Green Lantern (Campbell, 2011)

[shariqq]

I watched this movie last night and I must say, what an embarrassing piece of movie this is. There's enough of the good-looking lead pair and by-the-numbers action and special-effects to probably please the summer-movie audience, but it has little in it to call it a good movie.

In short: it is *exactly* what we expected it to be after learning who Green Lantern is going to be, seeing the initial trailer and the posters. It stunk from a mile away, and it stinks equally from near.

Ryan Reynolds tries to play off his charm to make his character likeable, but it works against him this time. The role demanded a "Hero", someone who could embody honesty, bravery and the willingness to set things right for the sake of doing right - in varying degrees based on the character they play. This has so well been embodied by many other actors playing superheroes (Tobey Maguire, Christian Bale not to mentioned Christopher Reeves and many many others, latest of who is Chris Hemsworth). Reynolds's Hal Jordan though is just a goofy guy who I wouldn't trust with anything. The "Green Lantern" ring finds him for what is in him, that even he may not be aware of, and daresay the ring may be right, but the movie fails in showing any growth in the character and that becomes its biggest flaw. Without any growth in the character, without seeing him grow from a regular guy to a world-saving hero, he's just a guy in a funky suit and a bandit mask.

The grand finale of the movie, the supposed action set-piece is also such a half-baked attempt. With thousands of Green Lanterns from all over the universe unable to save Earth, Hal Jordan manages not because he is fearless or has "humanity". It is because the rest of them are too stupid to think of the kid-level plan that Hal Jordan comes up with.

Basically, a waste of time, waste of money and another movie for 3D-detractors to use as an example.

My Rating --> 1.5 of 5

[shariqq]

Ok, that post above was a reaction-rant. This is a cleaned up, elaborated version to read more like a review.




IMDb link

Director: Martin Campbell
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Tim Robbins, Mark Strong, others.
Release Date: June 16, 2011 (UAE)


In a year that has seen two excellent superhero movies from Marvel already with another promising one on the way; rival super-hero home DC’s only outing this year is Green Lantern. And what an embarrassing movie it is. While fans of the comic-book hero are bound to be disappointed, the movie does not hold much for those new to the Green Lantern lore either. There is enough of the good-looking lead pair and by-the-numbers action and special-effects to keep the summer-movie audience engaged during its runtime, but it has little to call it a good movie. In an era when the standard for superhero movies has been set by The Dark Knight, a movie from the same studio that made Green Lantern, this is a dismal effort.

Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) is a test pilot for the US Air Force. After a botched-up day at work (Jordan crashes a new fighter jet after sacrificing his wing-man as bait), he becomes the first human chosen to join the Green Lantern Corps, an age-old team of warriors who police the Universe against any threats. Green is the color of will, a good energy that gives the Green Lanterns their power. Unfortunately for them, Yellow is the color of fear, a bad energy that gives power to the evil being Parallax that devours worlds – a being so powerful that no lantern, alone or in teams, can stop it. Damsel-in-distress Carol Ferris (Blake Lively) is Jordan’s boss and unnecessary love interest. Dr Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard) plays an ugly and uncool Silver Surfer-esque , Earth-based agent for Parallax, and Sinestro (Mark Strong) is a politician in the guise of a Green Lantern – he talks a lot and promises much but hardly does anything.

Ryan Reynolds tries to play off his charm to make his character likeable, but it works against him this time. The role of Hal Jordan, one of DC’s leading second-string characters, demanded a "Hero", someone who could embody honesty, bravery and the willingness to set things right for the sake of doing right. These qualities have so well been embodied by many other actors playing superheroes in varying degrees based on the hero they play (Tobey Maguire, Christian Bale and chief among them: Christopher Reeves plus many others, the latest being Chris Hemsworth). Reynolds's Hal Jordan though is just a goofy guy who cannot be trusted with anything. The "Green Lantern" ring finds him for what is in him, a quality that even he may not be aware of, and daresay the ring may be right, but the movie fails in showing it to us. The lack of any growth in the character becomes the movie’s biggest flaw. Without seeing Hal Jordan grow from a regular guy to a world-saving hero, he's just a guy in a bad CGI suit and a bandit mask.

The grand finale of the movie, the supposed action set-piece is also a half-baked attempt. With thousands of Green Lanterns from all over the universe unable to save Earth, Hal Jordan manages just that, not because he is fearless or has "humanity". It is because the rest of them are not clever enough to think of the mindless plan that Hal Jordan comes up with.

Either director Martin Campbell did not seem to have understood what the modern super-hero movie requires, or was the wrong man for the job. His movie lacks interesting characters and suffers from predictability, bad effects and a haphazard narrative. Presenting it in 3D has only offered another example to detractors of the technology. With this movie, Warner Bros may have been hoping for a new franchise, but its fate may as well be the same as the title of Ryan Reynolds’ last movie, i.e. buried.

My Rating --> 1.5 of 5

[animatedude]

It's a Warner Bros. Superhero summer movie directed by the guy who did The Mask Of Zorro or whatever what did you expect? Shariq it's your life but I think you need to add a filter to your system because it seems like u have been watching every summer junk comes your way...

[shariqq]

Shariq it's your life but I think you need to add a filter to your system because it seems like u have been watching every summer junk comes your way...

Some are obligations. And indeed, Hangover II and The Green Lantern were obligations. Let's leave it at that.

[ozzylogic]

Damn, that sucks.

[fizz]

Yes another sucky DC adaptation it seems (not seen it, just voicing my opinion based on Shariq's excellent opinion - which RT seems to agree with!). DC/WB may have their Superman/Batman, everything else pretty much sucks (ahem, just like their comics).

[fizz]

Shariq it's your life but I think you need to add a filter to your system because it seems like u have been watching every summer junk comes your way...

Some are obligations. And indeed, Hangover II and The Green Lantern were obligations. Let's leave it at that.

The only thing one has to invest is time...and at the end of it, you are a more informed movie watcher. I would rather watch and diss, then not and spew second hand opinion.

[ayaa1977]

The only thing one has to invest is time...and at the end of it, you are a more informed movie watcher. I would rather watch and diss, then not and spew second hand opinion.

Amen to that!

[shariqq]

The Hollywood Reporter is claiming that a Green Lantern sequel is moving forward despite the fact that the movie has made just $118.7 million worldwide. It cost $200 to make, not counting advertising fees.

Sources say Warners still believes in the franchise, even if the studio is "somewhat disappointed" with Green Lantern’s result.

Over the weekend, Green Lantern fell a steep 66% at the domestic box office, grossing $18.4 million for a cume of $89.3 million. That’s a big decline.

Warner Bros. president of domestic distribution Dan Fellman said the movie is settling in, pointing out that fanboy pics often see a significant drop-off in their second weekends.

The article adds that rival studios are saying the marketing for the movie was one of the most expensive on record.

Most expensive marketing? It was probably aimed at the Eskimos.

[fizz]

Lets just call Green Lantern what it is - a critical and commercial disaster.

[madali]

Green Lantern (Martin Campbell, 2011)

Now that I am in Iran, I don't really have access to 3D cinemas, so whenever I go to Dubai, I make sure to watch the 3D films, and so far, I have been almost always extremely disappointed. And like a mentally challenged child that constantly puts his hand in the fire after getting burnt multiple times, I also do not learn. I repeat the mistake, hoping that the fact the film is in 3D is enough. My logic is, I'm dazzled my optical illusions, so what if the story is crap?

The problem is that, for some reason, the 3D films that are being churched out don't even seem that 3Dish. While watching "Green Lantern" I kept forgetting that it is 3D, and I sometimes would remove my glasses to remind my brain that it is 3D.

As for the story, absolute pile of green garbage. Superhero movies have appealed to the general public in recent times because they don't look as childishly stupid as the comics from the 50s. "Green Lantern" feels silly. The back-story about the history of the Green Lanterns, the other worlds, and all, seem to complicated the whole thing unnecessarily. Batman is simple. Guy turned vigilante due to childhood tragedy. Spider is simple. Scientific accident gives him superpower. Hulk is simple. Scientific accident gives him superpower.

But with "Green Lantern" there is a huge lore that is told with such sincerity that you feel like you are watching an 80s cartoon.

2/5

[fizz]

I'm glad people are realising, as Mad's review points out, that DC characters (with the exception of Batman) are so superfluous, in this day and age, its very difficult for people to find anything about them that acceptable. I always thought Green Lantern, even in the comics, was a silly superhero, just like the entire DC Universe.

[animatedude]

next year is supposed to be a big year for comic book movies with Batman and Superman coming out in the same summer...i hope they both fail which will bring an end to a decade filled with the same comic book poop that we must take seriously...

and even if they both bombed and they will not, the next thing you know Batman Vs.Superman will be in the works..

[shariqq]

next year is supposed to be a big year for comic book movies with Batman and Superman coming out in the same summer..

Superman will be releasing in winter next year.

[madali]

Once the superhero movies die down, you just know Marvel and DC will try to revive it by going for a Marvel vs DC movie.