Movie Review: 'Green Lantern'

Green Lantern lights up the screen, but will it shine at the box office?

Warner Brothers and DC Comics will enter unfamiliar territory this week.  A major DC superhero that isn’t Batman or Superman will finally make it to movie screens.  But will audiences embrace the emerald glow, or will it blind them? 

Green Lantern is a spectacular science fiction adventure, featuring stunning effects, a talented ensemble of actors, and action that leaps straight off the comic book pages.  At the forefront of the adventure is Hal Jordan, the cocky test pilot who is faithfully brought to life by actor Ryan Reynolds.  As a staunch member of the group that was initially unsure about the casting of Reynolds, I can honestly say now that he totally sold me.  From Hal’s dry wit to his hidden vulnerability, Reynolds does a great justice to the character.   

Other actors who deserve praise include Peter Sarsgaard, who exudes the disturbing creepiness of Hector Hammond, and Blake Lively, who finds the balance between no-nonsense businesswoman and lifetime friend to Hal Jordan in the character of Carol Ferris.   However, the true gem among the cast is Mark Strong as hardened Green Lantern Corps veteran, Sinestro.  While all of his time onscreen is brilliant, his shining moment involves a very well-delivered speech in the middle of a sparring session with Hal.   

But no movie is without its faults.  Actor Tim Robbins just seems to be happy to be in a movie and gives a fairly lackluster performance as Senator Hammond, and composer James Newton Howard, most likely under pressure from Warner Brothers to capitalize on the success of Iron Man, mixes his orchestrations with some excessive rock.   Also, other members of the Green Lantern Corps, especially drill instructor Kilowog and master of exposition, Tomar-Re, voiced by Michael Clarke Duncan and Jeffrey Rush respectively, almost seem like an afterthought and deserve far more screen time than they were allotted.   

It’s very difficult to guarantee that this movie will be a summer blockbuster.  The target audience of comic book fans is fairly specific, and those unfamiliar with the characters or the stories will more than likely be a little weirded out by the sci-fi trappings.  Iron Man’s lovable a-hole, Tony Stark appealed to audiences, so hopefully the cocky Hal Jordan will do the same and get people talking positively.  With any luck, the film will do well enough at the box office to not only establish Green Lantern as a bankable franchise, but also to allow for the production of future films featuring DC’s pantheon of heroes.  While all of these outcomes will be determined in the coming weeks, one thing is certain right now: this happy Green Lantern fan is proud to be a Corps member.

Directed by Martin Campbell (Casino Royale), Green Lantern opens nationwide on Friday.

New Green Lantern Trailer Online!

Due to appear on screens before Thor on Friday, the new Green Lantern trailer has hit the web. Check it out below!

The trailer shows much of what was already seen in the now legendary WonderCon footage, but there are plenty of new sights and sounds to further excite moviegoers.  We get a good look at the Guardians, Sinestro gives Hal an appropriately hard time, and the resounding bass of Michael Clarke Duncan emanates from Kilowog. And.....Oh right! Tim Robbins is in this movie!

Green Lantern will shine brightly in theaters on June 17th!

Michael Clarke Duncan to Voice Kilowog!

Light 'em up, Poozers!

In a stunning display of typecasting, Michael Clarke Duncan (The Green Mile) has been tapped to lend his voice to Kilowog, the alien drill sergeant with a heart of gold, in Green Lantern.  He joins Geoffrey Rush in what is sure to be a growing list of actors who will speak for the Green Lantern Corps.

On a personal note, this is a casting cop out.  Just because the character is almost 8 feet tall and burly, it does not necessitate the resounding bass of Mr. Duncan's voice.  I think back to Daredevil and imagine those casting meetings...  "Hmmmm, we need someone HUGE to play The Kingpin..."

Kilowog was previously voiced by Dennis Haysbert in a handful of episodes of Justice League and later by Michael Madsen in the direct-to-DVD feature, Green Lantern: First Flight.  Haysbert provided a voice that focused more on the softer side of Kilowog's character, and Madsen nailed the gruff attitude of the GLC's drill instructor.  Henry Rollins will add his name to the list for Green Lantern: Emerald Knights, another direct-to-DVD release, scheduled to hit shelves on June 7th.  I foresee his interpretation being similar to Madsen's.

Since the announcement about Geoffrey Rush being cast as Tomar-Re was immediately followed by fans getting to hear him in the WonderCon footage, perhaps we will hear the voice of Kilowog in the new trailer, which is due to debut in front of Thor on May 6th.

Green Lantern's light grows brighter as its June 17th release date gets closer.

'Green Lantern' WonderCon Footage!

UPDATED (4/3/2011): Embedded the new Green Lantern footage, and changed the panel videos after the jump with higher quality audio.

At San Francisco's currently-ongoing WonderCon, fans gathered in droves yesterday to catch a glimpse of June's upcoming release of Green Lantern.

Moderated by the legendary Geoff Johns (writer of Blackest Night, Flash: Rebirth, and soon, Aquaman), the panel (featuring stars Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively) fielded questions from the crowd and treated the fans to a 9-minute taste of Hal Jordan's creation story.  Thankfully, the WB saw fit to release part of that footage (an abridged part, unfortunately, but a part, nonetheless) to the masses who were unable to attend WonderCon this weekend.

[If this YouTube upload vanishes from the interwebs, you can watch the footage at iTunes here.]

The response to the footage has been overwhelmingly positive -- going so far as to completely change the minds of those who have claimed to have been skeptical of the movie from the beginning.

I. cannot. wait.

Green Lantern is slated for release on June 17, 2011.

The good people at Screen Team Media recorded the entirety of the panel for the YouTube masses to enjoy. Hit the jump for the videos!

Click to read more ...

Green Lantern Trailer Hits Theaters

The Green Lantern trailer hit the web on Tuesday, but it made it's debut in theaters Thursday night in front of Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows, Part 1.  Take a look.

From what they're showing, the film is shaping up to be a faithful telling of Hal Jordan's origin and exploits.  Viewers are treated to first looks at Corps members, Sinestro, Abin Sur, Kilowog, and Tomar Rae, Hal Jordan's friend, Tom Kalmaku, and the film's villain, Hector Hammond, imbued with the malevolent yellow power of Parallax.  Sharp-eyed fans may catch a goodie or two, such as the Star Sapphire symbol on the side of Carol Ferris's flight helmet, the inclusion of Hal's call sign, "Highball" on his locker, or quick flashes of Amanda Waller and Carl Ferris.

With the trailer now permeating the internet, there is no doubt that criticism about the CG GL uniform will begin.  It's not terrible, but it looks like they could give it at least one more pass with the effects wizardry at Sony Imageworks.  But if that's our final product, I can live with it.

In short, I'm an excited fan.  My favorite comic character is finally coming to the big screen and it looks like it'll be done right.

Green Lantern hits theaters on June 17th, 2011.

Green Lantern Preview Hits

The Green Lantern trailer isn't due until next week (in front of Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 1), but Entertainment Tonight gave fans a quick look at what's coming.

ET will run their entire GL feature on Tuesday.  Check your local listings and don't miss it!

It looks promising!  I'm hoping some of the footage is still awaiting some tweaks, particularly Reynolds in the CG suit, but Kilowog looks great and OA looks amazing!

Green Lantern hits theaters on June 17th, 2011.

Beware My...Redesign?

Image source: DailyBlam.comBig news from the Green Lantern movie.  At the 2010 Spike Scream Awards on Saturday, fans got a look at the GL Power Battery that will appear in next's year's film.

The Daily Blam features the photo of the battery, as well as images from the awards ceremony.  Actress Blake Lively, who plays Carol Ferris in Green Lantern, presented the award for "Most Anticipated Movie."  Appropriately enough, GL won the award, and Ryan Reynolds (Hal Jordan) was on hand to accept.

I've read that the movie's design for the battery is one of the most drastic deviations from the comics.  If so, I'm OK with it.  It's an interesting design, to say the least, maintaining the (for lack of a better term) "organic" style the filmmakers seem to be going with.  Coupled with the image we've seen of Reynolds in the CGI Lantern uniform, they work.  Now we just need to get some images of Sinestro!  

The Scream awards aired on Spike TV this past Tuesday evening.

The Blackest Night Approaches...

It appears to be a week of not-exactly-what-we'd-hoped-for images from upcoming comic films.

The latest cover of Entertainment Weekly features the first image of Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan/Green Lantern in the upcoming film.  As many of us know, the production chose to portray the GL uniform as having an organic/flowing energy look to it, and has therefore been rendered in CGI.  If this is that final render....well.....

I'll admit, I'm torn.  For the purpose of what they are trying to portray, it kinda works.  If you look closely (particularly at the gloves) you can still see that there is a texture to the "garment."  And the glowing seams leading to/from the Lantern chest emblem make sense, but there appear to be just too many glowing lines running along his body.

The big complaint is the mask.  I won't lie, it look like it's been painted on.  Or even poorly added in Photoshop.

One last point I will make is in regards to the color scheme.  I'm happy to see that the green, black, and white has been maintained.  The gloves appear to be white, and if you look carefully, you can see that the chest, lower torso, and shoulders are green, and the torso sides are black.  With the "flow" of the energy and color, it's a little muddled, but it's there.

I'll wait to see a full, head-to-toe shot to make a final judgement, but until then, I still look forward to whatever Martin Campbell and Ryan Reynolds have to show in San Diego next week.

Green Lantern is due in theaters June 17th, 2011.

Update on July 15, 2010 at 7:54 PM by Rob "T3k" Piontek

More Green Lantern photos have surfaced from within the pages of Entertainment Weekly.  Featured in the images are actors Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Tim Robbins and Angela Bassett.

Almost everything here looks encouraging......almost.  

Pros

Upon closer inspection of his civilian garb, Hal is wearing his trademark bomber jacket, but sadly, this version does not include the typical sheep's wool collar or any of his Airforce insignia. 

Blake Lively looks amazing as Carol Ferris.

Peter Sarsgaard looks acceptable as Hector Hammond, both pre and post mutation.  Not perfect, but acceptable.

Angela Bassett looks appropriately menacing as Amanda Waller.  Her hair is a little long, but that's a true nitpick.

Con

The ring.  That is not Hal's ring.  It's close to Kyle Rayner's ring, but there is no silver in the Green Lantern Power Ring.  Sorry folks.  It's a big detail and they got it wrong.