Project 365: Day 112 - Green Lantern - A Review

Just got back from watching Green Lantern.

Let me give you the TL:DR version: "meh..."

I'll try not to be overly negative about this write-up. I was looking forward to this movie ever since they released a better trailer for it a couple of months ago but I have to say...there isn't a lot to see here.

The story felt like it was spread too thin with too many characters that don't do anything significant except fill up the background. The pacing itself felt like the writers were going "lets get to the good parts!" but even then they seem to have left the sequel to let us have anything substantial. There was no real palpable feeling of threat, even as the world was about to be annihilated. The concept of the movie's villain was coo enough but execution was just underdone.

I was mainly looking to see how Ryan Reynolds would tear this movie up. I love his brand of humor and he was the bright point in the two superhero movies he was in (Blade and Wolverine) . While there were laughs here and there, the trademark snark and sneer of Reynolds was disappointingly absent. Maybe he's saving it up for Deadpool? I hope so. Reynolds as Hal Jordan just didnt seem like a good call here.

One performance I did like though was Peter Saarsgard's Hector Hammond. Not a lot of comic book purists would like how the character was used and written here but Peter was very effective in conveying the character as a creepy, pathetic, meek but ultimately evil loser. The sad part is, the character itself was poorly written. The writers would have us believe that Hammond had a lot of pent up jealousy and anger over Jordan and the others but some of this drama was lost because they failed to show us and instead opted to tell us. It sort of felt like the "evil" in Hammond's  heart was just out of character. It was only through Saarsgard's performance did I feel anything for the character at all.

Spoiler! (highlight to read)

Yes, Sinestro does wear the Yellow ring at the end of the movie. Though at that point there was no reason to even do so. The threat was nullified and if anything the final battle showed us that Green Lantern Powers of Will were superior. But he wore it anyway. WHY? Curiosity?

To some up, the movie was overwhelmingly meh. The fight scenes were neat though there wasn't any real sense of crisis. The special effects were cool but the CG suit just didn't blend with the rest of the real elements well. The plot was thin, spread out and obviously hoping for a sequel.