So… Green Lantern… Probably one of the most anticipated movies of this summer, which has also made it one of the easiest to hate prior to its release. Last year around this time I was as stoked as any other random comic geek about this movie. How could a movie about who was probably at the time DC’s most popular character staring some of my favorite actors (Ryan Reynolds, Mark Strong, Blake Lively and Peter Sarsgaard) ever be bad?
Then the stills started trickling out, followed by the trailers and finally the news that an extra nine million dollars were being added to the film to fix special effects. All signs pointed to Hal Jordan’s F-16 starting a nose dive into a disaster.
So tonight with a dim glow of hope dulled by low expectations I left to see Green Lantern and I can honestly say that I was pleasantly surprised. The movie, while not being the summer blockbuster that it should have been, was not a hundred percent horrible either. The CG sequences, especially the ones in the beginning with Abin Sur look amazing, as does most of the planet OA. The characters were likeable and made you care about them with their banter between each other that was often times more interesting than the action scenes.
Despite surpassing my expectations, there are a few downsides to the film. In the beginning it feels super slow, like so slow you consider going out to the lobby for some more popcorn slow. There also is never a real sense of danger in the movie. The embodiment of fear is attacking earth while the guardians bicker and seem mostly not worried about it and Ryan Reynolds is like, “Meh, I got this!” The final downside to this film is that it blows away all DCU cannon. The characters are there, but I don’t know where they got some of the plot they put into this movie.
So we’re left with the question, “should you see this movie?” In my opinion yes, but I wouldn’t make it a super high priority this weekend, just wait a week or two and see it at your leisure (and without the insane crowds)
(Three out of Five Stars)
