Review of Green Lantern: First Flight (2009) by Max L — 15 Sep 2013

FIRST IMPRESSIONS.

Test pilot Hal Jordan gets a power ring handed down to him by Abin Sur, a dying Green Lantern who's crash-landed on Earth, and is recruited to the Green Lantern Corps. He is taken under the wing of senior officer Sinestro, and they set out to find the truth of Abin Sur's death.

This is more what the 2011 live-action "Green Lantern" should have been like. It doesn't try to cram three films' worth of material into one; it picks one plot and sticks to it. This allows for much more manageable pacing, meaning the film as a whole is a lot more fleshed out and so much more entertaining.

The story itself is nothing really special, but it's still a terrifically fun adventure; every scene fits perfectly into place. Plus, Sinestro is one of the best villains ever: his motivation does almost get you on his side.

There's really only one problem with the movie, and sadly it is kind of a big one: Hal Jordan himself is so depressingly bland. What especially bothered me was how, at the beginning, he just takes an alien encounter completely in stride; nothing about it fazes him! I think the movie really could have used some build-up where he gradually gets used to the ring.

To sum it up, this isn't a great movie, but I didn't really expect it to be. I just wanted something better than the live-action movie, and I most certainly got that! :).

My rating: 75%.