Director:
Andrew Stanton
Cast:
Taylor Kitsch as Hal Jordan: A test pilot for the Ferris Aircraft company whose will to act qualifies him to become the first Earthman to join the Green Lantern Corps.
Linda Cardellini as Carol Ferris: The current owner of Ferris Aircraft, and the boss and love interest of Hal Jordan.
Luke Evans as Thaal Sinestro: A Green Lantern senior officer who becomes Hal Jordan's mentor.
Josh Brolin as Atrocitus: A rogue warrior who declares revenge on the Guardians of the Universe after they Manhunters murder his entire family and planet.
Ken Watanabe as Abin Sur: A respected Green Lantern who crashes on Earth and recruits Hal Jordan as his replacement.
Michael Chiklis as Kilowog: A drill sergeant Green Lantern who trains Hal Jordan in the basics aspects of how to be a Green Lantern.
Seth Green as Tomar-Re: A bird-beaked Green Lantern who teaches Hal Jordan how to make constructions with the ring.
Amber Stevens as Bleez: A Green Lantern who later reveals herself to be a follower of Atrocitus
Bruce Greenwood as Ganthet: One of the Guardians of the Universe.
Dominic Cooper as Martin Jordan: Hal Jordans's father who is also a pilot.
Kevin Durand as John Gardner: A U.S Navy captain.
H.Jon Benjamin as Ch'p and Salaak: Members of the Green Lantern Corps.
Plot:
The film opens with a narration: Billions of years ago, the Guardians of the Universe used the Green Essence of Will Power to create the Green Lantern Battery. The green element is the most powerful in the universe; only the yellow element of Fear can withstand it. The Guardians hide the source of yellow so that nobody could wield its power before creating the Green Lantern Corps; an intergalactic force of peacekeepers. They divided the universe into 3600 sectors and assigned a Green Lantern to each sector.
On Earth, Coast City, an 11 years old Hal Jordan is accompanying his father Martin to his workplace at Ferris Aircraft, where he works as an airplane test flight pilot. Hal asks his father if when he grows up he can become a pilot like him, his father tells him he can be anything he wants maybe even an astronaut, but Hal tells him that he is scared of ever going to space, so his father says to him "fear is just in the mind, it only has power over you if you let it in son." Then he kisses him goodbye on the forehead and goes to the airfield.
Hal stays in the station and meets Carol Ferris, daughter of Carl Ferris, the owner of Ferris Aircraft and Martin's boss, then he and a couple of hundred other people are watching his dad test the new plane, everything starts smoothly until suddenly his dad crashes. Hal and the people watch shocked as the plane burns up with debris scattered everywhere.
The film shifts to the present, Hal, now 27, wakes up thanks to his phone ringing, he looks at his clock and picks up the phone. It's Carol, she's angry at him because he hasn't shown up yet to his first test flight, in which Hal was supposed to be piloting a new jet to exhibit it for a state senator. Hal asks her when he's ever let her down while pulling on his clothes. Carol responds with last week when they were meant to go on a date. Hal says that that was just one time so Carol starts listing more times that Hal has let her down. Hal hops in his car and tells her this time it will be different before hanging up on her. Two minutes before the demonstration is supposed to start, Hal arrives and gears up.
The next scene is in space, Abin Sur, the Green Lantern of Sector 2814, is patrolling the area when his ship is attacked by Atrocitus, a rogue alien warrior. Atrocitus informs Abin Sur that he has come looking for “the Manhunter Codex” but Abin Sur refuses to give it up. After a fierce battle between the two where Abin gets slashed badly across his chest and lower half, he manages to defeat the villain by blasting him with his power ring, knocking him out of the spacecraft. However, the ship is badly damaged and plunges to Earth, At the crash site, Abin Sur lies wounded on the ground and knows that he will soon die. He instructs his ring to find a worthy successor to his role as a Green Lantern.
Meanwhile, Hal begins to get cocky while flying the plane, Carol warns him and tells him not to show off, when suddenly he detects a mysterious energy entering the area where he is flying and then landing nearby. Against Carol orders, he goes to investigate just as the ring flies into the cockpit of Hal's plane and teleports him to the crash site, leaving the unmanned craft to crash into the ground. Hal rushes over to Abin and comforts the dying alien. Abin tells him that the ring has chosen Hal to be his replacement. Hal doesn't understand what Abin is saying, never having heard of a Green Lantern but Abin forces the Green Power Ring into Hal's hand, using his last breath to tell Hal that he has become a large part of the universe and to use it wisely and recite the oath, before dying. Hal tries to ask what oath he means and holds the ring in the palm of his hand, confused Hal buries Abin and his ship. Minutes later, other Ferris Aircraft employees arrive and Carol is forced to fire him.
Hal returns home, he is confused and shocked by the recent events and ponders what to do, just then Carol arrives. She asks him what is wrong with him, she thought he wanted to be a pilot and today, the day that was supposed to be his first flight, he made her look like a fool, she then reveals she had feelings for him, he just stays silent thinking about the previous events, feeling ignored and hurt by Hal's distant demeanor, she leaves.
That night, he finds himself unable to sleep, when suddenly, he is attacked by two more alien beings, also Green Lanterns. They introduced themselves as Kilowog, a Green Lantern drill sergeant, and Thaal Sinestro, a respected senior officer who was a close friend of Abin Sur. They tell him they are looking for Abin Sur because he went missing and when they followed his ring last transmission they were taken to Hal. Hal is confused and doesn't know what to say so they grab him and teleport with him back to Oa, the Green Lanterns base of operations.
On Oa, Hal is brought before the Guardians, headed by Ganthet, and learns more about the origins of the universe and the Green Lanterns. The Corps is currently in the process of investigating Abin Sur's death and trying to find the one responsible. Sinestro, who was the last person Abin Sur spoke to via radio before the crash, has a recording of the ship's transmission. However, it only captures Abin Sur's last message and doesn't tell them anything about what brought his ship down. Hal reveals the location of Abin Sur's body and ship, as the Corps hopes to use the on-flight data recorder to learn what transpired in the ship's final moments.
Before leaving Hal is given a course in being a Lantern by Kilowog and Tomar-Re, another Green Lantern. He learns about combat, to fly and how to use the power ring to make constructs. After a vicious workout, Sinestro comes up and tells Kilowog that the Guardians have made him Hal's new trainer. Kilowog angrily leaves, and Sinestro trains Hal until it is time for Abin's funeral, while there he meets various Green Lanterns who he befriends like Ch'p and Salaak and a shy girl called Bleez, who briefly flirts with him.
After the funeral, Hal and Sinestro return to Earth to investigate the crash site. They recover the lost ship and Sinestro reacts with horror upon reviewing the data recorder, although Hal doesn't understand. They return to Oa where Sinestro reveals to the Guardians and other Lanterns what happened to Abin Sur; he was murdered by Atrocitus. When Hal inquires as to who Atrocitus is, the Guardians don't give him any answers, angry and frustrated he leaves.
As he thinks to himself, Sinestro comes up to him, he tells him that before he joined the Lanterns, he came from a world that was dominated by a cruel dictator who ruled with fear and submission, his heart was full of anger and hate because the Guardians didn't do anything, until one day Abin decided to train and guide him, and with his help he found inner peace and managed to release his world from the dictator's hands and was acclaimed as a hero, all of that thanks to Abin guide and hope and he owes it to him. Hal confused asks him why he is telling him that, Sinestro tells him that like Abin did with him, he will train and guide Hal as well. Hal nods understanding and then Sinestro offers to tell him Atrocitus story.
He narrates that prior to creating the Green Lantern Corps, the Guardians created a police force called the Manhunters to combat evil all across the cosmos, for thousands of years they serve well until they started to became obsessed with the act of hunting criminals and the fear these generated, so they went rogue and one day, a squad of Manhunters invaded and slaughtered an entire sector, Sector 666, leaving Atrocitus as the only survivor. Ultimately, the Guardians deactivated them and then they were hidden in that same Sector, now known as the Lost Sector, as it was uninhabited and it was unlikely anyone would ever find them. Even if they did, they would need the Manhunter Codex to reactivate them. Atrocitus, following the killing of his people, was left to wander deep space for many years, and over that course of time, went insane and became determined to get revenge on the Guardians.
Hal then deduces that Atrocitus has located the army of Manhunters and is hunting for the Codex in order to reactivate them to attack the Guardians and the Lanterns. Hal is overwhelmed with this revelation and with everything that is happening around him, so he decides to quit being a Lantern and return to Earth, keeping the ring and battery.
Back on Earth, he goes to Carol house to try to reconcile with her, where he apologizes for disobeying her and acting so strange lately, she tells him that whatever is going on with him he needs to sort it out before hurting the people that care about him. He tells her that things are not easy for him to explain but that he loves her and always has, after saying this she leans to kiss him, but then stops and says that they cannot be together, not at least until Hal figures out what is happening with himself.
Hal sad walks alone to his house, while looking at the ring in his hand, he stops at the side of a bridge and contemplates wherever or not he wants the responsibility of being a Lantern, suddenly he is attacked from behind, as he falls off the bridge he puts on the ring and flies over.
Looking to see who attacked him he sees Bleez smiling evilly, who reveals that she is actually a spy and a follower of Atrocitus, she believes that the Guardians shouldn't be the rulers of the universe and that she has followed Hal because she knows he has the Codex and if he doesn't give it know she will start killing people. Hal, not wanting innocent people to die fights her, after an intense and fierce battle between the two, in which we are shown that Hal has improved his abilities since he trained, is no match for her anger and is knocked out, Bleez smiling angrily takes his ring and flies away.
On Oa, the other Corps members are trying to figure out where Abin Sur hid the Codex in order to find it before Atrocitus can. Eventually, they come to the conclusion that Abin Sur had hidden the Codex within his power ring itself. However, the ring is nowhere to be found, so Sinestro and Kilowog go to Earth to find Hal. Scanning with their ring, they can't find Hal at first until they see him unconscious near his house, they take him to his apartment where he wakes up. They confront him asking him where the ring is but he tells them that Bleez just attacked him not long ago and took his ring, fearing the worst Sinestro and Kilowog decide to go recover the ring themselves.
Hal persuades Sinestro to take him back to Oa with him and Kilowog so that he can aid them somehow, knowing that he was partially responsible for whatever Atrocitus is about to do. He joins them inside a green bubble made by Kilowog to the Lost Sector to investigate, where they encounter Bleez who attacks them.
During the battle, she reveals that Atrocitus has already got what he needed from the ring. Sinestro angrily attacks her furiously and then ignoring her pleas creates a sword with his ring and cuts her hand off, allowing Hal to reclaim his ring and making Bleez suffocate to death. The trio then races back to Oa with this new information.
Atrocitus, learning of Bleez' death at Hal's hands by another follower, Dex-Star, decides to retaliate by launching an assault on Earth. He locates Hal's hometown, Coast City, and invades with his army of Manhunters. Hal with the help of the Corps launch a counter-attack and a city-wide battle ensues between the two rival factions. During the battle, Hal is forced to save Carol from a Manhunter and after hesitation reveal his true identity as a Green Lantern to her, but the moment is short lived when Atrocitus comes attacking him forcing the duo to battle.
Meanwhile, US Navy captain John Gardner gives the order to all battleships nearby to launch a nuclear warhead at Coast City. In the midst of the battle, Hal spots it while he duels with Atrocitus and flies up to intercept it. Atrocitus pursues him however and their fight continues. Hal lures Atrocitus into the space, where Atrocitus asks him why is so important for him to serve the Guardians; because like how they did with him, someday they will give their back to someone else, a decision they will regret because that decision will make that someone the most powerful enemy, an enemy they even will fear. Hal ignores him and says that he is willing to sacrifice himself to avoid the people from ever feeling fear or rage, and with his ring manages to grab hold of Atrocitus and the missile and launches both of them into the Earth atmosphere, making the missile detonate and destroying Atrocitus in the process. The explosion knocks Hal unconscious and he falls towards the city but is saved in time by Sinestro.
With the last of the Manhunters defeated, the Lanterns prepare to return to Oa. Hal goes to Carol and finally accepts his role as a Lantern and that he is willing to do anything to protect the Earth. Carol finally kisses him and together they agree to try out a long distance relationship, with Hal promising to commute whenever he can, he then kisses her goodbye and flies away with the rest of the Lanterns as the people from Coast City applaud and congratulate them.
In Oa, the Lanterns reunite and congratulate Hal for his courage giving him a chapter in the Book of Oa for his efforts whereas the Guardians assign him as the new protector of sector 2814 and accepting him as a full member of the Green Lanterns, and the movie ends as he recites the official oath while flying across Coast City.
After the end credits: Minutes after the battle, in the midst of the clean-up in Coast City, the bodies of several Manhunters are recovered. In a lab, scientist Dr. Hector Hammond (Rhys Ifans) is performing an autopsy, he opens the chest of one of the Manhunters and begins to inspect it, discovering a strange yellowish element within. Suddenly, it begins to glow before exploding throwing Hector across the lab, he appears unconscious before opening his eyes, now glowing yellow and as his head starts expanding he smiles with joy.
Easter Eggs, Trivia and References:
- In the beginning of the film, while Hal and his dad are driving to Ferris Aircraft, they pass across a billboard that says "Visit Central City whenever you want". Central City is the home of The Flash.
- In the same scene, Hal mentions one of his teachers to be called Alan Scott, a reference that in the comics Alan Scott was the original Lantern.
- When Hal meets Carol for the first time, she is playing with Pokemon cards, if you look closely, one of them is a sapphire. Star Sapphire is the alias Carol uses when she becomes a villain in later DC stories.
- When Hal wakes up and looks at his clock, this has a Watchmen logo.
- The US navy Jhon Gardner was confirmed to be a family member of Guy Gardner, confirming his existence in this universe.
- In the scene of the battle, when the missile its launched at Coast City, this has a Star Labs logo on it.
- The prophecy that Atrocitus tells to Hal before he dies, alludes to the transformation of Sinestro into a villain of the Green Lanterns like in the comics.
- In the scene where Hal explains to Carol what a Green Lantern is, she says that she isn't so surprised about all this after watching news about the arrival of extraterrestrial life in Metropolis.
- Hector Hammond appears during the post-credits scene.