After being shown the previously released trailer for the Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters video game and animated movie, Green Lantern: Emerald Knights (review to follow here on CBM tomorrow) those of us in attendance were lucky enough to see the footage which was shown at WonderCon a couple of weeks ago. Rather than describe the whole thing again, I thought it would be best to instead share my thoughts on the footage, especially as it contained what appeared to be even better CGI than the four minute trailer we saw last Saturday.
***** POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD! *****
Now, about that improved CGI. It would appear that Warner Bros. have continued to work on it since the above mentioned trailer was released. This was perhaps most noticeable with Hal's mask, possibly one of the most criticized aspects of the pictures and footage released so far. Rather than looking as if it's floating on top of Ryan Reynolds' face, it now looks perfectly fine and far more natural. The suits also seem to have been touched up, with the fact they're energy constructions from the ring made more obvious by the flares sparking off of them, along with more movement behind the symbol on each suit.
The first scene shown, featured Abin Sur being attacked by Parallax (in a surprisingly brief, yet exciting, fight scene) followed by his death in front of Hal Jordan. While he's an important part of the Green Lantern mythos, it's worth noting that his role in the movie appears to be as brief as it was in the comic books. Regardless, seeing Ryan Reynolds' performance as Hal in his failed attempt to help the dying alien should be more than enough to put fans minds to ease when it comes to the actor putting aside his usually comedic take on the characters he plays. (was
Buried not enough?) That's not to say that there's no humour at all in his performance. It's just not as obvious and over the top as some expected it would be. From here, we saw a slightly extended version of him delivering the oath after activating the lantern and his first flight into outer space.
What was most interesting about seeing this sequence was that Hal's face appeared to be bloody and bruised, making me wonder whether it actually takes place after his fight with the three guys (and possible first experimentation with the ring) that we caught a glimpse of in the trailer released last year. Of course, his face is blemish free when he arrives on Oa and meets Geoffrey Rush's Tomar-Re, once again leaving me scratching my head about the actual order that these scenes took place in. Tomar welcomes Hal to Oa and explains in further detail his role as a member of the Corps as well as the fact that he is the first human to wield a ring. Rush’s voice is perfectly suited to such a character and there is some great chemistry between the two despite the fact that Reynolds and Rush probably never even met during filming. This chemistry is evident when Hal is caught posing in his new suit and a few minutes later when he points out the aliens close resemblance to a fish.
From here, we were shown the longer version of Sinestro’s address to the Corps. It’s fair to say that this is a very powerful scene. The CGI once again appears to have been improved, specifically with Mark Strong, who now looks far more natural and believable, as with Hal’s mask as I pointed out above. When Sinestro points out that no one will be able to replace Abin Sur, several of the Corps turn to look at Hal, but it was so brief a flash, it’s hard to tell whether this was out of curiosity or a mixture of resentment and doubt toward the human Green Lantern. The footage wrapped up with a series of brief scenes from the film (most of which have now been revealed in the trailer or TV spots) and I can’t find fault with any of them. The action looks great as does the CGI.
With that, the panel came to a close. The footage was very well received by the audience, with laughs in all of the moments you would expect and a huge round of applause and cheers when it came to an end. While the fact that Warner Bros. chose to release four minutes of what we saw into a compressed trailer may mean that only half of what was shown was new to those of us lucky to be in attendance, I was still extremely impressed by the whole thing as well as what I believe were improved visual effects. The performances of the actors I’ve mention above, and the downright amazing looking space and action scenes lead me to believe that both
Thor and
Captain America: The First Avenger (and even Fox’s
X-Men: First Class) may face some stiff competition when it comes to the best comic book movie of 2011.
With an all star cast which includes Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan, Blake Lively as Carol Ferris and Mark Strong as Sinestro, director Martin Campbell's
Green Lantern is set to be released in 3D on June 17, later this year!