Review of Green Lantern (2011) by Carlos M — 03 Nov 2015

The Green Lantern is and is not like a typical superhero movie. Sure it has the regular cool costumes, the love interest, and the villain, but it also has something that no other superhero movie has. The theme of wanting something so much that if you put your mind to it, you can achieve it makes The Green Lantern different from most of the other superhero movies.

As the movie progresses, the visuals change as the storyline continues. At the very beginning of the film, Oa is first introduced and it is light amongst the dark, but as the narrator describes how there is a green lantern for every sector of the universe, the light spreads and we can see all of space and all of its colors. This could mean that the core brings the good (the light) out in the universe. As the movie continues and Parallax, the villain, continues to get stronger, Oa seems to be getting darker. This could implicate that the core?s will is weakening because they are debating relying on fear to fight their battles when in reality fear is the darkness and their will is the light. Another scene that has interesting visuals is the scene where Hal is in the plane and he is having flashbacks to the day that his dad died. We see the camera focus in on Hal?s eyes as they ignore all of the sirens going off in the plane and as they gaze upon a picture of his dad, who died from a plane accident.

The flashback itself is foggy, but clear, so this could mean that this memory is always in the back of Hal?s mind. Also in this scene, the flashback is really slow compared to the plane crash that Hal is about to experience. This could symbolize that Hal is kind of stuck in the past, so his present is passing by him. The scene where the camera goes back and forth between Hal and Hector is symbolic of the villain and hero in the movie and how they came to be because of the visuals. In this scene, we notice that for Hector becoming a villain is a painful process and it is taking over him entirely. His room is very dark while fear is consuming him. Hal, on the other hand, is becoming the hero. When Hal recites the oath everything becomes really bright and colorful. The very last scene of the movie is very visual because when Carol and Hal are saying their goodbyes, there is a sunrise in the background. This could symbolize Hal rising to the occasion and finally accepting his duty as a green lantern and it could mean that it is a new start to everything in Hal?s life, his relationship with Carol, his responsibilities, and himself. The visuals in this film are an essential part to the storyline.

The characters themselves, like the visuals, are another essential part to the storyline. The main character in this film is Hal Jordan who, at the beginning of the film, is not put together in more ways than one. His clothing is always messed up, he is late for a lot of things, he is very immature for his age, and he is not afraid to take risks, but isn?t ready to accept the consequences that go along with the risks. The first time we see Hal be truly happy is when he first arrives to Oa and he is flying with Toma-Re, Hal?s teacher throughout the film. The reason this scene was the first time we saw Hal happy might be due to the fact that this is the first time Hal has experienced something productive and something that forces him to be more responsible. As the movie progresses and Hal becomes more apart of the core, he seems to become more put together like his wardrobe is not as messy looking as it use to.

Hector is another character that we see change visually and as a character as the movie progresses. At the beginning of the movie, Hector was a regular professor that did not ask too many questions and that kept to himself. Once he was recruited to examine the alien body, he started asking a lot of questions and that is when the ciaos started because fear was beginning to overcome him. As the fear continued to take over Hector, Hector became more angry and just plain creepy. We see him fully change into the villain when his head grows bigger and he starts to go crazy in his living room. When he is brought back to the science facility where he observed the alien, he is very gross and sick looking, although he says that he has never felt better in his life. This shows that the power of fear is going to his head and that fear is the factor that played into his death. All of the characters? actions and appearances having a crucial meaning in this film.

In addition to the characters, the soundtrack is an important aspect to the film as a whole. During most of the movie, the theme song is the only song that plays, so lets just focus on that. The theme song is very up beat and take-action type of song when a green lantern is involved. When Parallax or Hector is involved, the music becomes quieter and creepier than it was. The music in this film indicates when something good is about to happen or when something bad is about to happen.

The reoccurrences in this film play a big role in the overall storyline just as much as the soundtrack does. The most obvious reoccurrence in this film is the color green. This color stands for the color of will (power) in this film. The color is extremely bright and vibrant during the entire movie, which could mean that will power will always outshine enemy forces or any obstacles. On the other hand, another reoccurring color is the orange color that represents fear. The color itself is supposed to be a bright color, but in this movie it is very dark because it does symbolize the dark forces in this film. The green lantern symbol is also a reoccurring symbol throughout the movie. On each of the green lantern?s costumes, the symbol is in the center of their chest, right by their heart. This could mean that the green lantern is apart of who they are identity wise and apart of their individual selves. This could also be related to each of the lantern?s costume. Each green lantern uniform is not fabricated the same because all of the green lanterns come from different parts of the galaxy, so the don?t look the same and therefore their costumes (uniforms) are not going to look exactly the same. Although they are all the same in a way because they all come together to form the green lantern core no matter how different they all are. The reoccurrences of the film accentuate the good verses evil in the film.

Along with the several reoccurrences in the film, the various themes show the true meaning behind this film and each individual?s actions. The biggest theme in this film is a coming of age story for Hal because he realizes his responsibilities to his planet and to the universe and in return, he matures and takes responsibility for his actions and for the job that has been given to him. Hal also believed in the power of will throughout the entire movie and he never backed down from that even when Sinestro wanted him to expect the fact that his planet was already gone, Hal did not believe it. He believed that he could save his planet by using only the power of will and he ended up doing that on his own. This shows a common theme throughout the movie, which is if you believe in something enough, you can achieve it. Another big theme throughout the film is about people admitting their fears or weaknesses. When Hal finally admitted he was afraid, he was able to become the most powerful green lantern that the core has ever seen. The theme behind this is it is okay to admit your afraid or you have flaws because everyone does; what matters is what you do after you find out what your weaknesses are. Another theme was incorporated when one of the guardians told the story of how Parallax was born. A guardian went into a forbidden chamber with good intentions, but the result was not good. The theme that goes along with this is that even though you might have good intentions going into something, that doesn?t mean that there will be a good outcome. These themes help the storyline come to life.

Overall, The Green Lantern is a normal superhero film, but not at the same time. People should watch this film because a lot of crucial life lessons can be taught through all of the characters experiences throughout the film. Every scene, visual, costume, etc. was calculated and put into this film for a reason and that reason can be figured out by watching the film.