Green Lantern: A resentful lamentation on the state of DC's movie enterprise.

This was originally going to be purely a Green Lantern Movie Review. But given that I'm a little late to the party in that regard, I decided to take my thoughts on the film in a slightly different direction. This way I don't spoil the movie for those who haven't seen it yet, but I still get my feelings across in a way that's kind of unique (and frankly kinda sad).

Editorial Opinion
By BlackLanternJake - Jun 18, 2011 03:06 AM EST
Filed Under: Green Lantern

I just want to start off by saying this as loudly and clearly as I can so everyone understands. I do not hate Marvel. In point of fact, I love Marvel almost as much as I do DC. My number one favorite Superhero is Green Lantern… followed closely by Captain America. I love both companies on an almost equal level and would never, in a million years, wish misfortune upon one or the other.

That being said, it’s hard not to be just a little bit jealous and resentful of Marvel right now. Speaking purely as a DC fan (and this is painful to admit so please don’t grind our faces in it, Marvel guys) deep down we know full well we are getting the ever-loving sh** kicked out of us at the box office by the guys across the street. Not just in overall quality, but also in quantity. The fact that Marvel is punching out three times as many CBMs in the past year alone is proof of that. While Marvel fans can absorb a mediocre Xmen film or an average Thor movie because they know they have a shmorgasbord of other options and future developments to lean on/look forward to, DC fans are continually left in the dark when it comes to their own company’s lackluster motivation to “rival” their rivals.

Make no mistake… Green Lantern was the ONLY thing us DC fans had to look forward to this year. It was to be our shining moment. Our laurel to rest on. An assurance that DC may have been late to the party, but was gradually catching up to Marvel. The first sign that DC was willing to go out on a limb for its superhero properties other than Superman and Batman. The fact that it was pretty much all DC had to offer in 2011 made it that much more crucial. That much more important to all of us. Marvel could afford to swing and miss on Thor because they still had another X-Men and, of course, Captain America to fall back on.

Green Lantern needed to be OUTSTANDING to win the year. And, of course… it wasn’t.

Oh, it was still an enjoyable movie from the standpoint that it was fun to watch, it was something different, the acting was decent, and it catered to the pure-blooded fanboy’s basic requirements for a good CBM.

But Green Lantern needed to be more than that. It’s true. No one can deny this. Green Lantern needed to be spectacular in the same way that Star Wars was spectacular. It needed to be DC’s “Iron Man.” It NEEDED to be all these things because if it wasn’t, Warner Brothers was very likely going to retreat back into their comfortable shell of “same-old, same-old,” because that’s how WB got rich… by NOT taking risks; by NOT experimenting with new concepts; by NOT pushing the envelope on ideas that other companies hadn’t done. There’s a reason WB has pushed ONLY Superman and Batman for the past thirty years… Because Superman and Batman are ALL DC HAS that’s guaranteed to be familiar with the vast majority of people and that everyone can identify with.

But here’s the problem… Marvel only had Captain America and Spiderman as their guaranteed moneymakers. But did that stop Marvel? No! Marvel went out and pushed Fantastic Four. They pushed the X-Men. They pushed Iron Man and the Hulk and Thor. And next Summer, they are DAMN SKIPPY gonna push The Avengers, come hell or high water! And why?! Because Marvel is willing to take risks and put themselves out on a limb. And they have the backing of a company now (Disney), that’s willing to shell out the dough and the support Marvel needs to accomplish this mission! Warner Brothers… is not going to do this for DC!!!! And what’s even more galling to me personally (I can’t speak for all of us DC fans), is that DC DOESN’T EVEN SEEM TO WANT TO PUSH THE ENVELOPE THEMSELVES!!!!!!!!!!

You want to know what I thought about Green Lantern? I’ll describe it in a single word: SAFE!

It was a movie one would expect from a studio determined not to rock the boat. Average acting, average special effects, less than average musical score, horrible editing, very well written, and average action scenes. Overall, I’d give Green Lantern maybe a B+.

For any other movie, hell, for any other SUPERHERO movie, that would have been fine to leave the theater with. But here’s why it’s a problem for Green Lantern:

A) Green Lantern is a wholly unique Superhero archetype that literally has no counterpart in any other comic book company! Green Lantern fights crime by wielding a ring that creates solid constructs made from pure energy, generated by nothing more than the nebulous emotion called willpower, and the power of the imagination! Seriously!!! Can you think of any other Superhero in the industry that fights evil with the power of his IMAGINATION?!!!


B) Green Lantern was the first “outside-the-box” film for DC in that it was the first feature-length film not to star Superman or Batman, or anyone connected to the two (and yes, I consider Superwoman connected to Superman). And yes, I know, Watchmen and V for Vendetta were TECHNICALLY DC, but they just as technically WEREN’T and those films should be treated as separate cases.


C) Green Lantern had an opportunity to be DC’s “Spiderman,” in that, back in 2002, Sam Raimi’s version of Spiderman is pretty obviously the point at which Marvel looked at the film industry as a way to further push their product and potentially indoctrinate new fans from the general population. I mean, just look at the before and after of Spiderman. Before Spiderman, Marvel was practically a non-entity in the movie industry. After Spiderman, Marvel EXPLODED into movie theatres with multiple films and versions of most of their major superhero titles. Even if the majority of those films could be generally considered TERRIBLE, the fact that they did it and didn’t get discouraged by failure is a laudable quality for Marvel.

But Spiderman only became the launching point for Marvel’s modern movie industry because it was an EXCELLENT FILM! It wasn’t bad. It wasn’t average. It wasn’t merely good. It was EXCELLENT!! And because it excelled, it made a lot of money. It set records at the box office. And money, more than anything else, is what motivated Marvel to tap into this new market.

Green Lantern needed to be just like this! It needed to be EXCELLENT!! And that’s the problem! Not a single DC fan here who is marginally realistic can look at Green Lantern and say it was an EXCELLENT film! At best it was merely “good.” But in an industry that is increasingly being cornered and monopolized by Marvel, “good” just ain’t good enough! If Green Lantern flops, we all know what’s going to happen. Warner Brothers is going to give up on experimentation and tell DC “look, we gave it a try with Green Lantern, but people just aren’t interested in heroes other than Superman and Batman.”

AND THAT’S F***ING BULLSH**!!!!!! You know it! I know it! We ALL know it!! People would be interested in other superheroes besides Superman and Batman if only DC and WB took the time to create compelling movies portraying these second-tier heroes. We know this because Marvel did the same thing with Iron Man and The Hulk and it worked! But that’s not what the box office will reflect. That’s not what the awards season will reflect. That’s certainly not what the critical reviews and popular ratings reflect! By simply producing a “good” Green Lantern film and not an “excellent” one, DC has FAILED… EPICALLY!!! Frankly it’ll be a f***ing miracle at this point if we ever see The Flash, or Wonder Woman, or Justice League on the big screen, because the film that was supposed to pave the way for those secondary markets did not deliver as promised!

I’m so bitter right now. I’ve never been this horribly let-down by a good movie in my entire life. I’ve been let down plenty by horrible or average movies, but never by a good one. I really have no words to express how bitterly disappointed I am. Maybe it’s because I’ve literally waited my entire life to see Green Lantern in the movie theatre and now it feels like the last twenty years have been a waste. Maybe it’s because I wanted to see DC become a worthy rival to Marvel in Hollywood. Maybe it’s because I wanted to stick it to the d**chebag Marvelites who take personal satisfaction in the misery of DC fans for no other reason than that they’re losers. Maybe it’s a combination of all three. Maybe it’s something else I just can’t quite grasp.

But when my best friend, who is not a comic book fan and probably never will be, walked out of the theater next to me and simply shrugged his shoulders and wobbled his hand in that way one says “meh, it wasn’t terrible” without putting it in words, I was CRUSHED. Because I felt the same way. I couldn’t dispute him. And because, like every other disappointed Green Lantern fan tonight, I needed this to be DC’s big debut…

And it wasn’t……..

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BlackLanternJake
BlackLanternJake - 6/18/2011, 4:18 AM
This is supposed to be in "Reviews" but I don't know how to move it there. Can anyone help me?
MasterBlaster
MasterBlaster - 6/18/2011, 4:20 AM
NICE.
Coloso
Coloso - 6/18/2011, 4:37 AM
Well written for the most part. Your the first DC guy to me who doesn't come across as having the blinders on in regards to GL. I haven't seen it but from what I hear it isn't great, nor even good. If it was good like you say, wouldn't it have had better word of mouth and been considered a worthy challenge to Marvel?

I will give it a chance, but not at the theatre if you get my drift ;)

I do have some disagreements with some of your points. For one, Thor is not average evidenced but it's box office and critical success. Another is that Blade, not Spider Man was Marvel's "dip my toe in the pool before I get wet" foray into Hollywood. That little gem was the "aha" we have something here for Marvel.

Otherwise well written and presented view, cheers :)
WaylonJones
WaylonJones - 6/18/2011, 4:41 AM
Blacklanternjake @ I moved it over to review for you
Coloso
Coloso - 6/18/2011, 4:49 AM
@teabag, agree to disagree to agree..er what..did that make sense? At least we agree it wasn't spiderman ;D

Marvel wasn't trying to hide it, they had the 'ol marvel intro for that film. And the general audience knew who marvel was before they got into the Hollywood game. Everything that came after that was all because they went skinny dipping with Blade when no one was looking ;p
BlackLanternJake
BlackLanternJake - 6/18/2011, 5:13 AM
@teabag-- My mistake. In my warped memories, I thought Blade came AFTER Spiderman. It's been a while. But then again I should have just looked it up.

@WaylonJones-- Thanks for the assist.

BlackLanternJake
BlackLanternJake - 6/18/2011, 5:16 AM
@Kes-- Yeah, you have a good point. Maybe it's just the stubborn "DC Fanboy" in me that refuses to concede that the movie was merely average. lol
Coloso
Coloso - 6/18/2011, 5:19 AM
@teabag, I could be wrong as it's been 13 years since I saw it in theatre. And may I say, it's an honor to converse with such a legend :)

You are a gentlemen and a scholar! And I here the ladies love ya ;D
claybo4131
claybo4131 - 6/18/2011, 6:21 AM
Blade came out in 1998, X Men in 2000, but Spider Man was the first with the Marvel hashtag before the movie. Iron Man was the first with Marvel Studios as a hashtag before the movie.

I have been saying that all along, that Marvel is a risk taker and DC plays it safe. I always use the football analogy for the two, while DC/WB would punt or kick on 4th and 5, Marvel will go for it on 4th and 5.

And saying Green Lantern had good writing is well wrong. Script was horrible very horrible.

I saw Thor twice (Once before Game 1 against the Lakers in a private screening and the other time with the family) and everyone cheered, and like what @kes said, people cheered when it said "Thor Will Return in The Avengers" kind of like the old James Bond films where it said "007 will return in *whatever the next movie was*"

People booed at the end of Green Lantern, only one other movie I had ever been to in my life had that happen and that was Last Airbender where someone threw a Coke at the screen.
One2three
One2three - 6/18/2011, 6:33 AM
I liked it, there were highs and lows, the constructs
were fantastic the musical score was schizophrenic.
The cgi was great but too much time spent on earth to
enjoy it. The cast was good, i mean saarsgard made
an uninteresting character interesting. But with
so many interesting characters like sinestro, the film
spent no time really celebrating them.

7/10 honest. It was entertaining I would watch it again
and buy it on blu ray. But it wont be sitting on my
shelf next to TDK.



CaptainTall
CaptainTall - 6/18/2011, 7:40 AM
Most movies that Marvel have about their characters are from FOX. Both Fantastic Fours, Ghost Rider, All of the X-Men, Daredevil, I think Blade?, and Elektra. Marvel studios only has three movies out that they themselves have made.

DC has Superman and the Mole Man, Stamp Day for Superman, 1966 Batman, 1978 Superman, Superman II, Swamp Thing, Superman III, Supergirl, Superman IV: The Quest For Peace, The Return Of Swamp Thing, 1989 Batman, Batman Returns, Batman and Robin, Steel, Catwoman, Batman Begins, Superman Returns, Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, The Dark Knight, Jonah Hex (Claim it DC Fans (which I am one of them) Red, A History Of Violence, Constantine, Watchmen, and Green Lantern. (Credit goes to Wikipedia for most of this list)

I'm not claiming they all have good quality. Just sayin' that DC has plenty of other characters out.
CaptainTall
CaptainTall - 6/18/2011, 7:59 AM
@Kes, Warner Bros. doesn't care about the roster. The only reason they even made Green Lantern was because they knew sooner or later, Batman and Superman would stop selling as much, and they needed a new franchise after Harry Potter. It all comes down to numbers. And that doesn't make Warner Bros. evil. It makes them a good, intelligent company. Besides, quantity over quality.

@Teabag, are you counting Captain America? I was only counting what was already out...
CaptainTall
CaptainTall - 6/18/2011, 8:00 AM
@Teabag, oh yeah! My bad.
CaptainTall
CaptainTall - 6/18/2011, 8:03 AM
@BlackLanternJake, technically Plastic Man fights crime with the power of his imagination. Whatever he forms in his head, he stretches in to.
FackMarvel
FackMarvel - 6/18/2011, 8:04 AM
Kes and Teabag are great but buddies check out their pic.
CaptainTall
CaptainTall - 6/18/2011, 8:05 AM
Wait wait wait, why should Watchmen and V For Vendetta be treated as NOT properties of DC? Ya know... when they are properties of DC.
CaptainTall
CaptainTall - 6/18/2011, 8:08 AM
Also, I see this in a lot of discussions about this subject:

"People SOOO would be interested in other characters besides Superman and Batman."

I feel inclined to disagree. I know we are all fans here and would desperately love our favorites on the big screen... but just because we one day got into comics and fell in love (Be it by the animation series and movies, or comics, or the movies, or anything that would point to the comics medium) doesn't exactly mean everyone else would.
dahamma
dahamma - 6/18/2011, 8:43 AM
I feel the same as this article. GL could've been epic. Especially with all the space elements. If it was more like the animated movies it woulda been sick. I mean even with the constructs they coulda been so much cooler. Just when I started liking Kilowog and Tomar Ray, Hal left. Oa and all those aliens were such a missed oppurtunity.

On the Marvel thing. You gotta look at the fact that, Marvel has some pretty BAD films before they finally got it right. They started doing it themselves and made MArvel Studios, I wish DC would have that pioneering spirit for their characters. CUZ I MUST HAVE A FLASH MOVIE!

@Kes i saw that too lol THor was awesome,...not to rub it in but it was lol
dbatman
dbatman - 6/18/2011, 9:12 AM
@BlackLanternJake Well said my man, well said. Couldn't have said it any other way. I just got back from watching it. I give it a 4.5 out of 10, but as you said, it's just not good enough.
golden123
golden123 - 6/18/2011, 9:41 AM
I feel the same way as this editorial although I haven't seen the movie yet. I enjoyed reading this editorial.

I do have one thing to say. When you go over point B, you seem to foreget about Jonah Hex. Jonah Hex, unlike Watchmen or V for Vendetta, is a character inside the DC Universe who has had his own ongoing series and is more than just a graphic novel character. Jonah Hex does have fans, and he currently has his own ongoing series. After the DC revamp, he will be seen in a comic called All-Star Western. Jonah Hex deserves to be recognised as the first DCU character, other than the big two, to have his own movie.
EarOne
EarOne - 6/18/2011, 10:45 AM
yeah...sure you "love both companies with almost equal level"...right... i believe you UNTIL i read the part where you say Thor is AVERAGE and the much maligned GL as a B+ good. bias lately..??

anywho...like i said a cupla times before, DC's gotta change the current regime (Geoff Johns & co.) who just don't know what they're doing or what's good for the fans, that's why i crossed over to marvel long time ago.

DC should try to do an "Ultimate"-type of monthly b'fore they do another movie. cuz, many people say Marvel's Ultimates are very cinematic, as intended by the creators (mark millar and bryan hitch). it seems to be a successful precursor to the way marvel present their world and characters to the fans in a movie-type treatment, i.e. would the fans be so welcoming to Sam Jackson playing Nick Fury, if not for the Ultimates? Cap movie, set in HIS own era, would only last in one movie before he's awaken in modern day? or how about, the idea of black widow and hawkeye becoming the other Avengers founders aside from the trinity and the Hulk, in place of Jan and Hank?? also ideas introduced by the ultimates, some of the "more realistic-looking" outfits and SHIELD as the team's starting point...oh, and of course, RDJ's Tony Stark. though, the line didn't exactly suggest RDJ to play Tony on the big screen (they mentioned Johnny Depp), but the ultimate Tony's character REALLY seems to be the idea behind Jon Favreau's idea of casting RDJ in the role, and the rest of course, as they say, is history.

DC needs people with REAL talents and BALLS (the vision to break out from the norm), instead of wannabes, like Johns, or Winnick... DC needs people like Millar, Bendis, Straczinsky (not sure bout the spelling) and, well, Joss Whedon (as a writer, not sure yet bout him as a director) to take DC to (as Po might say) the stratosphere of AWESOMENESS.
OmegaBlack13
OmegaBlack13 - 6/18/2011, 11:22 AM
Call it DC bias if you want, but I honestly loved Green Lantern. I would rate it below Iron Man 1 and above Iron Man 2. So, about right at Thor.

While I do feel somethings could have been better, like more space time and focus on Sinestro, I think that Hal Jordan leaped off the pages. Sarsgaard's acting was excellet, and Mark Strong IS Sinestro. And honestly, I really don't think Blake Lively was THAT bad. The movie stuck to the mythos, made Hal a compelling character (for the most part I'll admit), and was just FUN.

Do I hope DC will do better in the future? Was the post dredits scene extremely cheap? OF COURSE. But this was just the begining. The reviews weren't stellar, but the box office revenue will be anough to warrant a sequel and WB/DC will learn from their mistakes and get started with a live action DCU.
blvdnoise
blvdnoise - 6/18/2011, 11:57 AM
Just watched it last night.. What a shame. This movie could've been epic. (2/5)Stars

Not as bad as: DareDevil.. Not as good as GhostRider.. Comparing with these to movies seemed appropriate being they seemed to share a similar tone..

No real depth to ANY character in the film. Somewhat of a "lightshow" with words [IMO] But hey, at least I'm bashing it with my own opinion..
crimsoncrusader
crimsoncrusader - 6/18/2011, 12:15 PM
Totally agree with you BlackLanternJake. I was expecting epic too. My little sister loved it though. I was expecting for WB/DC to hit it out of the park. It was more like a bunt single that's setting up for something more. I hope this movie makes a ton of money.
logunvadercap
logunvadercap - 6/18/2011, 2:40 PM
just watched it. i know it is always DC vs. marvel, and i hate to bash any CBM, but this SUCKED! RR was a BAD choice. i was hoping for something EPIC. they said it was like Star Wars, but it was more like SPACEBALLS!
superbatspiderman
superbatspiderman - 6/18/2011, 3:10 PM
I loved Green Lantern I don't know why everyone is hating on it. Could it have been better? Yes. I am just happy that DC is making movies and it will probably do pretty good in the box office.
logunvadercap
logunvadercap - 6/18/2011, 3:34 PM
why all the hate? this was going to be DC's iron man. there breakout. they were introducing GL to the masses. good but not great.
One2three
One2three - 6/18/2011, 3:54 PM
@blvdnoise
"Not as good as ghost rider" lol were you drunk when you
saw that? Old washed up nic cage, questionable plot, extras looked and acteded like a bad episode of buffy
the vampire slayer. Fat ugly gothic girl.
Goliath93
Goliath93 - 6/18/2011, 5:33 PM
This movie could have been awesome, but it sucked instead. God its so frustrating watching this movie, even writing this, makes me upset.

I'm a huge GL fan, I wanted this to be epic, instead WB fails us all. where do I start, forgettable music, iffy cgi, really bad writing and horrible pacing. To much comedy, the problem i had with the cast was do to a very bad script.

This movie doesn't deserve a sequel, FRICK you WB, screw everyone involved in this movie. Especially the four hacks who wrote the script.

One word, that describes this movie.
DISAPOINTING
Niuhll
Niuhll - 6/18/2011, 6:43 PM
I think Flash is a safer bet than Green Lantern outside of comic book fans, my dad had never heard of GL but he knows the Flash from the TV show. In the same way he knew Hulk from TV. I think that audience can't be underestimated, Dad wants to see a modern version of a classic TV show, he'll bring his kids as an excuse. 2 tickets for the price of one.

Same with Wonder Woman, i think GL would have been slightly safer if released after one of those 2 and a hint towards a JLA film, build a little momentum for him.
Coldblood6
Coldblood6 - 6/19/2011, 5:42 AM
A well written and honest editorial with a lot of pathos.

However there is one thing that I hate about it.
That is the need to bring down X-MEN: First Class and especially THOR.

THOR was NOT average. It was at least very good and for many great! Look at the stats:
- WW boxoffice gross > $430 million (that BLOCKBUSTER status!!!)
- IMDB rating 7.5/10
- RT critics score - certified FRESH at 77% approval
- RT viewer score - 80% approval and 3.9/5

X-MEN: FC was NOT mediocre. It was also at least very good to great! Again, the stats:
- WW BO gross $250 million and climbing
- IMDB rating 8.1/10
- RT critics score - certified fresh at 87%
- RT viewer score - 88% approval and 4.1/5


DC fanboys need to stop trying to bring down the success of others because of their own failure.

Since this movie has come I have noticed this appalling trend. A need to bring down THOR, in particular, because of GL's epic failure is really silly, childish, and reprehensible.

Another appalling thing that I have noticed from DC fanboys is vehement personal attacks on reviewers who have reviewed GL badly on many websites. It has been really terrible. I was shocked at how bad this was. I have never seen anything like this before.

I understand how DC fans feel but there is no need to stoop to such lows.
Choppaholic26
Choppaholic26 - 6/19/2011, 2:07 PM
After Thor I decided to read up on some green lantern. Nothing but Marvel coursed through my veins till that point but green lantern always seemed like a very interesting character to me due to his powers. I also heard that Secret Origins was going to be a large bit of the film and decided to pick it up. After reading that I was so pumped to see green lantern. But after seeing it yesterday, I just can't help but feel disappointed. This movie could have been so much more epic, for exactly the reasons you describe.

I can't imagine how you DC fans must feel. I, a hardcore marvelite, am simply disgusted at how Green Lantern turned out. I saw this movie being better than Thor to be honest, instead it doesn't even come close. How could DC have [frick]ed up the characters so much? I'm no purist, you don't have to go page by page to the source material to make a compelling character, but lord oh lord did the characters suck. The only one's that truly felt authentic were Sinestro and Hal for me. And even they had horrible character development.

^ Agreed Coldblood

Don't praise Marvel's work and then insult it in the same article. Thor and X-Men are not even in the same ballpark as Green Lantern. GL's is inhabited my films like ghost rider and fantastic four.
BlackLanternJake
BlackLanternJake - 6/20/2011, 7:51 AM
@Coldblood6 -- I should have been clearer about my Xmen reference. I wasn't talking about First Class. I was talking about the atrocity that was Xmen 3. I forgot to add the "3" at the end.
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