(Note: This is a copy from my blog: thewanderingsquid.blogspot.com, feel free to check it out there)
I was first introduced to Green Lantern in the Justice League cartoon; the black guy to be specific. The character was a core player to the League and I thought he was pretty neat. As I got older and delved into the wondrous world of the web, I gradually learned the original Green Lantern?s name was Hal Jordan (and that he was of Caucasian persuasion), what the Green Lantern Corp was etc. etc. It was all very interesting but easily receded from my thoughts; up until now.
If you've been anywhere on the internet recently, you'll not only know about the recent release of the Green Lantern movie, but also that it wasn't well received by the critics. I respect the opinion of critics, I mean, it's what they do for a living. I also know, however, that they generally don't evaluate the right stuff. This is highlighted in the decent public acceptance of the movie.
Green Lantern was entertaining. That's about it. Now, you may say that "entertaining" is too broad and I?m just being lazy. Well you should shut your words maker and keep reading. Green Lantern was fun. I laughed enough times and had just enough moments of "sweeeeeet" to say that it was worth the watch. It?s along the same lines as Speed Racer, and I love that movie. Unfortunately, unlike Speed Racer, Green Lantern never seemed to know what it wanted to be. At times it moved for the action movie, at others the sci-fi, and at still others the romantic comedy.
Separately all of these items were pretty good, and they might have been great when put together; but the problem was they'd been assembled poorly. The movie just wasn't paced well. There were plenty of instances where I found myself thinking that a scene was too drawn out or too compressed. This was especially annoying in the overly short amount of time spent on the Green Lantern Corp itself and Hal's training etc. This is where the lackluster story came in. Green Lantern has a good core story, but the movie didn't focus on the things that needed focused on (some of the dialogue, for instance).
Despite these hang-ups, Ryan Reynolds did a good job as Hal Jordan; but I believe he would have had a truly great performance if given more to work with. Luckily none of the actors struck me as poor, but they all felt hindered by their dialogue (think Ewan McGregor in Star Wars). If anything, this movie has made me more excited to see Reynolds next attempt at Deadpool.
I really don't have any other issues with the movie (and I won't go into all the "issues" I'm sure the comic-book fan base had with the movie; mainly because I don?t know enough/care). My final opinion rests on the fact that I did walk out of Green Lantern wanting my own ring to create reality from thought, so in that department it wins points. If you're looking for a fun movie to see, Green Lantern fits the bill. If you're looking for a great superhero movie, wait until July 22nd; I'm pretty sure you won't be disappointed.
Wander on.
>Wandering Squid
I was first introduced to Green Lantern in the Justice League cartoon; the black guy to be specific. The character was a core player to the League and I thought he was pretty neat. As I got older and delved into the wondrous world of the web, I gradually learned the original Green Lantern?s name was Hal Jordan (and that he was of Caucasian persuasion), what the Green Lantern Corp was etc. etc. It was all very interesting but easily receded from my thoughts; up until now.
If you've been anywhere on the internet recently, you'll not only know about the recent release of the Green Lantern movie, but also that it wasn't well received by the critics. I respect the opinion of critics, I mean, it's what they do for a living. I also know, however, that they generally don't evaluate the right stuff. This is highlighted in the decent public acceptance of the movie.
Green Lantern was entertaining. That's about it. Now, you may say that "entertaining" is too broad and I?m just being lazy. Well you should shut your words maker and keep reading. Green Lantern was fun. I laughed enough times and had just enough moments of "sweeeeeet" to say that it was worth the watch. It?s along the same lines as Speed Racer, and I love that movie. Unfortunately, unlike Speed Racer, Green Lantern never seemed to know what it wanted to be. At times it moved for the action movie, at others the sci-fi, and at still others the romantic comedy.
Separately all of these items were pretty good, and they might have been great when put together; but the problem was they'd been assembled poorly. The movie just wasn't paced well. There were plenty of instances where I found myself thinking that a scene was too drawn out or too compressed. This was especially annoying in the overly short amount of time spent on the Green Lantern Corp itself and Hal's training etc. This is where the lackluster story came in. Green Lantern has a good core story, but the movie didn't focus on the things that needed focused on (some of the dialogue, for instance).
Despite these hang-ups, Ryan Reynolds did a good job as Hal Jordan; but I believe he would have had a truly great performance if given more to work with. Luckily none of the actors struck me as poor, but they all felt hindered by their dialogue (think Ewan McGregor in Star Wars). If anything, this movie has made me more excited to see Reynolds next attempt at Deadpool.
I really don't have any other issues with the movie (and I won't go into all the "issues" I'm sure the comic-book fan base had with the movie; mainly because I don?t know enough/care). My final opinion rests on the fact that I did walk out of Green Lantern wanting my own ring to create reality from thought, so in that department it wins points. If you're looking for a fun movie to see, Green Lantern fits the bill. If you're looking for a great superhero movie, wait until July 22nd; I'm pretty sure you won't be disappointed.
Wander on.
>Wandering Squid