The Green Lantern Review

They have to be kidding

THE MOVIE: CRITIC'S TAKE
A live action movie based on The Green Lantern? LMAO! I bet that's what most movie goers were chuckling to themselves. There is no way that a live action movie like this could happen. Well Hollywood had a different take on the matter. They threw all the money they could muster at this film and it still looked kind of cheesy. I was dreading walking into this movie because I thought it would be a waste of my time. It was but at least I got to see Ryan Reynolds be the saving grace of a film. That rarely ever happens.

STORY

Hal Jordan, played by Ryan Reynolds, is an arrogant pilot who just can't keep it together. For one of the most important flights of his life he mistakenly oversleeps which leaves his ex lover and owner Carol, played by Blake Lively, very upset and disapppointed. He ponders his life and existence when he sees a startling plane crash. He investigates and finds a dying alien that looks like something Hilary Clinton would pass through her period. He gives Hal the ring of will because it picked him as his successor. WTF moment at its best!

Mr. Purple

Hal is trying to unlock the powers within the ring but is having a hard time. He finally figures it out and sends him to a world that blew his mind. There he meets a group of other ring holders that informs him that he is the chosen one. He needs to learn as much as he can so he can save the earth from the most evil entity that has ever walked the universe. The training sequence was funny to watch but painful on Hal's character. He gives up and tells the others that the ring picked the wrong human and returns back to earth. They are left shaking their heads because they know exactly what waits there.

Egg head

A scientist by the name of Hector, played by Peter Sarsgaard, is investigating the crash. He encounters the alien's remains but comes in contact with another entity. The baddest motherfu**er in the universe Sinestro, played by Mark Strong, hellbent on destroying the earth and the Green Lanterns home base. Hector becomes infected by the planet destroying Parallax and now wants to do the same. Together they rage war on the planets and they are taking no prisoners. Hal has to become a real man in order to save the planet and his ex flame.

I miss you

With the help of his friend Carol he finds the courage to take on these menacing foes and save both worlds. I wish I could say it was a fun ride to watch but I would only be lying. I was left unfulfilled and felt like I only saw half the battle. None the less the story is somewhat easy to follow if you don't get lost with the flashbacks. You will either love or hate the story. I don't hate it but it's not very likable either.



ACTING

The only chemistry I felt was with Blake and Ryan. Ryan was able to hold it together with the others but you can tell their interactions were forced. Peter overreacted in a lot of scenes and I couldn't buy Mark Strong's character as being the most evil thing in the universe. I was impressed with Ryan in this film and he is the main reason I didn't walk out the theater. This movie has proven, at least to me, that Ryan can make something work out of nothing. He's a better actor now than he was a few years ago. I guess lots of practice does make you a better actor.

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SPECIAL EFFECTS

The special effects here remind me of a comic book. I guess that is what they were aiming for but it looks quite comical on the big screen and not in a good way. I was not impressed with anything they were doing in this department. I face palmed many times during this film and most of it was due to the effects. Don't see this movie if your a special effect person. You will want your money back.

This isn't good

WRITING AND DIRECTING

The film was directed by Martin Campbell and written by four different writers Greg Berlanti, Michael Green, Marc Guggenheim, and Michael Goldenberg. The story here seems so out of order you can literally tell that these 4 writers were not on the same page. At first the character Hal was a careless fool but all of a sudden he becomes a serious avenger. The switch of personality came to fast without enough good reasons. They tried to make the audience believe that he has changed but I couldn't buy it. It would have been more believable if they took the wolverine type of anti hero and put some humor on it. The way he performed in this film Ryan could have pulled that off.

The directing here was ok. I can't really say that the director was bad because of all the CGI issues. If the CGI was better Martin's directing ability would have shined. Too bad this film resembles the crap version that was G.I. Joe. He would have gotten at least a thumbs up in my book.

THE END

This movie had some promise from the trailers but once you see the film it's a big let down. The only good thing about this movie was Ryan and Blake's acting. Ryan really saved this film from being a true disaster. I hope there's no sequel so Ryan can work on DEADPOOL. After seeing this he would be perfect for the role.

Where I belong

OVERALL

STORY - 4 out of 10
ACTING - 6 out of 10
SPECIAL EFFECTS - 3 out of 10
WRITING - 4 out of 10
DIRECTING - 5 out of 10

TOTAL 4 out of 10 (SKIP IT)