Official Green Lantern News & Discussion Thread - Part 4

[Marvin]

This was from Mark Millar in this months GQ Magazine:

I love millar and he's mostly right.
but reynolds and ford couldn't be any more different no matter what their age.

 

[protocida]

Do you know what that is behind the battery in this spot?

The Central Power Battery.

 

[craigdbfan]

I love millar and he's mostly right.
but reynolds and ford couldn't be any more different no matter what their age.

Reynolds and Ford are nothing alike both in appearance, personality, and acting delivery.

 

[dnno1]

The Central Power Battery.

There is an object behind the monolith (that we are under the impression was/is the CPB). It kind of looks like the planet Oa with its beacons projecting at its poles. What exactly is that?

 

[protocida]

The Central Power Battery's core. The big Green Lantern symbol carved in stone at the Great Hall is the Central Power Battery, you see, and that is the concentrated willpower of all sentient beings in the Universe.

 

[redhawk23]

I don't see why GL doesn't pull in close to Iron Man numbers, what they have there is fantastic four numbers.

No one thought Iron Man was going to do as well it did. I mean it was a very pleasent suprise when it walked away with 101 million dollar open weekend, but its hardly something that should be expected from these "second tier" characters. (I hate that term by the way)

 

[Saint]

You're missing the point. It's convoluted because as far as the random moviegoer they have no idea it happened, nor do they know that there have been a few Batgirls since then, nor do they know that one of them is a mute asian chick, nor do they know about Stephanie Brown (who by the way, was Spoiler, and before that was Robin).

That's completely convoluted. To the casual observer, who has only known Barbara Gordon as Batgirl, it's convoluted and doesn't make much sense. If you can't see that even a little, I think you have fanboy blinders on.

No, it's makes perfect sense. Once again, there's is a difference between something that is convoluted, non-sensical, or confusing, and something that is simply unknown. An infant doesn't know addition. Is addition convoluted? Does addition not make sense? Explain exactly what does not "make much sense" about Barbra being injured and replaced, and Cassandra quitting and being replaced? By your logic, it doesn't make much sense that there's been more than one President.

That's not even really true.

It is absolutely true. Barry Allen took inspiration from comics featuring Jay Garrick, Wally took inspiration from Barry, Bart took inspiration from both of them. My statement is entirely accurate, and the fact that previous Flashes returned to share the role doesn't change that. You can't ask for a concise explanation and then say "No, that's not true" when my concise explanation doesn't include every single detail. The fact that it does not contain every single detail is what makes it a concise explanation.

And if in a logical, chronological context they took inspiration from and succeeded one another, why are there four Flashes during the same period of time that there has been one Batman, one Superman, and one Wonder Woman?

You're shifting the goal posts. You said you wanted an explanation for the multiple Flashes that an average person would understand; I gave that to you. Now, you've changed your mind and say that you instead want me to explain the entire history of the Flash legacy.

Well, I don't need to do that. The average person (which is who you're concerned will be confused and terrified by more than one person using the same alias) doesn't need to know the entire history of the Flash. All they need to know is that these heroes succeeded each other, and that later the older heroes returned to share the role. That is an entirely sensible and satisfactory explanation for your "average person," and also accurate to the comic book mythos.

It's true: unlike your Batgirl example, the full history of the Flash is convoluted. Fortunately, it can be explained in a way that is not convoluted, that is not confusing. The bottom line is as such: while the full history may be complicated, the concept itself is not, and as such there's no reason for anyone to be confused so long as it is explained in a reasonable way.

 

[The Sage]

It'll be awesome.

By the way, the new TV Spot already shows improvement on the CGI of the uniform. Hal's mask is much more "solid" and expressive, and the uniform emits green eletricity and has an aura arround it, which wasn't there (or was very hard to notice) in the first trailer and the WonderCon footage.

Awesome.

Thought there was something different about the mask...

 

[FCEEVIPER]

I think I'm done with the trailers/tv spots, too many spoilers for me!

 

[dnno1]

No one thought Iron Man was going to do as well it did. I mean it was a very pleasent suprise when it walked away with 101 million dollar open weekend, but its hardly something that should be expected from these "second tier" characters. (I hate that term by the way)

The WB did their homework and found from a study, that people (mainly young boys) have a strong knowledge and understanding of Green Lantern as well as a strong propensity for purchasing his merchandising. Their findings revealed that Green Lantern fulfills all the expectations of a superhero and offers the thrill of something newly discovered (kind of like Iron Man). contrasting the predictable powers of heroes like Hulk and Spider-man. The are kind of confident that he will do well and he won't be a second tier character after the film releases.

 

[KRIM]

How many action set pieces are in here? I feel like I've seen the same 3 settings in all the footage so far, and none have been particularly outstanding. I really hope they're just saving all the goods for the final film, because I'm not as convinced anymore that this has as wide of a scope as expected.

 

[The Sage]

How many action set pieces are in here? I feel like I've seen the same 3 settings in all the footage so far, and none have been particularly outstanding. I really hope they're just saving all the goods for the final film, because I'm not as convinced anymore that this has as wide of a scope as expected.

Based on some spoilers regarding the plot that I read awhile back, it looks like quite a bit is being held back, or at least is still getting worked on.

 

[KalMart]

This was from Mark Millar in this months GQ Magazine:

"I'm excited. I've always felt Green Lantern was the untapped franchise. The power is a bit weird: to be able to think stuff up with your ring and giant green plasma versions of your thoughts appear. That's kind of tricky. But the interplanetary police force aspect is a pretty cool. It's like Star Wars with loads of aliens who are all superheroes. You can see the toys. This is DC's Iron Man, I think. The casting had to be perfect with a really charismatic, cocky lead to play Hal Jordan, who's a test pilot and a sort of irresponsible playboy. The first time I saw Ryan Reynolds was in Van Wilder: Party Liaison and I remember thinking there was something about this guy that I really liked. He was also in Blade: Trinity which was not a great movie but he's amazing in it. I genuinely think he can be Harrison Ford for our generation, with a bunch of franchises, the way Ford had. I think Green Lantern is going to be amazing."

Hmmm....

 

[Marvin]

johns "the great and powerful" and campbell's involvement should ensure a certain quality.

 

[S.A.A.D.]

GL has the potential to be anything from a moderate to huge success, depending on the quality of the movie. But the next Star Wars? I have no problem admitting that no, it won't.

Because;

Green Lantern is just another superhero movie. Yes, it's our first cosmic-based hero, which I'm sure will be noted by the public, but GL has very little to offer to the public that they haven't seen before. All it can do is be good at what it does.

Also, you have to admit, this film is playing it safe. Casting a well known and popular actor in the lead role? Actress from a hit TV show as the love interest? Mark Strong as a (future) villain? Marin Campbell directing, the man who brought Bond back twice?

All that is great, and inspires confidence, but nobody has ever broke new ground playing it safe. Star Wars didn't play it safe.

So, it's okay for certain comic book movies to play it safe, but if Green Lantern doe's it to an extent, one has to poo poo on it for doing that? At least the movie has a number of fresh things to offer, unlike some of the other comic book movies that have been offered.

And you can't completely blame it for having to play it safe, it's partially the general audiences' fault. Think about all of the countless and generic as hell movies that they flock to. Yeah there may have been comic book movies that were good, but let us not pretend that none of them didn't play it safe at all, I could name some comic book movies. But I don't want to.

 

[TheVileOne]

http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/04/green_lantern_battling_special.html

struggling to get the effects done on time.

This is what they get for doing another stupid, forced 3D conversion that looks like ****.

 

[Marvin]

but what do you really think

 

[Marvin]

also I wonder if harrison is talking about the clone wars or avatar with that statement

 

[S.A.A.D.]

Whatever Harrison Ford. This is coming from a guy who had time for movies that he was in, movies that he was in which required special effects. And then there is his latest offering which he stars in, Cowboys & Aliens, which requires the use of special effects.

If the guy is against special effects in movies so much, then maybe he should stop being a tool by not choosing particular movie projects that require the use of special effects, sure, some movies don't need special effects completely or at all. But some do when there is no other choice and when it is also necessary. I also think that he sounds out of touch, he acts as if practical effects aren't ever taken advantage of when possible from time to time.

 

[Rowsdower!]

I think Harrison was just reflecting on Crystal Skull when he said that.

 

[S.A.A.D.]

Actually, I am 'SORT' 'OF' going to let his complaint about too much special effects being used slide. He shouldn't be too quick to judge without knowing the facts.

 

[HighFivingMF]

How about that? I thought Harrison Ford had a free pass in these parts.

 

[S.A.A.D.]

I don't hate the man, but I also don't love him either. To me he just comes off as that type of celebrity who is well known--just for the sake of being well known. The fact that he has starred in famous movies doesn't compensate alone for his performances in his movies, to give him a free pass because of that would truly be foolish, I don't think that he is a downright awful actor. But still.

 

[dnno1]

From Blastr.com:

All along, the creators of Green Lantern have been promising us that their picture wouldn't be like any other superhero movie we'd ever seen, but would have a cosmic Star Wars feel added to the mix ... and the newest trailer proves they were telling us the truth.

While the first trailer was a disappointment—even to the studio that released it—each successive clip has seemed better and better.

Take a peek below and then let us know what you thought of it.

 

[dnno1]

From IGN:

As nerds, the term "space opera" is synonymous with Star Wars. Regardless of what you think about the prequels, the scope of the series is undeniable. We witness the rise, fall, and redemption of one man -- Anakin Skywalker -- watching him go from adolescence to a tragic death. Along the way, we meet an expansive cast of characters of all different races and origins that either aid or hinder his journey. And by way of Anakin's story, we've been blessed with an entire universe that loads of talented people have been able to play around with, constructing this one massive pop culture entity.

Sound familiar? It should. The same things can be said for the once-and-future protector of Space Sector 2814, Hal Jordan. From his introduction in 1959, to his rise in 1970's under the pen of Denny O'Neil, to his fall as Parallax, and eventually his redemption in Green Lantern: Rebirth and beyond, we've witnessed a strikingly similar journey to that of Darth Vader. Hal's world has been expanded into all sorts of Green Lantern tales, introducing hundreds of species and dozens of new worlds. Most recently, an entire spectrum of Lanterns came into existence in the DC Universe. Much like Star Wars, Green Lantern is nothing short of a space opera.

(Space) Epic Fail
It's for this reason that the original trailer for the upcoming Green Lantern film was so severely disappointing to comic fans. It didn't look like the expansive saga we've been enjoying for decades, and Hal Jordan didn't seem like the guy that we've been in love with all this time. The movie seemed to lack scope. But if you were following our tweets last weekend during WonderCon, you might have noticed that something rather profound occurred.

Fans that had previously written off the movie were suddenly championing it across the internets with intense devotion in light of the new footage that was shown. I, too, ate a bit of crow upon seeing the footage with finished effects, voice acting, and a Hal Jordan that seemed more reminiscent of the character I know and love. But the one thing that stands out above all else: there is a crap-ton of weird creatures.

This doesn't come as a shock to most of us; fans of the comic know all about the diversity within the Green Lantern Corps. For others with a peripheral view of the Green Lantern mythos, seeing this new footage with a massive overload of alien species and heavy sci-fi could be eye opening. Comic fandom is often insular; we forget that a non-comics reader may not be aware that there are multiple Green Lanterns, let alone 7200+, most of which are alien.

Watch the first trailer for Green Lantern, and then watch the new footage immediately after. Notice anything? They look like two different movies. The first trailer plays as a painfully mediocre superhero origin story that hits the expected story beats and tosses in the hearty quips. But the new footage shows something quite a bit different. The imagery reeks of that buzzword-of-the-day: space opera. Dozens upon dozens of species, huge action set pieces, interesting design elements; the whole nine yards. This is the angle that Warner Bros. needs to push this film. Regardless of if it will live up to the amount of hype I'm about to bestow upon it, Green Lantern needs to be marketed as this generation's Star Wars.

Not only is Star Wars an epic adventure across the galaxy, it's the quintessential family film. Not in the sense that there are furry animals bouncing about (well… there are, but that's not the point) or cheesy comedy (okay, there's that too), but more so that there's something for everybody. Mom and Dad can enjoy the massive story, teenage son can dig on the hot chicks and monsters, teenage daughter can enjoy the budding love story, and the little tykes can be thrilled at the spectacle of it all. That same equation can be applied to what we've seen of Green Lantern. It's got the spectacle, it's got the love story, it's got the terror and the monsters; the scope is obviously there, but why hasn't Warner Bros. pimped it as such?

A Failure to Communicate
A part of it is that the effects weren't finished and the studio felt rushed to get footage in front of eyeballs. What resulted was resounding disappointment. Then it became a scramble to sway opinions with finished footage, which they seem to have done. But what if the WonderCon footage was the first they had shown? Would it have been better to simply wait a few extra weeks and deliver hard rather than having to assuage fears? Imagine if the WonderCon stuff was your first impression, rather than a saving grace. Whatever you saw next would solidify your ticket purchase. Warner Bros. created an uphill battle for themselves in re-promoting a product that simply needed a little more time to gestate.

Sadly, there is little we can do as fans to solve a marketing mistake, but perhaps WB can learn something for the future. With a film like Green Lantern, there are two very important notes to hit. You've got to make the hardcore fans recognize what they are seeing on screen, and you've got to blow the minds of everybody else. If you look back at the trailers for A New Hope, they are garbage. And yet, here it stands, one of the most beloved and successful films of all time. But times have changed. There's doohickeys and whatsits that tweep and twart. Shortened attention spans that give way to instant gratification. Streaming movies. If the viewer/reader/player isn't hooked immediately, chances are they'll have moved on mentally before they even change the channel. Who knows how many people jumped ship after the first Green Lantern trailer failed to make an impression?

There's still time to turn things around; WB needs to hit the right markets with the right beats and start building a buzz. Remember how we saw a teaser for The Avengers last year when that movie was still over two years away? Hype can be generated from nothing, but preaching to the convention-going choir isn't going to help any. Based on the four or so minutes of new Green Lantern footage, there's enough to at least make it look like it's got mass appeal. Whether it actually does or not is irrelevant. Do cigarettes actually make you look cooler? That's why they call it selling an ad.