Another week and more comics. Like that’s a bad thing! :)
- Batman: Gates of Gotham #2
- Brightest Day: Aftermath #1–Looking forward to reading this one.
- Flashpoint: Kid FLash Lost #1
- Flashpoint: Lois Lane & the Resistance #1
- Flashpoint: The Reverse Flash #1
- JLA #58
- Mighty Thor #3
- Sigil #4
- Superman #712
- Zatanna #14
We saw Green Lantern last Sunday. My good friend Greg was in town and wanted to go see it with us. I was saddened (but still pleased–I hate crowds) that not that many people were in the theatre, but it was a Sunday morning showing, so maybe a lot of folks were at church. Regardless, I enjoyed it very much. I was pleasantly surprised by Ryan Reynolds’s performance as a younger than I’m used to Hal Jordan, test pilot and lovable screw-up. I loved the Corps members and certain aspects of Oa. The Earth-bound plot was pretty good too, with a fine enough performance by the rest of the cast. There were some plot holes and clunky bits, but overall, I enjoyed the action, the funny moments (I LOLed many times), and Hal’s journey from screw-up to hero.
As I said, I loved it when the movie showed us the Green Lantern Corps members. In fact, unlike in Thor, where I actually wanted less of Asgard, and more of Thor on Earth, in Green Lantern, I wanted the opposite. The movie would have benefited, I think, from a little more Oa time with Hal being trained by Kilowog, Sinestro, and Tomar Re. The CGI of the Corpsmen was pretty good, but for some reason I didn’t like the CGI for the Guardians all that much–it looked a bit muddy and undefined (but I did really like the visual of those long, flowing robes with the Guardians sitting atop their pedestals, doing Guardian things). Too, the CGI for Parallax was a bit lackluster, and reminded me of the infamous “appearance” of Galactus in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, only with an actual face. On the other hand, I really liked that the villain of the movie turned out to be a former Guardian instead of what Parallax is in the current continuity. The big good vs. evil fight scene in the end also was a little bereft and predictable. However, I really liked the green constructs CGI, and I even didn’t mind the costume after a few minutes. Ok, except for the mask. :) I liked how the green energy was moving behind the chest logo (though I suppose we really didn’t need the “vein”-like quality of the suit).
Other things I liked:
- The actor who portrayed Sinestro (Mark Strong). He could have easily stolen the film if they would have given the actor more screen time. I look forward to future Hal and Sinestro scenes (if we get a sequel).
- After Hal saves Carol from the runaway helicopter (what is it with DC superhero movies and helicopters?), he flies over to see her, and it only takes her about 30 seconds to realize that Green Lantern is actually her former lover. Greg actually said “Thank you!” to the screen when Carol wasn’t portrayed as the dumb love interest.
- The shots on Oa of the assembled Green Lanterns. I can’t wait to get the DVD and freeze the video to see how many GLs I recognize. Hopefully, we’ll see more of them in the potential sequel.
- That Parallax is the cause of Hector Hammond’s mutation. It makes sense within the confines of the movie without seeming too pat (well, to me anyway).
- I loved it when Carol talks to Hal about him having courage. When the whole emotional spectrum thing came out during Blackest Night, it always bugged me a little that the green light was for Will, especially since the writers made a big deal about how Green Lanterns had the ability to overcome great fear. That equals Courage to me, and seems slightly more emotional sounding than Will.
- Finally, the scene where Parallax is attacking Hal and Hal is having a rough go of it. He starts to recite the oath, and comes back swinging. It’s a hokey scene, but I loved it. I found myself mouthing the oath with Hal! Nerd!
I look forward to what may come, especially for what was shown after the main credits. Plus, it was nice to see the all too brief ad for Green Lantern comics at the end of the movie–Oddfellow and I talked about this kind of cross-promotional advertizing in my latest podcast. I just wished DC would run ads at the beginning of the movie instead of at the very end. Who stays that long? :)
Even if we don’t get a sequel, you can get your Green Lantern video fill by watching the new animated series coming to Cartoon Network. I will be watching that!
Longbox Review 