First, and foremost, I think it is important for me to mention that I recieved my Bachelor of Science in Film/Television/Radio while attending college. Yes, it involved a lot of production and post-production classes, but I also have a lot of education in film history, film theory, and film structure. In short, a good movie/film (and this applies to comic book movies as well) boils down to 3 core factors: Direction, Story/Screenpaly, and Acting. I basically told you guys and gals something you probably already knew without paying 150 thousand dollars to learn. Basically, I'm writing this article because I am irritated by all the rumors that Green Lantern has been a troubled production and will be a terrible movie, so I have analyzed the production information for Green Lantern, Captain America: The First Avenger, and Thor to better inform everyone and to help everyone in forming a better opinion and expectation for each of these films.
First, lets look at Green Lantern. It is being directed by Martin Campbell. Campbell started out directing in television, then made the move to films. His first big movie is arguably the BEST James Bond movie ever made: Golden Eye. He then went on to direct The Mask of Zorro and The Legend of Zorro. The Mask of Zorro earned an Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations. It also launched the careers of Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones. These were beautiful films. After Legend of Zorro, he did Casino Royale which redefined James Bond. He made him a rough, balls to the wall action hero who wasn't afraid to get bloody and bashed. I think Campbell understands the hearts and souls of the characters in his films and knows how to shoot them. Out of the 8 major motion pictures Campbell has shot, none of them have been terrible by any means.
Next, is the writing. Written by Greg Berlanti and Michael Goldenberg, I think that the story and mythos of Green Lantern was placed in very capable hands.
Goldenberg previous writing credits include Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix, Peter Pan, and Contact.
Berlanti is more known for writing for television shows, such as Jack and Bobby, Dawson's Creek, Everwood, and No Ordinary Family. Writing for television, Berlanti has a lot of experience sticking with continuity and getting to the hearts and souls of characters. Goldenberg has A LOT of experience writing about characters from literary texts (Harry Potter, Peter Pan), so you know that they will not stray far from the current Green Lantern comics.
Not to mention, Geoff Johns (current Green Lantern writer, man responsible for making Gree Lantern the number one selling comic book since 2005) approved the script and said that "it is Green Lantern."
Lastly for GL: Acting.
Ryan Reynolds has been Van Wilder, Blade Trinity, The Amityville Horror, Just Friends, Waiting, X-Men Origins Wolverine, The Proposal, and Definately, Maybe are some of his other films.
Mark Strong is a GREAT actor. He knows how to play the sinester, evil type. He was in Ridley Scott's Robin Hood, Kick-Ass, Sherlock Holmes, and Body of Lies.
Peter Skarsgaard was in Boys Don't Cry, Jarhead, Garden State, and Knight and Day.
Blake Lively is most known for her work on Gossip Girl. I think that all these actors have great acting ability and each of them possesses the ability to play their perspective characters to a tee. They're all a joy to watch and know what they're doing.
Captain America is directed by Joe Johnson. His most notable films are The Rocketeer, Honey I Shrunk The Kids, Jumanji, Jursassic Park III, Hidalgo, and The Wolfman. In my opinion, aside from The Rocketeer, none of these movies were particularly good. Even Johnson was disappointed with The Wolfman. But he has praised the production of Cap as being his best experience in the film business in his 25 years in the biz, so I think the direction of the film will be much better than his previous films.
Captain America was written by Christopher Markus. He is most known for writing the 3 Chronicles of Narnia movies. From what I've heard, those movies weren't particularly good, but I haven't seen them so I can't make a fair judgement. However, from what I've heard of the Cap storyline and how close they're sticking to the comics, I think the story will be good and a good representation of the comics.
Last for Cap is acting.
Chris Evans certainly bulked up and looks the part for Steve Rogers. I think that he's an enjoyable actor to watch, much like Ryan Reynolds. He's been in Not Another Teen Movie, the two Fantastic Four movies (which aren't well liked), Push, The Losers (which I think was awesome. Who didn't love the elevator/"dangerous telekinetic" scene) and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.
Hugo Weaving. We all loved him in the LOTR trilogy, The Matrix trilogy, and V for Vendetta.
Tommy Lee Jones, most known for The Fugitive, U.S. Marshals, No Country For Old Men, Men in Black I and II, and Batman Forever. He's a GREAT actor and a joy to watch on screen.
Last but not least: Thor. It's directed by Kenneth Branagh. He is best known for his film adaptations of Shakespeare plays such has Henry V, Hamlet, Mid Summer Night's Dream, also Frankenstein, and most recently, Sleuth. He's never done a big, action epic like Thor before, but he has done a lot of classic-story films that deal with family, betrayal, and romance, which is the foundation of Thor, so I think he knows what he's doing with Thor.
Thor was written by Zack Stentz. Credits include Agent Cody Banks, tv series Fringe, Andromeda, and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
Also written by Ashley Miller. She worked on worked with Stentz on Cody Banks, Fringe, Andromeda, and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
And lastly for Thor is Acting:
Chris Hemsworth is still relatively new. He had a brief role in J.J. Abram's Star Trek, will be in the remake of Red Dawn, and has done a bit of acting in Australian television. He bulked up for the role and definately looks the part. The only iffy situation with him is that he hasn't had a whole lot of expereince, but from what I've seen in the 6 minute comic con preview and the trailer, he seems to understand the character and how to portray him.
Natalie Portman: Best known for the Star Wars prequels, she's been acting since she was a kid. She was in Heat, Garden State, Brothers, Black Swan, and V for Vendetta. She's capable and attractive. She has a lot of experience under her belt.
Sir Anthony Hopkins: true master of the craft. He's been in so many unforgettable roles that I don't think I even need to list them. We all know he'll make the PERFECT Odin.
Tom Hiddleston: He's an English actor and most of his stuff is England-based, so I haven't seen any of it. I don't know how he'll play Loki, we haven't seen any scenes of him yet, besides when Odin banishes Thor. But I have high hopes.
In the end, each film has their strengths and their weaknesses. Each film has directors with some good movies, some bad, and some very unknown work that many probably haven't seen. Each film has writers with some note worthy film writing credits, and writers with a lot of television writing experience. And each film has it's fair share of great actors, lesser experienced actors, and actors that have been in VERY poor movies. So, I think it's VERY unfair for Green Lantern to be singled out with the rumor that it's going to be a "terrible movie". It's too early to tell, we haven't heard or seen anything concrete on the actual plot. From the trailer we've all seen, it looks EXACTLY like the Geoff Johns best-selling graphic novel "Green Lantern: Secret Origin. We see Hal Jordan as the cocky, womanizing test pilot. We see him hit rock bottom. We see him meet Abin Sur and inherit the power ring. We see him go to Oa for training. We see him meet Kilowog, Tomar Re, Sinestro, and all the other GL Corps members. And we see him struggle with the power ring choosing him and his responsiblity as a GL. We also see him step up, accept his responsiblity, and master the power of the ring. I have not seen or heard ONE THING that would lead me to believe this movie will not be a proper representation of the comics. If people are going to create doubt about Green Lantern, then they should do it with Cap and Thor too. Cap and Thor have just as much opportunity and potential to be bad or fail as GL. What do you guys thinnk?