Green Lantern: Review By CBF

Ryan Reynolds dubbing the potential "Green Lantern" franchise "the new Star Wars" may have been a bit premature...and maybe a jinx. But don't take my word for it. Heck, I may overthink the plotlines or be harsh at times in my comic film reviews, or all of my reviews in general, but for all of my well-thought-out harshness, I will stand by this statement: Those who know the Green Lantern mythos will be disappointed, and those who don't (and enjoy mindless popcorn flicks), will like it.

Story

From the very start, the film begins explaining things in detail, as well it should, with a plot as intricate as it seems to be. For those not quick enough to pick up information in movies, please know that most of what is explained in the entire movie will go over your head in some fashion. After a quick opening scene with one of the Green Lanterns (space cops) in distress, the plot seems simple as the viewer is introduced to test pilot Hal Jordan and his female partner wingman, Carol Ferris, in a dangerous training demonstration. After a quick glimpse of his life, a unique opportunity is presented to Hal in the form of a Green power ring which chooses its owner. His life suddenly changes for the better and for the worse as the adventure begins. While he is learning the secrets of the ring, unbeknownst to him, he is being tracked by the Green Lantern Corps, the political infrastructure that commandeers the Green Lanterns. The race is on to get the girl, protect the world, and save the Green Lantern Corps homeworld of Oa as two villains, Hector Hammond and Parallax, emerge from the shadows.

Bottom line, the film was rushed, and it carries little weight. The viewer can see and feel this as the film zooms past the story, with major moments taking place off-screen, such as the forging of the Yellow power ring. Most of the characters are undeveloped, with little to no depth to them whatsoever, Ryan Reynolds can't let go of his funny-man persona long enough to portray a believable superhero, and the villains are almost an afterthought. Explanations are too quick, with some needed ones not there at all, and because of all this, the movie comes off more as corny than epic. But if you still care when it's all over, then stay tuned during the first part of the end credits for a secret scene that sets up the sequel.

Story: Comic Comparison

As most of my readers know, I am an avid comic book reader and comic film buff. A few years ago, it was safe to say that I had little knowledge of the Green Lantern universe. Then a story called "Rebirth" by Geoff Johns came out, and all that changed. And while it's still safe to say that I am not well-versed in this universe, I believe I know enough to accurately judge this film to its comic book roots. Let's start with the Hal Jordan character - he's not a wise-cracker like your Spider-Man or Deadpool, so the comic relief all throughout the movie is unnecessary. Carol Ferris, the future Star Sapphire, is done well, as is Abin Sur, Sinestro, Tomar-Re, and Kilowog. The rest of the important characters seem fine (though largely undeveloped) except for Parallax. This character is very different in the comics than in the movie. While the movie version of Parallax would have you believe that the being is an intergalactic, space-traveling, former Guardian of the Universe, whom became warped by the Yellow element of fear, this is not at all like the comic version. In the comics, Parallax, in his most famous story arc, invaded the body of Hal Jordan as a vessel and single-handedly destroyed the Green Lantern Corps, only for Hal to sacrifice himself and kill the monster by flying into the sun (see "Rebirth"). Now the movie pays homage to this at the end, so pay attention. However, the character is so different from the source material that some fanboys are pissed (but aren't we always?). The origin story is also somewhat different, in contrast to the main villain. I won't go into that since I can see that the film planted seeds for that story to take shape in a sequel. However, I will say this: The Yellow Ring was forged.

Acting

Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan: I didn't like him in this role. He did a fine job as Wade Wilson in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" two years ago (that's Wade Wilson; "not" Weapon XI), and would have played a fine Barry Allen/The Flash in a Flash movie, but as Hal Jordan, he just doesn't cut the mustard. In the beginning of the movie he seemed like he was going to play a serious character, as Hal respectfully is, but then the jokes and trying-to-be-funny persona came out. Ryan Reynolds belongs in Ryan Reynolds films, and this was not a Ryan Reynolds vehicle, it was a Green Lantern movie. Playing the same role he played in "Just Friends" will not always fit the bill, and this was the major case in point.

Blake Lively as Carol Ferris: A fine actress. She made the role her own and I enjoyed that. She also played off of Reynolds well which is important. She's far from the Kirsten Dunst-Mary Jane/damsel-in-distress-in-every-scene archetype, and definitely shows a strength in the character. I have a feeling that if sequels are made, she will have a much larger role in them.

Mark Strong as Sinestro: I felt this was the highlight of the cast. Sinestro is a hard character to figure out and Mark portrayed him that way. A viewer gets the feeling he is one of the Corps' most trusted Lanterns, and a very important one at that. Mark's acting here is...strong.

Michael Clarke Duncan as the voice of Kilowog: Who else could pull off the booming voice of the Lanterns' combat trainer other than The Kingpin (DareDevil reference, for those of you that didn't catch that). Good voice casting.

Clancy Brown as the voice of Parallax: An interesting casting choice here, as Brown is most notably recognized for his voice acting of Lex Luthor in "Superman: The Animated Series", as well as a few direct-to-DVDs. It would seem he loves the comics genre. They have obviously deepened his voice with an effect for the booming presence of this monstrosity, however. Nevertheless, it makes for quite the interesting trivia fact.

Directing

Martin Campbell is an above average director when he's doing action-centric pieces, such as the two James Bond films that introduced the new Bond actors Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig, 1995's "GoldenEye" and 2006's "Casino Royale", but when it comes to the world of comic book films, quick camera cuts and whipping through scenes just doesn't cut it. I'm not going to rip on him like he's Sam Raimi, but I hope GL2 gets a new director. Campbell should stick to Bond films.

Visuals

When I first saw the teaser trailer in 2010, I felt they had a lot of work to do on the special effects. Kilowog looked horribly bad, and so did a bunch of other things like the green costumes and Oa. Having seen the film now, I feel they touched most of it up and Kilowog does look better, but in some scenes not so much, and the floating-face mask on Jordan looked terrible. Not to mention what was with those obvious blue CGI eyes when he was wearing the mask? In a CGI-centric film, it's smarter to go with a great computer effects company than an average one. Think what ILM is to Star Wars prequels. It just wasn't present here.

Overall

My final word is that "Green Lantern" was a letdown. It's very hard to say where the fault lies. Normally, I would blame the screenwriters for lack of this-or-that in the script, but Reynolds cast as the main character also doesn't make sense, and some bad CGI brings the film down, too. It's a combination of elements. Suffice it to say, I enjoyed certain aspects of the movie, but that is most likely because I enjoy the overall story of Green Lantern. I felt I got a better serving of the origin story in DC Universe's Animated Original Movie "Green Lantern: First Flight", which is awesome and one that I highly recommend, but here in the live-action motion picture, it lacks substance and weight. Now please excuse me as I leave and collect all the stories to "Blackest Night" to fulfill my hunger for a better Green Lantern tale that doesn't suck.