Review of Green Lantern (2011) by Atlantissrt4 — 21 Jun 2011

I may be one of a select few people, but I don't listen to reviewers to decide what I watch. In fact I HAD to create an account just so I could further prove why I'm glad I don't. Everywhere the critics have it voted worse then I have ever seen a movie rated. Yes it had some minor flaws, but I still don't believe it deserved HALF of the brash words it received.

Let me start off by saying that I am an AVID green lantern fan, in fact I was going into this movie EXPECTING to be disappointed. Just because I felt that it could never convey what I believed the Lantern Universe deserved on the big screen.

I was still looking forward to it, even with my negative expectations.

I truly believe from the bottom of my 'comic book guy' level of 'fan-dom' that it could not have portrayed Hal Jordan and the lantern Universe any better.

Yes, There were some issues with the plot, and I truly thought that the Hector Hammond story arc, could have been saved for a later movie. I also felt that there were things that did NOT stick to the comics but overall it was close enough to stay ballpark accurate for the fans and coherent enough for the newcomers.

Now, while I did think there were minor flaws, the one flaw that bothers me most is everyone keeps comparing it to something IT IS NOT.

It is not The Dark Knight, it is not Iron Man, nor is it by any means trying to be either one of them.

While I love them both the problem with those movies is the dark and sombre tone to them, and the lack of connection to the characters themselves. Think about it, Batman can only do what he does because he is a billionaire, same with Stark. While that is a nice setting, Green Lantern does away with that altogether and basically says: "No." No you can not join us, no matter how smart you are, no matter how rich you are, you have to be CHOSEN.

There is absolutly nothing else like it, maybe that is why the critics hate it, they don't really know how to review it.

In today's dark, gritty, and all around perverted style of comic book movies, Green Lantern actually does us a favor and tries to be different.

Instead of gritty caves, murderers and terrorists it gives us a place we can escape from the human concerns and tragedies that surround us.

Every scene that had both Hal as a lantern, as well as the other members of the corps left me wanting more. Every scene where he was just plain ol' Hal gave me more insight to what was going on in his head, and yes the script was corney at times, but it was SUPPOSED TO BE! That is actually Hal's character. The part of Sinestro was amasing as well, often times I forgot he was an actor.

People now-a-days complaining about 'Obvious CG' need to remember one bloody thing.

"The original Star Wars/Star Trek movies/series USED MODELS ON STRINGS!".

WHO CARES?! Frankly I didn't notice anything obsurd about the CG, nor did it ever feel out of place. In fact I felt that it was the most stunning CG I have EVER seen. When we were on OA it felt how OA should feel, magestic yet completly alien. When we saw the other lanterns it was the same.

I am finished with this review but I leave you with one final and important thought.

I went to see this movie with my fiancée and my best friend.

Neither of them had an understanding of the comics yet, when all three of us walked out of that theater after the credits had finished rolling and the screen turned off.