Village Voice Green Lantern review: not for the squeamish

[Mr 9.8]

I will go see this film, but I have to admit the trailers are rapidly making me lose interest. Far to many cringe worthy scenes already and I have not seen the film!

 

i HATE the latest trailer scene where Hal reveals the Green lantern costume to a friend, who replies something to the effect of "awesome" and Hal says "I know, right?". Just HATE it. Makes me think Ted from Bill and Ted got the Green Lantern suit, and I almost expect to see an air guitar.

 

Personally, I'm hoping the movie tanks...bad. That should hopefully convince DC/Warner that it's line of superheroes, crafted entirely for juveniles of the 1940s-50s, simply don't translate well to the modern audience unless given the Dark Knight/Kingdom Come treatment. There is so much quality Vertigo material out there too that has been ignored which would have appeal to contemporary viewers.

 

I think Marvel learned a few years ago that you can't just put out anything with a spandex wearing superhero in it and expect to make big bucks. Consequently, most of the Marvel movies of the last couple of years have been pretty good (Wolverine being the one exception....man that sucked). DC is apparently still a bomb or two away from really "getting it".

 

Let's hope they stay away from doing the Flash.

[DeadOne]

I bet Marvel Studios could put out a good GL movie.

 

[goldust40]

Having seen the film today, I'd say that it could've been worse. The opening set-up was simply mind-numbing (the pacing and direction of the movie throughout was plodding and uneven) but it did steady itself into a standard, generic super-hero flick. Ironically I would say that the overall plot of the film was not that dissimilar to Iron Man 1.

 

There were good points - the sfx were decent and the look of the characters (apart from the giant space oil-slick that was Parallax) did do justice to the comics. There were a couple of clever set-pieces. However the dialogue was generally rudimentary and rarely got much beyond the expository (which is a shame, as there were a couple of themes in there about man's development compared to other, alien races that were touched upon but in the end were token efforts). Plus the acting was mostly phoned in - what can you say when Mark Strong turns out the most believable performance? As some have said, there were a fair amount of juvenile, cringeworthy moments in the film, and Reynolds never really had a grasp of the character. Plus the denouement was particularly lazy after the build-up.

 

A wasted opportunity from DC, but really not that bad. Two stars out of five.

[Straw-Man]

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/joshw24/news/?a=39450

 

don't studios usually premiere these movies to sychophants so they at least get an initial good rotten tomatoes score going?

 

I think these are the sycophants.

 

hahahahahahahahahaha.

[Straw-Man]

...even with bad reviews it will still do massive $ I'm guessing,...chicks really go apechit for Ryan Reynolds,..and the guys will tag along so the dont have to go see Bridal Party or some other dumb flick.

 

disagree; i bet it strains to get to 125mil domestically.

[Straw-Man]

Go to the Village Voice review at their website and check out the readers' comments about the reviewer. Not a lot of love going around for her.......

 

BTW, I wonder if the Neal Adams post is really from Neal Adams?

 

http://www.villagevoice.com/2011-06-15/film/green-lantern-does-not-light-up-the-screen/

 

The comments ragging on the critic are a fun read.

 

i prefer this from another review on rotten tomatoes: "the star is little more than a torso and a smirk"

 

And what is the big deal about that? The guy from Thor was the same thing - ripped but weak actor - yet it was still an enjoyable flick.

 

I still think this flick will do fine and be fun just like most comic movies are. They are not going to win critical acclaim, but will be enjoyable popcorn flicks nonetheless. (thumbs u

 

thor at 77% favorable, first class 87%. even the two hulk movies were over 60% [the threshhold for "fresh" on r.t.]. g.l. one digit from falling into the teens---like batting below .200, it just isn't seen much in major releases.

[mrwoogieman]

...even with bad reviews it will still do massive $ I'm guessing,...chicks really go apechit for Ryan Reynolds,..and the guys will tag along so the dont have to go see Bridal Party or some other dumb flick.

 

disagree; i bet it strains to get to 125mil domestically.

 

I gotta believe that the studio would be hoping for that as a first weekend since they spent 300 making/marketing it.

[Mr 9.8]

To read the full review.

 

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/06/15/review-green-lantern/

 

Review: Green Lantern

Michael Moran writes for Bleeding Cool:

 

Fanboys have ruined the funnybooks. And they’re ruining the movies too. I should know. I’m a fanboy.

 

The disposable 4-colour yarns of the Silver Age have grown into weighty and expensive Absolute Editions. And with an adult price tag comes the expectation of adult content. Everything has to be ‘dark’.

 

Now, I loved The Dark Knight. It’s the cinematic apotheosis of the Absolute Edition aesthetic. But I’m not going to watch it with my superhero-loving daughter for at least a decade.

 

What are we doing for the original comic book audience? My 8-year-old wouldn’t enjoy a Nolanverse movie, even if I let her watch one. She may well tolerate a candy coloured Schumacher Bat-flick. But I can’t.

 

Our narrow common ground for superhero movies is somewhere in the region of The Incredibles, the bowdlerised Ultimate Avengers animations and the much maligned ‘not dark enough’ Fantastic 4 movies.

 

Green Lantern is crafted from the ground up as a daft, entertaining romp that’s a hell of a lot closer to Rise of the Silver Surfer than The Dark Knight Rises.

 

You can get a sense of the demographic the studio might be after when the first trailer before Green Lantern is Happy Feet 2.

 

After the long quest for darkness in comic book movies, that’s rather refreshing. But does it work?

 

Well, before I start straying into spoiler territory – yes. Yes it does.

[Kramerica]

I saw a longer trailer today and some of the CGI made me think of Jar Jar from star wars. The effects looked cheesy and the acting looked worse.

 

Seems that all DC has is Batman...

 

But i'll go see GL anyway....why not? it's summer movie time!

 

+1

[NewWorldOrder]

Having seen the film today, I'd say that it could've been worse. The opening set-up was simply mind-numbing (the pacing and direction of the movie throughout was plodding and uneven) but it did steady itself into a standard, generic super-hero flick. Ironically I would say that the overall plot of the film was not that dissimilar to Iron Man 1.

 

There were good points - the sfx were decent and the look of the characters (apart from the giant space oil-slick that was Parallax) did do justice to the comics. There were a couple of clever set-pieces. However the dialogue was generally rudimentary and rarely got much beyond the expository (which is a shame, as there were a couple of themes in there about man's development compared to other, alien races that were touched upon but in the end were token efforts). Plus the acting was mostly phoned in - what can you say when Mark Strong turns out the most believable performance? As some have said, there were a fair amount of juvenile, cringeworthy moments in the film, and Reynolds never really had a grasp of the character. Plus the denouement was particularly lazy after the build-up.

 

A wasted opportunity from DC, but really not that bad. Two stars out of five.

 

I can't wait till Americans get to review the last Harry Potter film before the UK.

 

I heard the 2012 Superbowl will be played in London, but the American broadcast won't be till the following Sunday.

[fantastic_four]

thor at 77% favorable, first class 87%. even the two hulk movies were over 60% [the threshhold for "fresh" on r.t.]. g.l. one digit from falling into the teens---like batting below .200, it just isn't seen much in major releases.

 

I only remember two that went below 20% -- Catwoman and Elektra. I'm sure there were others.

[Comicopolis]

Having seen the film today, I'd say that it could've been worse. The opening set-up was simply mind-numbing (the pacing and direction of the movie throughout was plodding and uneven) but it did steady itself into a standard, generic super-hero flick. Ironically I would say that the overall plot of the film was not that dissimilar to Iron Man 1.

 

There were good points - the sfx were decent and the look of the characters (apart from the giant space oil-slick that was Parallax) did do justice to the comics. There were a couple of clever set-pieces. However the dialogue was generally rudimentary and rarely got much beyond the expository (which is a shame, as there were a couple of themes in there about man's development compared to other, alien races that were touched upon but in the end were token efforts). Plus the acting was mostly phoned in - what can you say when Mark Strong turns out the most believable performance? As some have said, there were a fair amount of juvenile, cringeworthy moments in the film, and Reynolds never really had a grasp of the character. Plus the denouement was particularly lazy after the build-up.

 

A wasted opportunity from DC, but really not that bad. Two stars out of five.

 

I can't wait till Americans get to review the last Harry Potter film before the UK.

 

I heard the 2012 Superbowl will be played in London, but the American broadcast won't be till the following Sunday.

 

Please take everything Harry Potter related and never let it back into the UK ever again.

[Buck Biggins]

I saw an advance screening last night. I went with my son, daughter and a friend from work. The beginning of the movie was very choppy and seemed to be going through the motions. As the movie progressed I saw lots of missed opportunities to give the film a soul and to care about the characters and world they lived in. The film is not on par with X-Men or Thor.

 

While watching the movie I kept thinking it was going to grasp our attention but it never happened. I also thought the music score was terrible. The movie wasn't awful but I'm disappointed that it showed so many signs of being a great flick.

 

My son and daughter (both age 7) loved it and said it was better than X-men First Flight. My friend from work liked it as well. So go figure.

 

BTW…On the way out the group in charge of the screening was distributing swag to those in Green Lantern shirts. We scored water bottles, posters and a T-shirt. While I was talking to my friend a lady from the group approached Alex (my son) and handed him one of two Green Lantern promo rings they received to distribute. This made his year. He has been asking for a Green Lantern ring forever and this one came in a really sweet gift box and all. When we got home he hung the poster above his bed and showed the ring off to everyone in the house. He can’t wait for Halloween to dress up as Green Lantern and wear the ring he received last night.

 

I checked Ebay this morning and some of these rings have been fetching $200+. I think this will be his favorite movie of all time and will be something we talk about for years to come.

 

 

Ours is like the one below.

 

[goldust40]

I saw an advance screening last night. I went with my son, daughter and a friend from work. The beginning of the movie was very choppy and seemed to be going through the motions. As the movie progressed I saw lots of missed opportunities to give the film a soul and to care about the characters and world they lived in. The film is not on par with X-Men or Thor.

 

While watching the movie I kept thinking it was going to grasp our attention but it never happened. I also thought the music score was terrible. The movie wasn't awful but I'm disappointed that it showed so many signs of being a great flick.

 

My son and daughter (both age 7) loved it and said it was better than X-men First Flight. My friend from work liked it as well. So go figure.

 

BTW…On the way out the group in charge of the screening was distributing swag to those in Green Lantern shirts. We scored water bottles, posters and a T-shirt. While I was talking to my friend a lady from the group approached Alex (my son) and handed him one of two Green Lantern promo rings they received to distribute. This made his year. He has been asking for a Green Lantern ring forever and this one came in a really sweet gift box and all. When we got home he hung the poster above his bed and showed the ring off to everyone in the house. He can’t wait for Halloween to dress up as Green Lantern and wear the ring he received last night.

 

I checked Ebay this morning and some of these rings have been fetching $200+. I think this will be his favorite movie of all time and will be something we talk about for years to come.

 

 

Ours is like the one below.

 

 

Quality bit of merchadise.

[Comicopolis]

To read the full review.

 

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/06/15/review-green-lantern/

 

Review: Green Lantern

Michael Moran writes for Bleeding Cool:

 

Fanboys have ruined the funnybooks. And they’re ruining the movies too. I should know. I’m a fanboy.

 

The disposable 4-colour yarns of the Silver Age have grown into weighty and expensive Absolute Editions. And with an adult price tag comes the expectation of adult content. Everything has to be ‘dark’.

 

Now, I loved The Dark Knight. It’s the cinematic apotheosis of the Absolute Edition aesthetic. But I’m not going to watch it with my superhero-loving daughter for at least a decade.

 

What are we doing for the original comic book audience? My 8-year-old wouldn’t enjoy a Nolanverse movie, even if I let her watch one. She may well tolerate a candy coloured Schumacher Bat-flick. But I can’t.

 

Our narrow common ground for superhero movies is somewhere in the region of The Incredibles, the bowdlerised Ultimate Avengers animations and the much maligned ‘not dark enough’ Fantastic 4 movies.

 

Green Lantern is crafted from the ground up as a daft, entertaining romp that’s a hell of a lot closer to Rise of the Silver Surfer than The Dark Knight Rises.

 

You can get a sense of the demographic the studio might be after when the first trailer before Green Lantern is Happy Feet 2.

 

After the long quest for darkness in comic book movies, that’s rather refreshing. But does it work?

 

Well, before I start straying into spoiler territory – yes. Yes it does.

 

Mike Moran wrote this? That explains everything.

[kahml]

And the NYTimes weighs in:

 

It’s Not Easy Being ... You Know

By MANOHLA DARGIS

 

It’s shocking how little $150 million buys you in Hollywood these days. That galactic sum is the estimated production price tag swinging from “Green Lantern,” the chintzy-looking movie featuring the emerald-hued superhero who’s been riding high and low on and off the comic-book circuit since 1940. But there’s no keeping a masked avenger down, especially a contender in cross-marketing promotion. Do you want Green Lantern tie-in Doritos or Reese’s with your tie-in Lipton Brisk green-tea beverage? (After the sugar rush subsides, settle in with the newly published “Green Lantern and Philosophy: No Evil Shall Escape This Book.”)

 

The little weird creatures in the movie with the puckered heads certainly look as if they could use some hydration. Called the Guardians of the Universe, these are basically Yoda multiplied, wizened immortals who live on the planet Oa and were originally drawn to look like, no kidding, the first Israeli prime minister, David Ben-Gurion. In the movie, presumably select members perch on individual power towers and wear long robes that drape from their bodies like portable red carpets, regulation alien bobble heads who are part Mr. Burns, part Metamucil candidate. They dispense orders and gnomic wisdom to the Green Lantern Corps, an interplanetary transspecies force that patrols the universe like beat cops and soon includes the earthling Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds), a test pilot.

 

Hal joins the Lanterns after being tapped by a dying alien and voicing the oath that characterizes him as much as his duds. (“In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight.”)

 

It’s a gig that comes with the familiar superperks like a damsel to rescue and a world to save, and is served up with the customary drawbacks, like a shiny (digital) unitard and villainy. First, though, Hal has to fight the usual demons (notably dear old dead Dad) to become the champion he was chosen to be, a task impeded by lame jokes; evocations of better movies (the 1970s “Superman” included); an ugly-bruise palette of black, green and purple; and a formulaic -script that mechanically switches among story threads as TV shows often do.

 

Bored yet? I’ll try to snap it up better than the team behind “Green Lantern” did or maybe could. Fronting the production are the director Martin Campbell, whose résumé includes the James Bond reboot “Casino Royale,” and the writers Greg Berlanti, Michael Green, Marc Guggenheim and Michael Goldenberg, whose credits stretch from DC Comics to the HBO series “Sex and the City.” (Odds are a few -script doctors hovered over the patient too.) Warner Brothers is banking big on “Green Lantern,” to some extent because the Harry Potter franchise finishes up this summer. Another property needs to keep the cash flowing, and one way the company plans to do so is by raiding, er, maximizing DC Comics, one of the satellites in the Time Warner entertainment universe.

 

The reason this matters to moviegoers is that if Warner Brothers doesn’t invest in quality — as it did with Christopher Nolan’s excellent Batman films — more substandard diversions like “Green Lantern” (and those previous DC big-screen bummers “Watchmen” and “Jonah Hex”) will be flooding multiplexes for the foreseeable future. If the company is going to shove a property like “Green Lantern” down consumer throats — drilling it into your child’s consciousness, sweet tooth, toy emporium and anywhere else the company can place its brand — the least it can do is give us a good movie.

 

And “Green Lantern” is bad. This despite Mr. Reynolds’s dazzling dentistry, hard-body physique and earnest efforts, and the support of fine performers like Peter Sarsgaard (as Hector Hammond, a nutty professor turned baddie), Mark Strong (almost unrecognizable as the fuchsia-tinted Sinestro) and Angela Bassett (Doctor Waller, a government drone in mile-high heels). They, along with Blake Lively, who plays Carol Ferris, a pilot and aeronautics executive, and who’s miscast on both counts, look as if they’re working hard, and not only to keep a straight face. Only Mr. Sarsgaard, who invests his transformation with levity, earning grateful laughter, shoulders the lugubriosity well, rising above the scripted clichés and dreary battles, featuring an alien enemy with a skull head and the body of a dryer-lint octopus.

 

In comics, the Green Lantern has been through blackest night but here he’s a typical DC Golden Age do-gooder, as unambiguous as when he was revived in the Silver Age 1959 and looked like Paul Newman. Mr. Reynolds isn’t wrong for the job; the movie is. One issue is tone and hitting the sweet spot between sincerity and self-awareness that can work for today and that made the first “Superman” movies fly in an age of post-Vietnam, post-Watergate cynicism. It’s also about finding a reason for superheroes beyond the box office, which leads to the question troubling every superhero movie in which the protagonist isn’t as twisted as Batman is now or as ironic as Iron Man: Is there still a place in American movies for square heroes?

 

“Green Lantern” is rated PG-13. (Parents strongly cautioned). It has bloodless violence, including a scene of patricide that may be too intense for wee viewers.

 

Larry

[Mr 9.8]

My favorite review so far!

 

http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/the-green-lantern-20110616

 

Peter Travers

June 16, 2011

Don't let that brat Judy Moody tell you this is a not bummer summer. Has the kid seen Hangover II or Pirates 4? And wait till she gets a load of Green Lantern, a new primer on how not to make a comicbook movie unless you want to screw mess up. Flat FX, smirky acting, clunky writing and clueless direction. WTF?

[etanick]

I find that review to be very entertaining...whether i agree with his view or not...lets wait and see next week.

[TeddieMercede]

it wasn't that bad....

[Ares]

http://moviestinger.com/green-lantern-2011-extra-scene-during-the-credits/

There is an extra scene about two minutes into the credits

 

The extra scene flashes back to Oa and shows a yellow ring encased inside a green protective bubble