Ever since Green Lantern came out in 2011, I've heard conflicting reports about the film's quality. No one thinks it's actually GOOD, mind you, but there are some people who think it's halfway decent and not nearly so bad as many others suggest. Upon finally watching the film for myself, I'd say it's somewhere between those two opinions, but leaning more towards the "it stinks" side.
DISCLAIMER: I watched this film on TV, which means they probably cut or cropped some scenes here or there, so maybe some of the problems I have with the film were resolved there. Even if that's the case, I doubt it will change my opinion.
The best word I can think of to describe this film is "mess." It is a giant, poorly-paced mess.
First, the opening narration explaining the history of the Green Lantern Corps and the power rings. Why was that put there? Hal Jordan should get all that explained to him anyway by Abin Sur or the Guardians. There's no need for the exposition dump.
Second, the flashback to Hal's childhood, when he's running toward the plane and watches his dad explode? WHY WOULD THE AIR FORCE LET HIM DO THIS? He is a little kid running towards a crashed airplane! Shouldn't the emergency crews be out there, not a flipping ten-year-old?
Yes, I get it, this scene was supposed to make us sympathize with Hal and explain why he's such a jerk as an adult, but IT DOESN'T WORK. I don't know if it's the script or the actor, but Ryan Reynolds has not mastered the art of the likable a-hole at all, which is kind of a shame since he does look the part. But look at the scene where his boss is yelling at him for losing the contract and costing tons of people their jobs--he's too busy quitting to give a darn. I think there may have been a thing later where we see him making a sad face over it to prove that HE'S SECRETLY SENSITIVE AND INSECURE LOOK AT THIS POOR BABY right before he pressures Carol into dancing with him by being as obnoxious as possible. No means no, jerkweed. Is this supposed to be our hero?
Speaking of heroes, why the heck didn't Carol get the darn ring? She's a hundred times more competent than Hal and even has to save his tail after he gives his source of power to the VILLAIN. Hot dang was that plan stupid. And they keep going on about how the ring chose this guy "for a reason"--yeah, well, that reason is because he's a straight white male and DC didn't have the guts to make a movie about any other group until recently. (Well, okay, they made Steel, but that starred Shaquille O'Neal so that barely counts as movie.) The ring didn't choose Hal because he was braver or more heroic than anyone else, it's because he was considered a safe bet.
As for Hammond, I have no idea what he's doing here. Don't you guys have a giant space octopus made of fear to be fighting? Why are we screwing around on Earth watching Peter Sarsgaard make stupid noises at the camera? And yet, despite all the time we waste on this ill-advised subplot, he's one of the least developed characters in the film. We get like three lines to establish his rivalry with Hal, and that doesn't come until over an hour into the movie.
And that's the biggest problem with this film: they threw too many ingredients into the mix and focused on all the wrong ones while letting the potentially good stuff shrivel and burn. I want to see more Oa! I want to see more of the other Lanterns! I want Hal to get more development so maybe he'll have a shot at being likable!
The only good scene I can think of is when Hal goes to visit Carol as Green Lantern for the first time. I was all prepared for yet another stupid scene where the female lead instantly falls in love with the hero and asks "who are you" even though he has a mask on, moron, he obviously doesn't want you knowing that information. No, none of that happens here. Carol immediately recognizes him behind his ridiculous CG mask and yells at him, just like he deserves. Ahhh, how refreshing.
So yeah. After this film flopped, DC skipped off to reboot the franchise (though I don't think they've announced which Green Lantern they'll be using--I don't care, as long as they make him cool), Ryan Reynolds has skipped off to reprise his role as the only good part of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and you can probably skip this movie. It's not the worst I've ever seen--I mean, if I had to pick between watching this or Catwoman, I'd definitely go with this. But since it's actually a choice between this and that copy of Guardians of the Galaxy sitting on the table over there, well, that's no choice at all.
Image from Green Lantern
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