The Official Green Lantern Review Thread - Part 1

[S.A.A.D.]

I thought the action was quite fine and had a nice dose of it. There are some good lines funny and serious. Mark Strong is spot on for Sinestro. Ryan made me enjoy Hal more than I do in the comics. There are bits where Reynolds has wit and he pulls out serious tones when the moment calls for it. I had no problem with any of the humor. Hector Hammond does come off a bit comical at times which is one of the only other things that didn't play quite as well for me but it wasn't so bad to make me hate it. Sarsgaard was really off an on creepy and comical. The movie really could have used about 20 more minutes to help flesh things out. I just didn't feel like it was an awful movie when I walked out.

Is the action totally old fashion or is it somewhat on the fresh and unique side?

What other abilities that come from the power ring made it into the movie (if anything). Was there any surprises?

What would you rank it as one of the better comic book movies?

Do the Guardians of the Universe sound good when they talk?

 

[DACrowe]

It was already pretty much Tony Stark Lite in the first draft. But they've apparently added monologues about responsibility so that now it's Peter Parker Lite, too.

Yeah, I saw in the trailer that Hal has a "give up the powers" arc and thinks he can't handle the responsibility. I thought "Tony Stark has a Spider-Man No More arc?"

To be fair, I don't know how it plays in the film, but the trailer made it seem very cookie-cutter to me.

 

[KalMart]

If additional money spent puts the studio in the red, I don't see how anyone can rationally say it didn't underperform. Sorry, but what a studio spends on marketing is money they have to recoup and that's just a cold hard fact. There's a reason we didn't get a Superman Returns sequel. It wasn't a flop by any means, but it certainly fell below expectations and obviously the studio wasn't happy with its performance. Seems pretty cut and dry to me.

You're still not understanding this.....none of the prior attempts at Superman were carried over into Superman Returns...the scripts, the designs, etc. SR didn't get to benefit from any of that, so you can't add those costs to that movie's budget and net take, etc. Spiderman had some substantial development before the Raimi version but never made it to production, did they add those costs to its budget?

SR fell below expectations because it was expected to do better in and of itself...prior attempts or no prior attempts...not to make up for other efforts that didn't even make it to the screen. And again....if you don't diligently include all prior efforts/costs for every movie that has them, you shouldn't do it for any. That's as cut and dry as it gets. When developments don't get to the greenlight/production stage, they become internal/development/operational costs that the studio hopes to recoup from all their profits each fiscal year.

This was just another case of 'piling on' by those who wanted to exaggerate a point of view, or somehow deflect responsibility from SR as a film. We didn't get an SR sequel because......<drum roll>....SR, and only SR, wasn't good or successful enough to warrant one.

 

[D4rkShaDoWz]

Don't know if it was posted (just logged on) but Ebert gave GL 2.5 stars, with no review however...

I'm still seeing this movie regardless

 

[HighFivingMF]

Just got back... As you know... I'm a big fan of Green Lantern... But I came out of this movie just feeling...


SO UNBELIEVABLY ****ING PUMPED! I don't understand these reviews. It just... Wow. So be careful guys and don't cut your feet on the shards of my shattered expectations. Not that the expectations weren't already high.

 

[S.A.A.D.]

I'm glad that you enjoyed it.

 

[Ponyboy]

Don't know if it was posted (just logged on) but Ebert gave GL 2.5 stars, with no review however...

I'm still seeing this movie regardless

Hmm. I thought Ryan Reynolds' abs would've kept Ebert up at a solid 3. Stars I mean.

 

[TheIncredibleSk]

I still think this will be a film that comic fans, kids, and people expecting a fun romp will like more than critics.

 

[Rock Sexton]

I still think this will be a film that comic fans, kids, and people expecting a fun romp will like more than critics.

Then what's with a mass of negative reviews of critics who happen to be comic fans?

 

[jmc]

Then what's with a mass of negative reviews of critics who happen to be comic fans?

If people who desperately wanted this film to be good can't give it a glowing review then that really says something.

 

[conaniscool]

Just got back... As you know... I'm a big fan of Green Lantern... But I came out of this movie just feeling...


SO UNBELIEVABLY ****ING PUMPED! I don't understand these reviews. It just... Wow. So be careful guys and don't cut your feet on the shards of my shattered expectations. Not that the expectations weren't already high.

That doesn't sound biased at all...

 

[Metropolis_Man]

Is the action totally old fashion or is it somewhat on the fresh and unique side?

What other abilities that come from the power ring made it into the movie (if anything). Was there any surprises?

What would you rank it as one of the better comic book movies?

Do the Guardians of the Universe sound good when they talk?

I'm actually doing a more in depth review right now to put up on my website if you want me to link it to you when I'm finished?

 

[Mako]

Don't know if it was posted (just logged on) but Ebert gave GL 2.5 stars, with no review however...

I'm still seeing this movie regardless

 

[S.A.A.D.]

I'm actually doing a more in depth review right now to put up on my website if you want me to link it to you when I'm finished?

Sure!

 

[HighFivingMF]

That doesn't sound biased at all...

I'm not allowed to like something based on something else I like? Whoops. Sorry for my logic. Didn't mean to interrupt your being a dick.

 

[Son of Coul]

I'm not allowed to like something based on something else I like? Whoops. Sorry for my logic. Didn't mean to interrupt your being a dick.

Haha, I chuckled

 

[The Batman]

I'm not allowed to like something based on something else I like? Whoops. Sorry for my logic. Didn't mean to interrupt your being a dick.

LMAO

Highfiving, can we get some details? What'd you like about the film? How was Reynolds? Did he and lively have chemistry? Why do you think people are giving this bad reviews based off what you saw?

 

[DACrowe]

If people who desperately wanted this film to be good can't give it a glowing review then that really says something.

I know this is about to turn into a bash the critics and their "elitist snobbery" thread, but I will point out that they gave Thor, X-Men: First Class and even Fast Five high marks and good reviews.

Maybe GL isn't as bad as they're saying, but I imagine if you really want to like a movie, you're going to like it. I should know, I use to defend Spider-Man 3, after all.

 

[FreeRadical]

Green Lantern's fanbase is small, and the problem is that most other comic book/sci-fi films have a history:

Batman has the 60's show and the animated series,
Green Hornet had a 60's show with Bruce Lee,
Transformers has it's 80's animated show,
Most of the Marvel movies have animated shows over the decades like the 60's and 90's Spider-Man shows, The Marvel Action Hour, etc,
The Hulk has the live-action show,
Star Trek has various TV series.

But what about Green Lantern? Most people outside of the comic books think the Green Lantern is John Stewart thanks to the Justice League animated show, and it's their only exposure to the mythology. I wonder why DC decided to make a big CGI fest like Green Lantern first, instead of testing out the waters with a smaller budgeted Flash movie?

 

[jmc]

I know this is about to turn into a bash the critics and their ''elitist snobbery'' thread, but I will point out that they gave Thor, X-Men: First Class and even Fast Five high marks and good reviews.

Maybe GL isn't as bad as they're saying, but I imagine if you really want to like a movie, you're going to like it. I should know, I use to defend Spider-Man 3, after all.

Yeah it's not rocket science, there's no conspiracy against the film as some would like to believe, sometimes it's labeled a bad film because it's a bad film. What's sadder is I'm reading on other forums people who were bashing the film for months now saying they feel sorry for GL fans.

 

[Iceman]

they should have just made a JL movie.

superman
batman
wonder woman
aquaman
-
to a lesser extent
flash

all known by the GA so there is no need to go down the marvel road of introducing the characters first. hopefully GL doesn't blow it for everyone else.

For JL yes I think they should have made the movie without using the same 4/5 intro film strategy as Marvel as it might seem weird to the GA doing the same thing so soon. But I want GL in a JL movie. Marvel just planned their project well in advance. At the moment it's not looking too hot IF this doesn't do well & they're recasting both Superman & Batman. JL should have been the focus

I know this is about to turn into a bash the critics and their "elitist snobbery" thread, but I will point out that they gave Thor, X-Men: First Class and even Fast Five high marks and good reviews.

Maybe GL isn't as bad as they're saying, but I imagine if you really want to like a movie, you're going to like it. I should know, I use to defend Spider-Man 3, after all.

Average rating 6.3 Fast Five & 6.7 Thor don't seem too excessive though. (Spider-man 3 got a 6.2)

 

[Rock Sexton]

I'm not allowed to like something based on something else I like? Whoops. Sorry for my logic. Didn't mean to interrupt your being a dick.

Are you still soooooo pumppppppped? LOL

 

[DACrowe]

Yeah it's not rocket science, there's no conspiracy against the film as some would like to believe, sometimes it's labeled a bad film because it's a bad film. What's sadder is I'm reading on other forums people who were bashing the film for months now saying they feel sorry for GL fans.

I know. I've been highly skeptical about this movie since the first trailer, but if it had rave WOM and reviews, I'd probably give it the chance. I have no allegiance in a Marvel/DC war (though I always preferred Marvel growing up). Since I never read GL, Thor or CA, I'm cautious about them all. Thor got rave reviews and it was a truly good movie (though I wouldn't say anything spectacular).

But there is a definite rivalry and pissing contest between the fanbases of the three films. If GL opens to awful WOM and/or bad box office, it will be a blood bath in here this weekend.

 

[jmc]

For JL yes I think they should have made the movie without using the same 4/5 intro film strategy as Marvel as it might seem weird to the GA doing the same thing so soon. But I want GL in a JL movie. Marvel just planned their project well in advance. At the moment it's not looking too hot IF this doesn't do well & they're recasting both Superman & Batman. JL should have been the focus

GL failing isn't a result of not planning in advance, it's simply poor execution.

 

[conaniscool]

I'm not allowed to like something based on something else I like? Whoops. Sorry for my logic. Didn't mean to interrupt your being a dick.

So, basically... you only like it because it's GL? Even if the movie is terrible. Even if they got a midget to play GL and instead of a ring it was a glowing green codpiece? As long as it's GL it's cool in your book? Are you 12 years old?