I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. After that recent Superman trailer (and a dearth of things to look forward to on the Marvel side), I’ve left the MCU and Now I’m a DC fan..
With my recent metamorphosis, I have come to look back and forward. No, this doesn’t mean I’ve changed my mind about the Snyderverse (because although it definitely had its strong pointsI’m glad it’s over), I’ll say that anything aboveman of steel is fair game for a re-evaluation.
Additionally, with the new streaming program, Lanterns, ready to be released… at some point, I thought now was a good time to rewatch the 2011 movie. Green Lantern. Because guess what? Although I know a lot of people think it sucks. (Not even Ryan Reynolds likes it)I enjoyed it then and I still enjoy it today. Here’s why.
The movie does a good job of introducing the Inexperienced Lantern Corps to newbies like me
I had never read a single one Green Lantern comic before seeing it for the first time Green Lantern back in 2011. I knew about the character, because sometimes I saw the justice league cartoon, which actually had a Black Green Lantern, who I later learned was simply to of many versions of the character.
Other than that, I didn’t know what his deal was, or even why they called him Green Lantern in the first place because he always wore a ring. So, like I said, I didn’t know him from Adam (or Alan…Scott).
However, when I watched the movie, I learned about the Inexperienced Lantern Corp and how they were an intergalactic police force, sort of like Marvel’s Nova Corps, which, come to think of it, is probably a DC rip-off. . (Do you see now how far I’ve strayed from Marvel?)
The film does a good job of showing the different types of races within the Corps and how Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) is unique because he is the first human accepted into this elite group.
Honestly, when I rewatched, I was very impressed with the way they showed this. We learn early on about the Corps, as well as Abin Sur, a Green Lantern from a distant planet. We also learn about the green essence of willpower and the antagonist, Parallax. This is no small thing, because all this is something really strange and distant. (The green light of willpower?!?) But it’s presented in a way that even a newbie like me could understand, and that’s great!
I still don’t care about the CGI suit. I think it looks great
You really had to be there, but there was quite a fuss about how “bad” the CGI suit looked in the movie, and some people wished they had used a physical suit. And that probably would have been fine.
I mean, if you look or watch a movie again like Deadpool and WolverineRyan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman look incredible in their costumes. In fact, many people were very happy to see Jackman get Wolfie’s classic yellow suitbeing one of the many highlights of the film.
And yet… I still really like the CGI suit in Green Lantern. I think it’s great.
Note, the Body. It’s not from this world, so the concept of them just using normal, plain fabrics from the drab planet Earth doesn’t really resonate with me.
Yes, I understand. This is just a movie where they can explain anything, but I really like the concept of some kind of strange element (this time being CGI) that makes up his suit, since it really should look alien in nature, because it is! As for the plot, at least.
Plus, as I mentioned before, the suit looks sharp. I like the way the light reflects and how it shines at different times. I like how the mask goes on at different times when needed. I also appreciate that it looks like it comes from outer space, and not just a fabric. All these years later, I’m still impressed by the suit and think CGI was the right decision, despite what a lot of people say.
Ryan Reynolds really is a good Hal Jordan
As I already mentioned, I didn’t really know anything about Inexperienced Lantern before this movie, and especially I didn’t know anything about Hal Jordan.
That said, through mediums like video games (I’m a big fan of Injustice collection) and animated Unexperienced Lantern films, I have learned more about Hal and the prominent role he plays in the Unexperienced Lantern mythos.
He, by most accounts, is he Green Lantern that most people associate with the character. Although he’s not the first in the comics (that would be Alan Scott), he is the most recognizable version of the character (although I prefer John Stewart).
As a character, Hal has many traits that make him very likeable. For example, he can calm your fear, he’s quite cocky and also a bit of a know-it-all… which makes Reynolds the best. perfect actor to play him.
In fact, I know this might be controversial, but I think Reynolds is a better Hal than Wade Wilson. That might be because I know a lot more about Deadpool than I do about Unexperienced Lantern. Because while Reynolds does a great job as Merc with a Mouth, I also think Reynolds is, dare I say, also nice Play Deadpool?
What I mean is that I find it difficult to separate the actor from the character. Although Deadpool is a fourth wall-breaking know-it-all, I also think there’s a sardonic quality missing from Reynolds’ portrayal of the character.
That being said, I think his Hal, at least from what I know now about the character, is a great portrayal and really works.
Inexperienced Lantern’s powers still look cool
Now, a lot of people say that I have pretty bad taste in movies, especially when it comes to comic book movies (I’m a big fan of Eternals.so that’s a knock against me, and I even liked the recent Joker: Folie a Deuxwhich nobody it seemed).
Anyway, while you may not agree with my choice in the movies, I think we can all agree on one thing, and that is that Unexperienced Lantern has some of the coolest superpowers of all time.
Having the ability to turn anything you can think of into a tangible green weapon is incredible. Flashlights practically have imagination as their superpower. I think the movie does a very good job of showing this.
Whether it’s creating a Gatling gun, a ramp out of thin air, or something to block an attack, special effects that show off your abilities are always welcome.
That being said, my only problem is that I wish there was more. There’s an adequate amount of action, but I really wish we got to see more of what Inexperienced Lantern could conjure up from his imagination.
Maybe if we had had a sequel, we would have seen more. Oh, and speaking of that…
I also love Sinestro’s teaser for the sequel we’ll never get
Lastly, I really love all the world building and the teases for the sequel we’ll never get.
I know this is a bleak statement, especially for a movie I like, but Green Lantern didn’t light up the world with a green light of willpower, so I’ll have to settle for the mid-credits scene where Sinestro (Mark Sturdy) puts on the yellow ring.
Now, as someone who knew nothing about these characters on my first viewing, I didn’t understand what all the different colors meant (or that there were so many different colors, like red, orange, and indigo).
Honestly, I knew that this Inexperienced Lantern became a Yellow Lantern, and that meant there would be some cool Inexperienced Lantern vs. Sinestro in the sequel, but alas, we won’t get any of that. At least, not with a sequel to this movie.
Still, I’m excited about Lanternsbecause maybe we’ll get a version of that. Hey, a Blue Lantern can have hope, right? (See what I did there?)
