Review of Green Lantern: Emerald Knights (2011) by Magnus M — 19 Jun 2011

Well, I just watched Emerald Knights... I liked it. Well animated, and it's a good thing they adapted stories from the comics... I didn't know it was so, I thought they were all original stories, and in the end, they're all based on comic stories, except for one ("The First Lantern", and the overarching plot that links the stories). Very enjoyable, not mind blowing, but very superior to "First Flight" in regards to cohesiveness and consistency.

What bothered me? Well:

1: In the overarching story, the Guardians use too many words related to emotions, and they refer to the Book Of Oa and other artifacts as "sacred"; this tinges things of an emotionality and spirituality they shouldn't have, they should be colder, more detached, because if not, the whole theme of emotion facing willpower is lost. I'm surprised, because it's Geoff Johns (who has recently brought these things to the forefront in the comics) who co-writes the overarching plot.

2: Henry Rollins' voice as Kilogow's didn't work for me. It's too normal, he sounds too much like a regular joe. Have I been spoiled by the three sentences from the live action movie I heard said by Michael Clark Duncan.

3: Even after showing how the first Lantern creates the first construct, and it shows how that's what's so special about the rings, every other lantern in every story use the rings mostly for "laser style" blasts; and very little construct-building (except for a few exceptions, and the melee weapons created by Laira). I can't believe this is to save animation budget, because the amount of movement, starships, and characters during the whole movie is staggering.

4: When the Lanterns fight, they show them as TOO POWERFUL against very numerous armies, fleets of hundreds of starships. They defeat forty capital ships, not starfighters, with a single volley of rays (and no constructs :>) from their rings. But when they have to face a single guy (no matter if it's Atrocitus, or Laira's super-though warrior father), they need two hours of grueling man-to-man combat to defeat him. Yes, it's a given that the guys in the starships are goons, henchmen, the kind of mooks that fall with one punch or shot... but I'd be more willing to buy it if they were footsoldiers, not guys in heavily armed starshops.

All in all, good. 8 in 10.