Kent reviews Green Lantern

In the past I have always avoided reading movie reviews before I see a flick I’m excited about. I wanted to go into the theater unadulterated. Well now that I work in front of a computer all day it is nearly impossible not to see what rottentomatoes and other sites have to say. By doing this, my overall movie experience is corrupted. I may go into a movie with too high of expectations (Xmen First Class) or go into a movie with low expectations (Green Lantern).

In Green Lantern, Hal Jordan(Ryan Reynolds) is a arrogant test pilot with little care for anyone else. He is chosen by a ring, sent from a dying green lantern, Abin Sur. From that point on he discovers that there are worlds far older than ours and they are being protected by the green lantern corps, comprised of various aliens. Though an old enemy of the lanterns, Parallax, is quickly gaining power and has his eyes set on Earth.

Green Lantern is a B-class hero and definitely not as recognizable as Superman, Batman, Spiderman, etc. See this video below for further proof.

The critics have been bashing on this movie. I even read a review that stated Green Lantern was worse than Xmen 3 or Wolverine. That’s getting a little extreme isn’t it guys?! I mean, come on! So the movie started and I was just waiting to be embarrassed for Hal. I sat for 45 minutes and couldn’t understand how it was supposed to be so bad. It was actually quite good. The first third and the last third of the movie keep you entertained and fulfilled everything I wanted to see in a Green Lantern adaptation.

Though that leaves us with the middle bit of the movie. The part when Hal is struggling with commitment to the corps and keeps coming back to Earth to forget about the ring and his destiny. It really lagged and was not helped that the screenwriters forget how to write dialogue. It’s almost like a different guy came on and tried to insert chemistry between Carol Ferris (Blake Lively) and Hal. It didn’t work, the chemistry wasn’t there and the one-liners fell flat. (Fun Fact: There was actually four screenwriters…yuck) I cringed once or twice, it’s true. I hate to judge Blake Lively, but she doesn’t come off looking too great as an actress (not saying she doesn’t look good, because she really does).

The script was the primary flaw. Conversations and relationships were forced. Mutated Hector Hammond was a campy villain and didn’t really serve an origin story like this well. I dug Parallax, even though he was half gas cloud. I thought he was intimidating and felt like an actual threat to the intergalactic space police that are the green lantern corps. Sinestro (pink dude with villainous mustache) was perfect. I only wish he was in it more, so that you care about his turn in the sequels (if they make any). I loved the planet Oa and seeing the other green lanterns. I was swept away and couldn’t be bothered about nitpickin’ the CG. I wish Hal spent more time on Oa and fighting alongside the other lanterns. I was originally against Ryan Reynolds being the green lantern. Though he gives it a great effort, yet will always be the smarmy Ryan Reynolds.

I hope the critics haven’t already killed this one. Because I really want a sequel. It needs to be in space the entire time and satisfy the fringe nerds’ lust to see a Yellow Lantern/Green Lantern war.

To every other critic, I know I destroy my credibility by defending this movie. I just think the critics expected the greatest movie ever and ended up seeing a Iron Man-esque origin story, and that makes them angry. I enjoyed it. Did I love it? No. But I am not ashamed to hold its hand in public. Green Lantern gets a C+