Greetings, Manic Fans. Les here to talk a little bit about a Superhero Film I believe got a bad rap:
“Green Lantern.â€
Now, before the fanboys start hitting me with green energy constructs of sledgehammers, just hear me out.
First off, I had no practical knowledge of Green Lantern before I saw the film. I didn’t read the comic, or know much more than his name was Hal Jordan. As such, I had no pre-conceived notions to have disappointed when I saw this film. I saw it as a novice who needed to be brought up to speed by the film, itself.
As such, I felt the film did that wonderfully.
The narration at the beginning of the film and the way Hal, himself, discovers the secrets of the ring and the Green Lantern Corps laid out the lore and the mechanics of this DC universe quite efficiently and without being rushed or boring. That’s hard to do, my friends.
The character of Hal Jordan(who I’ll admit I didn’t know from the comic, so if Ryan Reynolds screwed it up comparably, I never knew), was a compelling one to me.
Here’s a guy who was a screw up who hid his fears behind bravado and a wall against letting his girlfriend get too close to him. And yet, the ring chose him to become a Green Lantern.  He was given the ultimate chance to rise to the occasion and summon his courage to do the right thing and discover the hero he could become….and throughout the course of the film, he grew as a man and as a Superhero.
The realization of the ring power to create constructs was imaginative and sensational.
Whatever you can imagine and focus through your willpower was an amazing concept that the special effects handled as magically as the concept sounded. I also really liked seeing Hal imagine ways to use the ring to combat Hector Hammond(Peter Sarsgaard) and Parallax(Clancy Brown).
The artistry and designs were also quite compelling.
I thought that Planet OA was quite unique and every bit as interesting as The Realm Asgard in “Thor .even if “Thor†was a better film.
Now, Ok, I’ll address some of the problems.
The CGI suit and face mask.
Yeah, it does look computer fake as hell….but considering that it’s supposed to be made out of green energy from the ring, I can let that one pass, in much the same way I let the limitations of the computer effects in Walt Disney’s “TRON” pass since their context give them credibility too.
Blake Lively’s Carol Ferris was a weak love interest.
Meh….honestly, I didn’t see her as a major focal point of this story.  This was about Hal’s journey to find his courage to be responsible.  That she was a weaker character didn’t diminish that for me.
The whole Hal, Hector, Carol love triangle wasn’t given sufficient background and came out of left field.
Yes, this is true. Â However, if you get the director’s cut of “Green Lantern,” you get the whole scene of them as children that the film shows a small clip of during Hal’s flashback during the flat-spin scene where he choked after the dogfight with the Sabers.
That whole scene makes it all work a little better.  It’s kind of like James Cameron director’s cuts to his films(“The Abyss,” “Aliens,”” T-2:  Judgement Day”….etc.).  When all of his cut footage is put back, his films improve 50% over the theatrical releases.
In the end, I’ve watched this film about a dozen times, and it keeps growing on me. I’m only disappointed that it will never get the sequel it deserved.
What do you think? Am I alone in liking this film, or did you enjoy it too? I’d love to hear your opinions, my friends. Peace.
