OK, OK, I know the critics were harsh, yes, the movie wasn't incredible, but certainly didn't deserve IGN's 2 out of 5 stars review. That was kinda BS if you ask me. Not sure what their problem was, as I really like IGN, but they were way too harsh on this.
And just to left you all know, since my Dark Knight review got so many mixed feedback, I decided to change my username and fansites to various superheroes instead of Batman. And believe it or not, I am newer to comic books, comic books movies, comic book heroes, and so on. So please do not rant at me for not having as high a knowledge as you guys, but I expect that to grow. Why do I say this? Only because I actually never heard of Green Lantern until I heard the movie was coming out - pathetic, I know. I had known of Batman, Spiderman, Superman, and Hulk, and heard of the names Captain America and Iron Man, but never really knew who they actually were. As for Green Lantern, well.. never heard of the hero. I'm sure you are laughing at me right now for that pathetic statement, but it's true. So I am just gonna base this review off of my limited knowledge and perspective of the movie itself.
As mentioned, the movie isn't the best superhero movie by any standards, but it probably isn't the worst, either. I would have to give that nod to the 2003 version of 'Hulk'. Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan (eventually Green Lantern) is a great fit for Hal. His sense of humor, the character's cockiness, and even his way of playing the hero are all nearly mastered by Reynolds. A few flaws, but certainly less than say.. if Donald Trump played the part. (Sorry, Donald!) Blake Lively is pretty good as Hal's friend and soulmate, Carol Ferris - not great, but solid. Needless to say, Peter Sasgaard was a mess as Hector Hammond. If you look at the actual actor compared to Hector, he doesn't look a thing like him. Especially when he gets injected by Parallex's DNA. To be honest, Hector is hilarious with his funny shaped head and pussy screams. Bleh. Sasgaard gets a F for Hector. Mark Strong plays Sinestro beautifully - just would have liked to see him in a few more scenes - as his character's development felt a little shallow. But that's not anything of Strong's wrongdoing, he was great. Geoffrey Rush, Temeura Morrison, and Michael Clarke Duncan play their alien's (I guess you can call them aliens?) voice's well, too. Acting isn't perfect, but it is solid. Except for Sasgaard who was a joke...
The action and special effects are pretty good. Nothing great and definitely not eye-popping, but not an eye sore, either.
Lots of talk has been about the ending credits scene in which Sinestro tries on the yellow ring, and appears to become "one of them" - I didn't like at all. Now I don't know about the comics (see, I told you, I don't know that much about Green Lantern yet! So please forgive me, I beg you.) but why on Earth is he trying that thing on? From a leader of the Green Lantern core to becoming a assumed-to-be villain in a possible sequel? I don't quite understand why he changed his mind, considering the good side won, not the bad side in the end. That puzzled me a little, but to each his own, I guess.
A couple other things I would like to point out in this before I wrap this review up is the lack of intensity - yes, there are plenty action scenes, but the action and superhero-like sequences, just seemed to have a short lackage in this, there will still plenty of action scenes, but other than the Hector vs. Hal scene and the ending battle vs Parralax, there really wasn't a whole lot of good vs. evil in it. More Hal discovering and learning his abilities as the chosen Green Lantern and Hector.. getting tortured by DNA in a hilariously creepily bad way. Ah man, Hector made me cringe throughout. Gah...
And one other thing; the film seemed a little short. It was near the two hour mark, but it just seemed like it was almost rushed. But maybe it was just me.
So this is a very mixed review - from Sasgaard's horrific performance as Hector to Reynolds' great performance as Hal as well as Strong as Sinestro, to the solid voiced aliens (and other humans that I didn't mention in this review) and Lively's solid performance as Carol, to the solid action and effects to the lack of intensity, make this a 4\5. Not a great movie, but very solid. So yes, I can see why the critics didn't give it real high scores, but it certainly didn't deserve what IGN gave to it, so yeah, I give this a 4 star rating out of 5. It's worth a watch since it is a fun movie, just don't prepare to be amazed before going in, because you might be disappointed.