And so I return from an evening I have been waiting for...for many a year. Did I get sucked into a yellow vortex of grief and self loathing or glide home on an emerald track of happiness and fulfilment? Safe to say it was very much the latter.
It was never billed as a word for word, cell for cell copy. It was an adaptation that was never going to be easy. It wasn't 100% perfect but no comicbook movie has done that to date in my eyes. I'll try and remain brief in my opinions and leave you to disagree, strongly, or agree where applicable.
Reynolds personifies Hal Jordan to a tee. He has the cockiness and swagger yet manages to keep this personality trait whilst realising his potential and his calling. I would have loved his comedic side to take front row in 'Deadpool' but he is much more versatile than just that. And he displays those chops here. And Blake Lively deserves paragraphs more credit for her take on Carol Ferris. A strong woman who has very human feelings for another. If people were wanting the production staff to spend more screen hours developing a relationship that is self-explanatory then 'Bridesmaids' would have been the ticket to pay their money for.
Mark Strong plays Sinestro perfectly. Should he have had more screentime...no. This is Hal's story and, as of the after credits scene, he will get plenty of time to shine even more brightly in an inevitable sequel. Sarsgaard made a refreshing change. He served a purpose to this story and was evil enough without overshadowing our hero, our main focus.
The Corps had limited time but their individual adventures are not the movies trail of story. Tomar Re was great. Kilowog was great. Oa was intense. Abin Sur was spot on. Parallax was a thinker. But I liken that change to that of the ending to 'Watchmen'. It was a necessary change to make the transition from page to screen.
My only real concern was the score...apart from Sam Cooke's 'That's Where It's At' being played in the early bar scene. A little clunky dialogue on occasion. But the slight campiness went with the tone of the movie. It wasn't 'dark' it was bright and showy...the only way it could, and should, have been done.
Ever since Hal Jordan made his epic comeback in 'Rebirth' it started his best (in my opinion) adventures to date. Through 'The Sinestro Corps War' to 'Blackest Night'. A complex character that, you would assume, could be hard to translate onto the big screen. Most critics have decided that he is just that. Personally, being an avid reader, collector and superfan I found the movie quite the contrary. Maybe I was able to fill in the gaps better than Joe Public could have and that is why Joe may have left feeling slightly confused and bewildered by such a caper. But that is what it is. A Superhero romp. A comic caper. And a slice of, mostly, action pie. And I encourage thee to treat it as such.
Your Craptain salutes you!