As a Green Lantern fan, I was displeased with what I heard from critic's early reviews about the movie. With such high hopes and an even higher expectation, I was afraid of what I was going to see. People were calling it the worst movie ever. I thought they were just "jumping on the bandwagon" when it came to hating on the film. So I stuck to my guns, went to the midnight showing with my best friend, and as soon as I had gotten home I started writing.
I enjoyed the film. In all honesty, it became one of my favorites and I thought the hate for it was WAY over exaggerated. So, naturally I based the film literally on my first impressions, which were good. However, after getting the blu ray for Christmas and months of thought since writing my review. I decided to watch it again, dissect it as good as I could, and revisit the movie. I will also be adding what I think could have improved the movie and/or how a sequel could escape the same hatred that this one received. With that said let us begin.
With the Blur Ray combo pack, I was able to watch the extended Blu Ray, and the regular theatrical DVD version. And after watching both, I found out what went right, and what lessened the final experience with the movie. Let us start with the cons.
Writing: Before I go deeper, I want to say that it wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. The movie suffered from lack of verbal depth when it came to parts concerning character relationships, especially with Carol and Hal. There were times when it worked and it added a humorous mood to their interactions while also adding a romantic flare as well. But like I said, it ruined the depth for many scenes and I think that is why many people lost interest between other characters too.
Editing: Maybe not the editing itself, but the effect on the relationships of characters as mentioned previously. Whenever a moment of passion between Hal and Carol was occurring or when the audience was about to "feel" something between them and tap into that character depth, it was cut off by another scene. One moment they would be talking and the next, Parallax is floating in space. It would have been much better if a romance was built and developed through "chunks" of the movie rather then "Are you ok?" "I don't think I can do this Carol." "I believe in you H- Parallax shot!" You see? Any moment of emotion was killed through poor editing because we just had to see a giant alien cloud for five seconds, but we'll get to that later.
Director: Now, I will say he has directed good films such as Casino Royale. However, when it comes down to it, the director decides how to bring the script to the big screen and oversees everything. So it dissapointed me when I analyzed problems that easily could/should have been fixed. Such as the script and the editing. If they do a sequel I would personally love someone who has dealt with aliens and space action movies before. Personally I would go with JJ Abrams (Star Trek, Super 8, MI:3, Fringe)
Villain(s): You know it, I know it, we all know it; this:
is not this:
This especially dissapointed me because parallax, in my opinion, is one of the best villains of the DC Universe! An entity that feeds off of fear and controls its victims through that fear ends up looking like a oil cloud from the BP oil spill? Why? I feel that this, like in FF 2 with Galactus, the makers screwed over the fans. The final product was ok and the logic of him looking like that because of Krona's appearance was fine. It just didn't work out all the way in the end. However, with Parallax being "destroyed" by the sun, it could come back in a different form somehow, but I'll leave that to NEW designers. Oh, and with Hector Hammond, I still don't know what to say. Not because I'm furious, but he had almost no connectivity that I have nothing to say.
Now with all of the bad out of the way, lets look at the good.
Characters: I thought the origin for for Hal Jordan was brilliant, especially in the extended version because it added more of a bases for his relation with Hector Hammond and his evolution into becoming the person he is and why he deserved to wear Abin Sur's ring. Ryan Reynolds did a good job portraying that too and I definitely want him back for a sequel. Blake Lively did great as Carol despite the worry from many people about her abilities. Mark Strong stole the show with his performance as Sinestro. He brought that perfect blend of discipline, dedication, and all around warrior like persona that Sinestro has. He was a perfect choice. The voice acting for the aliens was great as well, really well done WB. Peter Sarsgaard also did a good job with Hector Hammond, although he didn't receive the treatment he deserved, I still enjoyed his performance to some degree.
Space Scenes: Need I say more, I think that we can all agree the battles in space were phenomenal. Oa was beautifully designed as well. If the visual design crew got anything right, it was definitely Oa. I liked the enchanting space look that we all know and love.
Effects: Although the suits were somewhat disappointing in the theatrical version, the Blu Ray version helped with that. Example
DVD:
Blu Ray:
I also loved the constructs used, hopefully for a sequel they will get bigger and more creative.
Fan Nods: Star Sapphire helmet and the Superman themed birthday were smart ways to use continuity in the movie which I think was appreciated by many.
Source Material: All around, they got the source material right. Hal's background, the Lantern Corps, and of course, the ring itself. Even though it wasn't executed as well as it could have been, it was still pretty faithful to the comics.
All around, the movie wasn't as bad as people make it out to be. I still think it is a good movie despite it's flaws. However, I think that if WB decides to go forward with a sequel, if they overcome the flaws mentioned earlier, I think all of us could end up with a Green Lantern movie that will have fans going on about for decades. I give it 4 out of 5 stars. After all, if you really think it was the worst CBM ever; I would like to remind you of this.
Or this.
Or even THIS.
If you like the article click the thumbs up button. Until next time, this is Hal Jordan signing off.
Let those who worship evil's might, beware my power; Green Lantern's Light!