some movies and I did... So what's the problem?

    11 months agoby @lane1Flag

  14. Huntsman

    @lane1 Wait Fantastic Four being rebooted for a second time. The first being after the terrible 1994 movie that was never released.

    Your argument was going well until you said I'm sure there are even some who liked Jonah Hex though I haven't seen it. Of course there's people who will like a movie when you don't what thought we were arguing about was whether a majority of people will like a low quality comic films.

    11 months agoby @huntsmanFlag

  15. Lane

    lol

    11 months agoby @lane1Flag

  16. The Narrator: The Better Man

    The amazonian princess is waging war, fellas.
    "You should be running."

    11 months agoby @narratorFlag

  17. Lane

    Plus, X3 and Wolverine were still pretty successful, regardless. X3 was even the most successful of the trilogy.

    11 months agoby @lane1Flag

  18. Lane

    And yes, I realize some of those weren't entirely faithful as more successful CBM's but still close enough.

    11 months agoby @lane1Flag

  19. Lane

    @huntsman Wolverine, X-Men Last Stand (though Wolv was somewhat better, but still not that good), Spider-Man 3 (low quality to most though a considerable amount still liked it), and I'm sure there are even some who liked Jonah Hex though I haven't seen it. And there are plenty who go on and on about how FF2 was worse than the first and Galactus looked like sh*t (saying the same thing about Parallax who's visuals pale in comparison), but I know plenty who thought it was better than the first and/or still liked it. The FF movies did well enough for what they were, but were ultimately only rebooted because of negative fan reaction.

    11 months agoby @lane1Flag

  20. Huntsman

    @lane1 Can you name some because I am having a hard time coming up with some. Let's see maybe Fantastic Four or Batman Forever. Those are the only two low quality films I think the average movie fan liked though I could be wrong.

    11 months agoby @huntsmanFlag

  21. Lane

    @TheMightyThor I both agree and disagree with your opinion of Supes. While I disliked Snyder being attached to direct to begin with, I hardly think the casting is "spot-on"... with the exception of Amy Adams, it seems like it'll be a disaster, but that's just me. Still waiting for footage.

    @huntsman It discounts my argument? I don't think so. I've never read ANY comics, but while I tend to shift more towards DC (Superman is my Numbah 1), I love and/or am fair to all superhero movies. The way in which your review was written was hardly fair, and that's not even counting your low rating.

    "It shouldn't matter if you've read the comic if the movies good"... No, it shouldn't. But how many comic book movies do you know of that were faithful to the comics but were films of terribly low quality that a majority of people still loved? Quite a few.

    11 months agoby @lane1Flag

  22. Huntsman

    @lane1 No it doesn't but it does discount your argument about me being some kind of Marvel fanboy and how many paid movie reviewers do you think have read Green Lantern or any of the other comics I listed. Most likely not many. It shouldn't matter if you've read the comic if the movies good. Like the early Superman movies. I never read the comics but enjoyed the movies. The same for Iron Man. Sure I read mostly Marvel but I never picked up Iron Man or Thor and they were still enjoyable movies. So again as long as the movies good it shouldn't matter if you've read the comics.

    11 months agoby @huntsmanFlag

  23. Lane

    @moviemaniac66 lol :)

    11 months agoby @lane1Flag

  24. Lane

    LOL @cupid. Nice.

    11 months agoby @lane1Flag

  25. MovieManiac

    @lane1 - Preach Sistah!!!!!

    11 months agoby @moviemaniac66Flag

  26. TheMightyThor

    @lane1
    Snyder..."Sucker Punch"..."Watchmen"... all flash, and no substance. i am afraid he will do the very same thing to Superman. i just think that he is completely wrong for directing the movie. the casting looks spot on though.

    the rest of your comment, i totally agree with. well said.

    11 months agoby @TheMightyThorFlag

  27. Lane

    @huntsman Yeah, I read it. Still doesn't change what you said in your review.

    11 months agoby @lane1Flag

  28. TheMightyThor

    @cupid
    before
    and even after they cast it i was still trying to be optimistic
    but everyone that i know that has seen it has told me flat out that it's a waste of money... and they are ALL DC fanboys.

    11 months agoby @TheMightyThorFlag

  29. Lane

    @TheMightyThor - "with this, and the sad Wonder Woman tv show, DC now has two strikes against it. granted the next Batman movie will be good, but then we have Zack Snyder directing the next Superman movie. god help us all..."

    And that's what I'm talking about. Why is it that whenever DC is mentioned it's only Batman (the Burton and/or Nolan films, depending on your preference) and the first 2 Superman movies are good? That is where I'd beg to differ. Sorry, but I along with many others enjoyed Superman Returns, and the fact that you're already doubting Snyder's Superman, what does that tell you?

    But Batman 3 will automatically be good, why? Because of Nolan? This is exactly my point... You're either Batman or Superman, Very rarely both. And when one doesn't like the other or not as much, they're automatically discredited. I have plenty more legitimate reasons to discredit the Superman reboot but we won't get into that now.

    And I'm not discrediting this review just because I "disagree". I thumbed it down because I felt it was poorly written, poorly worded, and as I already said, it felt like I was reading the same review I've been reading from other reviewers. Starts off with "I haven't read the comics" and goes into Marvel movie territory. If you're going to compare Green Lantern to another superhero movie you feel is bad, why bring up Marvel? There are plenty of movies DC has done that most people agree were bad yet no one is mentioning those. THAT is called being biased - not honest and fair.

    11 months agoby @lane1Flag

  30. CUPID

    @TheMightyThor Like you said below "I REALLY wanted this movie to be good"
    before or after the casting and direction of the film ?!?!?

    11 months agoby @cupidFlag