Fun, cheesy, cool, and inspiring: “Green Lantern” (2011) review

It has happened. I have seen “Green Lantern.” I have a lot to say about it, so bear with me…

The trend among critics seems to be to paint this as the worst film in a long time, and possibly one of the worst ever. I don’t see this at all. The same critics who are bestowing poor ratings on this movie often say that it’s a better movie than “Thor,” which they gave a mediocre to fair rating. What gives?

I suspect that I know exactly what gives. For young hipster critics, hating GL is a really cool thing to do. This has been the case for Internet fanboys ever since the first trailer hit last fall. For the 45 and over crowd, there is a pervasive curmudgeonliness in their reviews – all of them, not just this film – that seems to prevent them from enjoying any superhero movie that wasn’t directed by Christopher Nolan or that doesn’t present a highly topical issue interwoven with the hero’s plot/life/mission/etc. I feel fortunate to be at a place in my perspective as a watcher of movies to have enjoyed this movie for what it was.

This is another origin story. I understand that origin stories get tiresome. Understand, though, that Green Lantern is a rich mythology that NEEDS a serious amount of exposition before it can possibly get into any kind of story. “Green Lantern” gets right to it, giving a VERY brief history of the Green Lantern Corps before introducing the main villain: Parallax, an entity who embodies the emotion fear, represented by yellow energy. In the comics, it is known that green lantern rings’ green energy (will) is vulnerable to yellow. Parallax wounds his captor, Green Lantern Abin Sur, and escapes. Abin, knowing that he is mortally wounded, instructs his ship to head to the nearest inhabited planet to begin the “selection process.”

Meanwhile, test pilot Hal Jordan is introduced, and we quickly find that he is an irresponsible womanizer who makes rash and reckless decisions. His father was also a pilot, and Hal lives in his shadow.

Hal is, of course, selected as Abin Sur’s replacement. After experimenting a little with the ring and accompanying lantern he inherits, Hal is suddenly whisked off by his ring to Oa, home of the Green Lsntern Corps, as well as the Guardians, their mentors. Hal is welcomed by Tomar-Re, a fish-bird combination looking GL. He is very briefly trained by the enormous, gruff GL Kilowog, as well as the pink skinned Sinestro. The latter makes Hal decide that he may not be Lantern material after all. But what of Parallax and his apparent connection to Earth???

The main reason I loved this movie is that I felt like a 12 year old as I was watching it. The effects, a popular topic of derision, looked great to me, as did Reynolds’ costume. Reynolds himself took the part seriously, and to me was an ideal Hal. Mark Strong is perfect as Sinestro, as are Geoffrey Rush as Tomar-Re and Michael Clarke Duncan as Kilowog. Even Blake Lively was suited to the role of Carol Ferris. Say what you will, but she’s far better than Katie Holmes in “Batman Begins.”

My favorite aspect of the movie was the constructs themselves. As Hal got more comfortable, the constructs became more inventive and cooler. I loved the CG, the look of Oa, and the glowing green energy permeating the uniforms. My only technical problem is the Guardians themselves. The animation of their faces is too cartoony. I feel like they should have seemed somewhat more real, a la Gollum.

The only other complaint I have is that much of this movie feels rushed. If possible, I would love to see an extended cut of the DVD released so that the pace relaxes a wee bit more. Not much, though, as the forward momentum helps to keep the excitement going.

In all, I love this movie. It’s terribly flawed, but it speaks directly to my inner adolescent. It has humor, action, and excitement. A note about the mid-credits scene: I felt that it WAS set up in an earlier scene and didn’t come out of nowhere.

Bottom line: if you want straight up entertainment, this is your movie. “Green Lantern” is no “The Dark Knight,” but it shouldn’t be. It’s a space opera that can be an exhilarating ride, but only if you are capable of relaxing enough to just go with it.

What I’m Geeking Over: Summer 2011

I look forward to the start of the summer movie season the way that some people look forward to the start of football season. I really enjoy seeing what each year offers, as well as how memorable/unique each film is. Based on how impressed I was with “Thor,” the bar is already somewhat high. Here’s what I’m excited about:

THOR (now playing): Marvel Comics’ riff on the Norse God of Thunder is brought to vibrant, energetic life through director Kenneth Branagh’s visually rich popcorn film. Like “Iron Man,” “Thor” benefits from a superb cast, led by Chris Hemsworth. The various realms are beautifully depicted, and the action is quite thrilling!

KUNG FU PANDA 2 (May 26): Dreamworks’ original really exceeded my expectations. The story of an average character who learns to use his own skill to be extraordinary is one of Dreamworks’ best, and while I feel a sequel is highly unnecessary, I’m hopeful for a fun movie.

THE HANGOVER PART II (May 26): I judged the original rather harshly on my first viewing. I recently rewatched it, and I quickly realized that I had been very quick to judge. I would love to think that this sequel will offer more than a few laughs.

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS (June 3): The X-Men movies have been a real mixed bag. The first chapter was flawed, but not bad; the second one was more story-driven and exciting. The third fell apart, and took too many liberties with story. Still, the premise behind the X-Men has always been centered around overcoming diversity, with certain obvious allegories regarding human rights issues. I’m hopeful that this prequel, with its new cast, can deliver where previous movies have not.

SUPER 8 (June 10): Not much is known about J. J. Abrams’ coming-of-age alien movie, except for what I managed to cram into this sentence. With Spielberg producing, I’m hopeful for something that captures the innocence of childhood that Spielberg used to be a wizard at.

GREEN LANTERN (June 17): DC Comics’ underrated hero boasts a rich mythology and a unique premise: a strong will can be a powerful weapon. Although fanboys have been very hard on this movie, I’m looking forward to this above all others. I’ve been a fan of GL since I first saw him on “The Superfriends” back in the day. I’m confident that this movie will be one of this summer’s best.

MR. POPPER’S PENGUINS (June 17): I’m a sucker for Jim Carrey. Are his comedies dumb? Usually. But I like a lot of them! I’ll give this one a chance, knowing full well that it could be a disaster.

CARS 2 (June 24): I didn’t love “Cars,” but the least of the Pixar movies is far above average! The addition of Michael Caine as a British secret agent adds to the appeal for this one!

TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON (July 1): This is a tough one for me. I really, REALLY didn’t like the first sequel, but I loved the first movie. The trailers have piqued my interest, so maybe I’ll try it out…

LARRY CROWNE (July 1): This movie is the least geeky thus far, but I’m looking forward to seeing Tom Hanks return to form in the Jimmy Stewart type of roles he took for most of the 1990s! This movie looks like a crowd pleaser, and I hope it delivers!

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, PART 2 (July 8 ) – While I’m not the world’s biggest HP fan, I have come to really like the books, as well as the movies. The finale looks to be appropriately epic.

WINNIE THE POOH (July 8 ) – The appeal for me with this one is part nostalgia, part appreciation for old-school, hand-drawn animation. The trailer captures the vibe of Disney’s “The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh,” which was a cornerstone of my childhood.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER (July 22) – Popular sentiment among Internet folk seems to indicate that people are growing tired of superhero movies. I’m not one of those people. (Shocking, I know.) Chris Evans is more versatile than people generally give him credit for. I think his Steve Rogers will be a great realization of the character. The look seems to capture much of the spirit of the comics, both old and recent. The glimpse we have had of The Red Skull has me freaking out!

COWBOYS AND ALIENS (July 29) – Harrison Ford. Daniel Craig. Olivia Wilde. Jon Favreau directing. Aliens. That is all.

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (August 5) – I’m not that excited about this one…but, sometimes by this point in the summer, lowered expectations are a good thing…

CONAN THE BARBARIAN (August 19) – I could use a good medieval fantasy fix! The trailer looks decent enough, so let’s see if the actual movie holds up!

FRIGHT NIGHT (August 19) – As a kid, I loved the original. I think that the casting of Anton Yelchin and Colin Farrell is nothing short of brilliant! Birthday movie!!!

The Week in Geek 7/15

This week has been quite eventful in the world of comic-to-film adaptations. Christopher Nolan allowed just a little more info to spill on his highly anticipated third Batman film, confirming that filming gets underway next April. He also confirmed that there is a story, once again developed by himself and David Goyer, who also co-wrote the screenplay for “Batman Begins” with Nolan. His brother Jonathan is working on the script. Details about the villain are not yet known, but Nolan has rejected the idea of recasting The Joker. Speculation somehow points to The Riddler. I personally think that The Riddler is one of the lamest villains in any form of media. He drops clues so that he can get caught. He’s not even dangerous! In spite of the over the top neon quasi-gay themes that pervaded the movie, I did enjoy Jim Carrey’s depiction of the Riddler BEFORE he was The Riddler in “Batman Forever.” The slightly unhinged, socially handicapped, dejected eccentric he brought to Edward Nygma worked for me. Once he became the Riddler, it got old real fast. Now in Nolan’s Gotham, I just don’t see the Riddler working. The main problem I have is that in the first two movies, there’s a sense that the threat escalates. The Riddler at his best would be nothing after Heath Ledger’s unhinged anarchist Joker in “The Dark Knight.” I say stop speculating about who will play HIM and imagine a more real threat to Batman. Something physical, because he hasn’t faced that kind of nemesis yet. Imagine a REAL showdown between Batman and…BANE, the super-steroid-addled strongman who broke Batman’s back in the comics. Javier Bardem would be an excellent choice, and would fit the arthouse pedigree of the first two films. Continuing with the mob story from the first two, bring in Rupert Thorne as the new mob king and cast the great Brian Dennehy. Done and done.

In less exciting news, Marvel Studios has dumped Edward Norton from “The Avengers,” where he was slated to reprise the role of Bruce Banner/The Hulk. I feel that Marvel jumped the gun here. Norton was really good as Banner. He was one of the best parts of that movie, in my very humble opinion. His replacement appears to be Mark Ruffalo. I like him as well, but I hate recasting in these kinds of movies anyway. I know that sometimes it has to happen, but I’m very disappointed about not seeing Norton’s Dr. Banner anymore.

Finally, a couple of new photos surfaced this week. One is of Thor, Loki, and Odin. It’s nice, but…I’m only a little bit excited about “Thor.” The other is of Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan/Green Lantern. I’m including it below. While the costume isn’t perfect, it’s not as bad as it could have been. I like the logo area, the mask, and the ring. I miss the black highlights, and I’m undecided about the veiny look rubbing through the suit. I’m putting my faith in this one, as GL is my 3rd favorite superhero. Greg Berlanti was involved with this movie at one point. He was responsible for great shows like “Everwood” and “Eli Stone.” I hope the screenplay reflects his ability to define strong yet flawed characters. I also hope that the special effects are badass.

That’s it for now. Tomorrow’s blog will review a movie from my library. I’m thinking that it will either be North By Northwest or Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. Vote in the comment section and I’ll go with the movie that wins the popular vote!