GREEN LANTERN

GREEN LANTERN (2011)
US
Directed by Martin Campbell

CAST:
Ryan Reynolds - Hal Jordan / Green Lantern
Blake Lively - Carol Ferris
Peter Sarsgaard - Hector Hammond

PLOT:
     A test pilot is granted a mystical green ring that bestows him with otherworldly powers, as well as membership into an intergalactic squadron tasked with keeping peace within the universe.

REVIEW:
     I noticed something as I've been working on this blog. It's nothing really major, more of an observation. I found out when I truly like a movie and I write up the review for it, that review is harder to write. I think the reason for this is that there is just so many points to mention that I have to edit it as I write. Be it from characters, story, or actors or actresses. When a movie hits right I don't want to give too much away and give away the surprises in store for anyone that hasn't watched the movie. On the flip side, when I write a bad review it is infinitely easier due to I don't care if I give anything away as I want to try and keep people from wasting their time.

     I should start off by saying that Ryan Reynolds was not bad in this movie. He actually did the best he could with what he was giving. Yet, the one point the movie missed with the character is that Hal Jordan is an asshole. Plain and simple.I'll get more into this later. Trust me it's not a good thing. If there was one actor who stood out the most it was Peter Sarsgaard as Hector Hammond. You could tell he does not like anybody and was jealous of everyone. Even when Hammond goes all ape shit, Sarsgaard still put emotion in his role. But the one actor that nailed his role perfectly it would be Mark Strong as Sinestro. Sinestro is supposed to be a hard ass and believe he is better than anyone else and the actor and script fucking nailed it perfect. The one problem with this though is that there was not enough Sinestro in the movie. Hell, he was Hal's partner and trainer in the comics, also Hal was the one Green Lantern he trusted above all others. None of that was here unfortunately.

     Now comes the part I been looking forward to. Did the movie drop the ball? Yes, it did. And hard too. The reason for this is simple. The script got what Hal Jordan is all wrong. I said earlier that Hal is an asshole, brash, and arrogant and the film did get that right up until he got the ring and went to Oa. The reason why he is an asshole, is that Hal knows he's better than almost anybody and he's not afraid to show it. Him whining on Oa after the beating he took would never have happened. He would have gotten up and said "Let's try this again." And what the hell was those scenes on Earth with him bitching and crying. The whole point of the  character is that he doesn't let fear affect him, he overcomes fear. and this was not happening. Another complaint I had was the obvious product placement in Hal's first appearance as Green Lantern on Earth. I know that all movie companies want to make money on toys and such, but the giant racetrack construct was just too much, and that was the only reason why it was in the movie to begin with was to sell a toy. I do know that the original script by Geoff Johns was completely different than what was filmed, as Johns has written the character for over six years and is the reason why the character is so popular now, yet I do know that after Johns handed over his script at least 20 other people got there hands on it and re-wrote the movie that we have in theaters now. And those changes are not for the better.

     Even though the movie could have been better, one easy way for this to happen theycould have kept away from Earth after Hal got the ring. You could tell that once on Oa the film opened up a amazing world of possibilities that could have been. And that's the main problem with the movie, the could haves. Just Hal's training with Kilowog, Tomar -Re,  and Sinestro could have gone on for the rest of the movie and I would have been a happy camper just watching Hal and these three together. While the movie was flawed it still did a good job of setting up the next movie, if it's made, thanks to the end after the first of credits. I cannot say I recommend the movie to everyone as fans of the source material will be up in arms for most of it, but then again I am a fan of the comic so my view on the character is based on that, yet for people that don't know the character they might like it more than I did. 

BEST DEATH:
     I can't really say there was any that really stood out.So here's a picture of Kilowog instead!

BEST LINE:
       How human...

FUN FACTS:
     The dialogue between Jordan and Sinestro about power batteries was taken verbatim from the "Green Lantern" comic 'Secret Origin' storyline.

     The film's primary antagonist, the fear entity Parallax, was chosen as part of a long-term strategy for successive films: Sinestro would be corrupted by Parallax and form his own Corps with Parallax as their power source, while other entities of emotional power (Ion, the Butcher, Ophidian, Adara, Proselyte, the Predator, Nekron and the Life Entity) and their Corps are planned to make an appearance.

     An early draft of the script contained a cameo by Alan Scott, the first Green Lantern (Jordan's predecessor, whose powers were magical rather than cosmic). Scott was going to be the United States President, and near the end would reveal his own past as a Green Lantern to Jordan, and give him his blessing. He was later revised to become an agent of the Checkmate agency (the Checkmate membership stayed true to the comics), who would approach and offer Jordan membership. Later drafts finally wrote him out of the film, and replaced him with Amanda Waller.

     The scriptwriters drew inspiration from both Emerald Dawn  and Secret Origins storylines for the movie.

     In the lineup of the Green Lantern Corp look for something that's not quite like the others.