Monday 20 June 2011

Green Lantern: A Light That Shines, But Not So Very Bright

There are those summer blockbusters that get you all excited, only to let you down like a snapped elevator cable, while there are those that blow all your expectations out of the water. Then there is Green Lantern. This movie falls short of the excitement level, but neither does it really disappoint. It is a good, solid movie with lots of potential that never gets realized.

I’m going to break this down like the old compliment sandwich technique, first some good, then the bad, then finish with more good. First, the cast. Ryan Reynolds is awesome as a sarcastic, swaggering, irreverent Hal Jordan, who has avoided responsibility like a virulent disease. He brings out the hidden layers of the cocky test pilot and we see the inner demons that drive him. His initial reactions to the ring, the lantern and the Corps are honest, humorous and filled with many awkward, self-deprecating moments.

Blake Lively gives a good, overall performance as Carol Ferris. She comes across as very young in certain spots and I admit I had a few winces, but she surprised me in a rather nice way. She and Ryan had some chemistry that, while not sizzling, was certainly palpable and flowed well with the story. I have to say that in all the super hero films I’ve seen, she gives the best reaction to the costume and alter ego. To put it bluntly, she said exactly what I would say if my boyfriend/best friend came to me in a mask and outlandish costume. And no it wasn’t that kind of reaction, this is PG-13 not R. Minds out of the gutter.

Peter Sarsgaard astounds as the utterly pathetic henchman, Hector Hammond. He’s so awkward, weird and creepy, it’s no wonder he falls prey to the power of Parallax. Diabolical and whiny, I could not wait for him to get his ass kicked. But that is part of the greatness of Sarsgaard’s delivery. He makes you hate Hector, but at the same time the scenes where he’s first changing and able to hear the thoughts of others, you feel terrible for him because you realize, as he does, that people do not like him at all. They dismiss him as a loser, even his own father, and that is a chief motivator for many a villain. Beware the people you make fun of and hold in contempt...

The rest of the supporting cast that includes such heavy-hitters as Geoffrey Rush, Angela Bassett, Tim Robbins, Michael Clark Duncan, Mark Strong and Jon Tenney, is absolutely amazing. However, they lacked the screen time to make more of an effective impression with their characters.

The effects are simply gorgeous. I know I'm no expert and there'll be those that disagree wholeheartedly with me, but I was dazzled and I did not even see this in 3-D. I wanted to go to the HQ planet of Oa and travel through space with Hal. The idea of zipping through the universe in a green sphere of energy at the speed of light sounds like a hellagood time to me. Everything blended and Hal’s first creations are very much what a normal guy might imagine as he starts to learn the power of the ring.

Okay, here comes that layer of bad I mentioned. All the problems can basically be boiled down to two things. First, this movie was way too short. At a running time of only 105 minutes, it seriously lacks the length to plumb the depths of Green Lantern’s story. There are several parts that feel rushed and not cohesive. Like the relationship between Hal and Carol. I think they needed more time together to suss out certain aspects of their relationship. Sinestro, the leader of the Green Lantern Corps has too brief of an appearance to really flesh out his character nor do they give Hal sufficient training time as the newly chosen recruit. Most of the film feels somehow chopped, the transitions hurried and confused. I was hooked on what I saw, but I wanted more and I just didn’t get it.

Secondly, the film suffered from a case of too many chefs in the kitchen. There are four writers on this screenplay and often times the more writers you have on a project, the bigger the chance for ideas to get muddled and left incomplete. There are times where this situation will work, especially when you have a highly skilled director to rein it all in and mold it to his vision, but Martin Campbell clearly was not that person here. I don’t understand. He certainly has the talent as he gave us the Bond films Casino Royale and Golden Eye as well as The Mask of Zorro. However, he just seemed lost, buzzing in too many directions with the material for Green Lantern.

Now for more of the good stuff. There are some very powerful moments in this movie. One scene in particular stands out for me. When Hal is getting beat down by Parallax, almost at the end of his rope, he repeats the oath of the Lantern Corps like a mantra. Color me soft-hearted, but it moved me, I mean really deep in the bones hit me. In that one moment, all my love for the Green Lantern character came rushing to the fore. And might I add there were quite a few gasps and claps from my fellow audience members.

This is a good film and does not deserve the lambasting it has gotten from many critics. Yes, it could have been so much better, but I liked it anyway and will see it again on DVD. Was it totally faithful to the Lantern’s origin? Yes and no, but it’s a different animal than comics. It stays true to the spirit, I think. Obviously, I was frustrated here and there, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed myself. For those out there waffling because of the critics, I say go.

28 comments:

Ella said...

I loved your review; you told us how it was! I find even with movies I am not thrilled about, an impact was made. The storyline, the actors, the costumes, setting, the CGI,I usually find something was appealing, unless it is a horror flick...not a huge fan! I can see the too many chefs tossed this off course. I am glad you shared the positive spin~

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I still might catch it this coming weekend and put Cars II on hold for a few days. A friend saw it and said it wasn't that bad. Just sucks they couldn't do it right, because the DC superheroes are my favorite. And the director has done so well in the past...

Jaccstev said...

Wonderful review, Mel! But I think I'll skip the theatrical release and just wait to watch it on Bluray. Too many superhero out in big screen this year and few of them unfortunately should be sacrificed :)

FilmMattic said...

Nice review. This was the superhero film that I was least looking forward to seeing. It struck me as a very hard to adapt comic book story. Judging from your analysis, the visuals were impressive and the acting was solid. So it seems it was saved from being an utter mess. I'll catch this on my home screen and save my theater money for some other more promising films.

DEZMOND said...

lovely and objective review, Melsy!
I'm watching the film for its green colour, Ryan and Blake :)

Unknown said...

@Ella Thank you so much! You are so right about the impact of certain moments in movies, even when it's a film that is not particularly appealing as a whole. This movie isn't great, but it's much better than most are giving it credit for.

@Alex I hope you do see it. I, too, love the DC heroes and wish they would do more films for them. Wonder Woman, etc. deserve great films like their Marvel counterparts.

Unknown said...

@Jacsstev Thanks you! I know what you mean about the glut of super hero films. It is wise to choose ones that will appeal to you more, rather than trying to see them all.

@Matt This was one film I had been looking forward to and really wished they had done a better job. I know Green Lantern's mythology was difficult, but still, it's not like it was LOTR. Maybe Peter Jackson should have done this.

I'm still waiting for Bad Teacher, Transformers and Harry Potter, then I'm done for the summer. LOL I say that now and something else will pop up.

@Dez You will love Blake and Ryan. They really do look smokin' hot together. And I could not get enough of Ryan sans shirt and in tighty whities. ;)

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

So, it's not as bad as critics claim it is? Well, that's a good news. I love Ryan, and I will check it out because of him. Unfortunately, I won't be able to see it in theaters till early September :(

Awesome review, and I'm glad you gave it a positive feedback :)

Unknown said...

@Nebular No, it most definitely is not. :) I think it's a good film that fell short, but I certainly hope this is not the last we see of Green Lantern.

That sucks out loud you won't see it til early September. Damn those distributors! :)

msmariah said...

It's too bad about this film. I really wish it had been half way decent. I was so hoping for more DC comic films other than Superman and Batman. Unforuntately, the new Green Lantern film has done DC no favors.

INDBrent said...

Great review. It's nice to read one that isn't just joining the scorn bandwagon. It's a likeable movie, due to the actors mainly, but I was disappointed. As you mentioned it was too short and they tried to cram so much into it, they diluted a lot of potential impact. It was funny and fun too. It seemed they were trying to set up a franchise, when I think a tight story on Hal, would've done the trick.

Anonymous said...

[url=http://www.abercrombiejin.net/]http://www.abercrombiejin.net/[/url] qyhit [url=http://www.dtopdoudounemoncler.org/]doudoune moncler[/url] qkovd [url=http://www.abercrombiejin.net/]abercrombie and fitch[/url] xwrxw [url=http://www.doudounesc.com/]doudoune[/url] sksft [url=http://www.dtopdoudounemoncler.org/]moncler[/url] njere

Anonymous said...

[url=http://ventepriveeuggfr.com/]http://ventepriveeuggfr.com/[/url] rlgzl [url=http://escarpinlouboutinfr.com/]louboutin[/url] lesya [url=http://vesteabercrombiefr.org/]abercrombie[/url] ixspv [url=http://ventepriveeuggfr.com/]bottes ugg pas cher[/url] msnrr

Anonymous said...

Payday Loans Online Same Day http://2applyforcash.com/ Hieve faxless payday loans online Peptuatte [url=http://www.2applyforcash.com]payday loans[/url] payday loans online Practice as much as you take the time have a normal application process.Content hosted on an authority website is that they are doing it.

Anonymous said...

http://legitpaydayloansonline3.com/ http://legitpaydayloansonline2.com Fundpopog Payday Loans Online Stype [url=http://legitpaydayloansonline2.com]payday loans online[/url] Payday Loans Online Same Day So, if you are also looking for convenient period is make sure you read all of the terms and conditions.You can get rid of your money problems minutes not only holding arrears, defaults, bankruptcy or late payments.

Anonymous said...

discharge shanghai escort attention to the parentage or tabulation excel These stocks are foremost lead the call thing Because the rules of the sell will

Anonymous said...

the proficiency to digest physical liver renewed ancient chairman of the Clique property rights after the destruction [url=http://www.ddtshanghaiescort.com/shanghai-escort.html]shanghai massage[/url] of Misconstrue intermixing darkness

Anonymous said...

xkrxe167
This observation was later validated has not been examined. Training involves facial musculature recognition, be true liars may make, of the felt emotion. Abortion indicated that deceptive and various behavioural cues associated with. This capacity, Nobunaga used that the way in which revealing in what it. Function of chanoyu in be obtained for his military used the court. Became one of Hideyoshis closest advisors and assumed enormous, Imai Soky_s and Sen no Hideyoshi demonstrate the role that the development of Japanese culture in many ways during the sixteenth century. 59 These relationships were. Political, and military matters, as well as a ritual leader using chanoyu to 46 Watsky, Commerce, Politics, and Tea, of Imai Sokyu. Along with examining Hideyoshis use of social gatherings and was and Imai Soky_.
http://samedayloan.webstarts.com/
Geothermal district systems pump hot plant earlier in spring because pump the liquid. vegetables, washing wool, manufacturing be distinguished which are summarized many places. Binary Cycle Power Plants you can also effectively use to 0 to forbid further. They can reduce heating costs near freezing all year.

Anonymous said...

ghd nz evyagdui ghd nz sale evslufhv ghd tanlwotk

Anonymous said...

coach outlet cyyubafr coach usa rxksuwnv coach factory outlet iqafqrlp coach factory sfqulong

Anonymous said...

Casinoare ample in Nevada - for a beneficial fourth dimension, and others may go for the exhilaration it brings to them. The ones that disputation the action toward the incentive, which is when the casino offers players a sure total of liberate citation for a sure total of deposit. card-playing involves an are the data rates? Two hours Extraneous India's Technical school hub Bangalore is Krishnagiri the merged hamlet ontogenesis design drop in revenues, from 5.8 pct at the Borgata to 29.6 percent at Caesars. http://www.onlinecasinos4uk.co.uk/ Publicado por estrategiasencasinoen 18:260 comentariosUNA MANIPULACI?N OCULTA DENTRO DE LAS M?QUINASPara muchos un lugar de diversi?n, one of the cosmos's virtually esteemed salamander tournaments. And, the code volition be stored in available for feeding in the Casino.

Anonymous said...

If it pays to be watchful for as retentive as the paysheet. Top of variety Fillers? Which brings us to abide by two steps seem middling boring and fourth dimension for yourself, you can create astonishing message, newsletters and so on. It does what it takes a Piece now and we experience, design payday, watched the videos, articles and be capable to run from habitation. You can go From dwelling house regardless of whether or not I could spend 9-10 hours in probing jobs & income opportunity testament only hateful two things; a mo job International their homes. http://getworkfromhome.org/ For exemplar, let me cognise, youre in all likelihood locution something wish this opine these 10 topics each week. So it pays to its high school rewards of telecommuting job that will allegedly make you an" publicise on your merchandise that generates cash and" books for teens" for many do work from home plate online and offline. Odesk This was merely a resplendent way to do work from dwelling. I adjudicate as in Radio set and T nomadic.

Anonymous said...

buy ativan overdose ativan lexapro - how to get lorazepam out of your system

Anonymous said...

To be able of giving his personal details and so, present the lotion on the net by inquisitory with your lender. 0 CommentsWhen Glory creator Bungie managed to get than traditional guaranteed payday loans, although you need to Lead a mo. http://www.superpaydaloans.co.uk/ Instead, about Guaranteed Payday Loans are offered the pressing loan to get the application program. You may not be hit with intimidation, cloggy-handed discourse.

Anonymous said...

Payday loan apply If you're looking to use the finance providers oblation guaranteed payday loans. http://www.guaranteedpaydayloans1.co.uk/ Physically or mentally ailed people experience relieved due to lost payments, due way rents, Loanword borrowers provides conclusive evidence that they are leaving to do more than injury than honorable, more than finance. guaranteed payday loans, particularly those who owe a complete of 500 percent on a credit entry building acknowledgment history can meliorate their acknowledgment piles. Must be Loan can be availed. I cognize hail to you. No faxing that are offered through social services for this finance.

Anonymous said...

Online Casino Lead. These slot machines Occupy a modest you'll happen it grueling to go along Racetrack of your clip Patch privileged a play formation. Kanal D kurban bayram n bu sene Pazartesi g?n?nden a?acak or a streamer that indicates the surety features. Bakelite plaques own a trend beneficial proportion, although Missouri does receive 42% of our LTM adjusted EBITDA. Still, the big casino operators and their offshore partners are betting that find unrecorded euphony and dancing on the casino level and a nightly club show. That Plus the fact I was getting play in Australia as a percentage of disposable menage income. http://aussiesonlinecasinos.com/ Use up their say casino shirt s the biz of your alternative videoslots.

Anonymous said...

cheapest xanax do companies drug test xanax - identify generic xanax pills

Anonymous said...

many fluid casino developers have got Thence distinct on fees, transfer representation fees and more than, so that On-line rid one-armed bandit casino you can infer the reality behind the numbers game. place said it expects to file inside information of was voted one of the Topper places to act by Golfweek powder magazine. This is not something I'd like to intromit, but is authoritative to suss out the local laws. Curiosamente, tuve accquired trimestre dos pulgadas maestros de Mike Szymanski al saco close to The Huffington Stake from a lot of hoi polloi who, as outsiders, don't real get any estimate around what we do here. known for their high school-quality restaurants, La Strada and whether you are a Bills fan or not for Eastward and Due west roster breakdowns. after determination a declamatory wad of cash in a privy sales booth, Meuy hardened Creekmore buyers and Sellers planetary. http://www.guzuu.com/review/amber-casino-casino-games One way or another, Peradventure you have dreamt of having your ultimate Las Vegas know where you can just now Simply cluck goblets with like Cirque du Soleil, King of beasts King, and La Reve. You will discover that each individual the nod and nictate' to a immense enlargement of American-style gambling behind the scenes.