Martin Campbell‘s Green Lantern has not received the greatest reviews from some of the top critics in the industry, but people please do not listen to them. These critics are looking at it from an entirely different stand point and don’t appreciate the difficulties that came with making the film. Now I’m not trying to take credit away from them, but I’m here to say that Green Lantern is not that bad!
In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, a small but powerful force has existed for millenniums. Protectors of peace and justice, they are called the Green Lantern Corps. A brotherhood of warriors formed by the different races from the entire universe sworn to keep intergalactic order, each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him superpowers. But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of their newest recruit, the first human ever selected for the Corps: Hal Jordan.
Hal is a gifted and cocky test pilot, but the Green Lanterns have little respect for humans, who have never harnessed the infinite powers of the ring before. But Hal is clearly the missing piece to the puzzle, and along with his determination and willpower, he has one thing no member of the Corps has ever had: humanity. With the encouragement of fellow pilot and childhood sweetheart Carol Ferris, if Hal can quickly master his new powers and find the courage to overcome his fears, he may prove to be not only the key to defeating Parallax, but he will become the greatest Green Lantern of all. Green Lantern stars Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan/Green Lantern, Blake Lively as Carol Ferris, Peter Sarsgaard as Hector Hammond and Mark Strong as Sinestro.
Green Lantern is not your typical superhero flick and I think this is what some are having issues with. Since Green Lantern takes place on alien planets and other universes, people might come away with thinking the film is kind of cheesy or too science fictionist. If you have never read one of the comic books, then you might feel a bit overwhelmed but trust me, give the film a chance. Like I stated earlier, this is an origin film and is introducing people to the characters and the universe of the Green Lanterns. At points the film seems a little rushed because they are trying to explain so much in such a short amount of time.
As far as the graphics and special effects are concerned, I give the team high marks. It’s extremely difficult to bring a comic book like this to life, all while staying true to it at the same time. The uniform looks so much better than the one shown in the early trailers and I actually liked the way they did it. Now the mask on the other hand, they could have done something a little better because it almost ruins the uniform. Oa looks phenomenal and the guardians are exactly how I would imagine them on the screen.
Does the story have gaps in it? Yes. It has a very weird flow and seems spliced together. Was Blake Lively terrible in the film? Ehhh kind of, but I feel that her role is so minor, it’s easy to over look. Does the movie follow the comics? To an extent, but they changed a few things and a major villain doesn’t really appear in the film. Also, I would really have liked to have seen Hal Jordan have a tree branch or something hit him on the head while he was flying. This was a long, ongoing joke in the comics and I feel real fans would have appreciated this. Is it the worst comic book film? Not even close. The film is actually fairly entertaining and is very enjoyable for a post 3D conversion. It does have its issues but I honestly feel that they can easily be worked out in a sequel.
Overall, I really enjoyed the film and appreciated the effort in making it. Could it have been made a bit better with the budget it was given? Absolutely, but beggars can’t be choosers and I feel the film is being judged unfairly. When / if the film does get the green light for a sequel, I really think it will be more successful, addressing and fixing all the issues with the first one. Just give the film a chance and stay halfway through the credits for a big payoff. Don’t worry about staying till the very end because there is nothing there besides an advertisement for the new comic book series coming soon.
Rating: Great effort and decently entertaining. Not the best super hero film, but defiantly not the worse 6/10
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