After revisiting the Green Lantern film recently, I have to say I picked up on some surprising things (and some not so surprising). Firstly, and the reason that prompted me to make this blog, is that I actually found it to be more enjoyable than I remembered.
Now before you all stone me to death for saying this fellow viners, I'm not trying to prove that this film is a great superhero film by any stretch of the imagination, but I do hope to show that maybe it isn't as terrible as we thought it was. I don't aim to explain all the obvious bad things with this movie because a) it's been done by countless people already and b) I really have little to refute about the obvious "bad" in this film anyway.
Let's face it, this movie missed the mark in quite a few ways and I don't wish to really discuss certain things because it's been done to death already.
So, with this particular blog I hope to (1) detail some good, maybe overlooked, things about the film and (2) explain why the film was ultimately unsuccessful in spite of it.
I. Good things about the movie
1. Mark Strong as Sinestro
Possibly the greatest thing this movie had going for it was the casting of Mark Strong as Thaal Sinestro. The Korugarian is arguably just as, if not more, important to the Green Lantern story as Hal Jordan is. Sinestro's rise and fall within the Green Lantern pantheon was one of the most important character arcs in the Green Lantern story, starting with the work of Geoff Johns. Considering Johns had significant involvement with this film, and his stories were the basis for this movie, it's not hard to see that casting the proper actor for Sinestro was of utmost importance.
As a fan of the character, and Green Lantern in general, one of the most important things to me as a fan was doing the main characters justice. And though the writing for this film is often cited as it's ultimate downfall, the Sinestro-written parts don't seem to reflect that. Or it could be that Mark Strong is just so on point that he grabs the audience and elevates the film beyond what it was, if even for just the few minutes he's in the film. Either way, Strong is masterful here.
Mark Strong's performance is the saving grace of this movie. It's understated, nuanced, and shamefully overlooked. Sadly, it's hard not to overlook it considering barely anyone saw this movie. And when you take into consideration the types of crowds that "The Dark Knight" and "Man of Steel" draw, Green Lantern's audience pales in comparison.
But for anyone who has seen this movie, you know what I am talking about when I say Mark Strong is the saving grace of this film. He's one of the reasons this film is not only watchable, but even quite enjoyable in parts. I would like to conclude my statements on Mark Strong by submitting my petition for his return as Sinestro in the future. With Warner Bros. and DC working on a connected cinematic universe, I could understand changes being made. But if there is one thing they need to keep from the Green Lantern film it is Mark Strong as Sinestro. It would be a travesty not to give him another opportunity with that character.
2. Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan
Some people might scoff or cringe at this, even I did originally. I swore to myself that Ryan Reynolds was not Hal Jordan and that the movie would have been better with someone else. Upon revisiting this film, I've come to realize I couldn't have been more wrong. I will be the first to admit: I was wrong about Ryan Reynolds. He wasn't what was wrong with this movie. If anything, like Mark Strong, he was one of the redeeming parts of this film. If not handled correctly Hal Jordan could have come off as bland or boring. But Reynold's more than rises to the challenge giving Hal charm and humanity.
Ryan Reynold's performance is more subtle and understated than I originally conceived. He actually adds quite a few layers to Hal in the amount of time he's given. He makes Hal funny without coming off as a jackass; he makes Hal likable, and most importantly, he's made Hal human. Ryan's take on Hal has him being unsure of himself at times. Even going as far as to question his own worthiness of the Oan power ring as he admits he is afraid. Now as I watched Reynolds unfold the Hal character like this, I began to realize he was weaving quite a wonderful web of characterization, especially considering the his script wasn't always up to par. He has pathos and that means a lot.
It's also apparent that Ryan Reynold's not only respects these characters, but the fans as well. And this moment here always makes me happy that he's the one who played Green Lantern. You can tell he enjoys being a part of the culture and really knows these characters. He respects them and the fans. Not to mention this is probably the best GL oath I've ever seen, even gives me goosebumps:
3. Abin Sur passes on the ring to Hal
Another shining moment from this film is how they handled Abin Sur. I was glad to see that his is the story where the film starts off. That whole scene with Parallax coming after Abin Sur and his crash landing could hardly have been done better. The special effects and his makeup also lended themselves nicely to those scenes.
They not only handled the portrayal of Abin Sur appropriately but I also, for the most part, enjoyed how they handled the passing on of the ring. It had the right amount of emotional resonance when Abin Sur died without being over the top. After all, we have to remember that Hal doesn't know this man. Still makes me sad to see Abin go though :'(
II. Why the film was unsuccessful
It's important to note that the things I mention the film got right - (1) the portrayal of Sinestro, (2) the portrayal of Hal Jordan, and (3) the portrayal of Abin Sur and the passing on of the ring - are 3 of the most important things you could get right with Green Lantern. Obviously there is a vast mythology to be told (which I will explain more in a bit as to how this contributed to the film being unsuccessful), but this film is almost frustrating in that the few things you want out of a Green Lantern movie it actually delivers on. So why was it unsuccessful in spite of these good things I've mentioned?
Well there's quite a few possibilities for this, I think it can be narrowed down to three which are most likely related to the problem: (1) how was the marketing for the movie - did they do a good job advertising it and finding the right audience? (2) was it accessible to general audience? and (3) was it convoluted or just too much?
1. Now as for the marketing there's not much I can say that I know for sure. But the reason I included it in my main reasons as I know past movie failures are sometimes attributed to things as simple as how the movie was marketed to the public (i.e. John Carter). I'm not well versed enough on the subject, nor do I know Warner's particular strategy in how they marketed the film (what they spent compared to other superhero movies, etc.) so it's mostly speculation. For this reason, I really like to focus on the next two.
2. "Was the film accessible?" This might be the kicker right here. "Green Lantern", the name itself, certainly is recognizable but was the concept of the film a bit too out there for modern audiences? I think the answer could be yes. At first glance, people in general know who Green Lantern is. Say "Hal Jordan" and a fraction of those might know who he is, say "Oa" or "Parallax" and their eyes glaze over. Therein the problem might lie. The concept of Green Lantern and the mythology in general might be a tougher road to hoe than it seems at first glance. Especially to people seeing the trailer and realizing it's not your typical superhero flick. And for that reason it may not be as accessible to general audiences.
3. "Was it convoluted or 'just too much'?" I suspect this might be true for the general movie-going public as I know firsthand, by watching it with my girlfriend, she found that there was too much going on to really latch on to any one idea. You had Parallax and Abin Sur out in space, then you have this test pilot on earth, then you meet all these Green Lanterns on a foreign planet, then these little Blue men who seem up to now good who go by the name "Guardians", then you see this "Sinestro" fella who seems up to no good but before you learn more about him you have Hector Hammond on earth and then his relationship with his dad going to hell, and then Carol Ferris, who wasn't casted very well, and how this relates to Ferris airfield, and it just goes on and on.
After revisiting this film I realized it had one or two too many things going for it. It was trying to establish too much with an origin story. They probably could have left Hector Hammond out, or instead only hinted at Parallax and have Hammond be the front and center main villain. There's a lot of monday morning quarterbacking that can be done now, as hindsight is 20/20, but I think it's fair to say they bit off more than they could chew for a first film.
Needless to say, my girlfriend still enjoyed Green Lantern a lot. But she also had me there to explain things whenever it needed explaining, so that could have helped.
III. Conclusion
So to finish this out, I'd like to say I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this movie again. There's lots more to like about this movie than people give it credit for. Sure, it's not a "great" movie by any means, but it's actually quite fun. Being a Green Lantern fan probably helps, but by no means is it required to enjoy the movie. Like I said, my girlfriend loved it and I like it a lot too now.
I think there is a significant amount of things to enjoy with this movie; Ryan Reynolds is a good Hal, I was wrong about that in the past; Mark Strong is brilliant as Sinestro; Abin Sur is handled quite well and even the over the top, campy Hector Hammond stuff is pretty fun. You might be surprised how much you enjoy this movie. It has decent replay value too and to be honest I actually like this movie more than a lot of superhero flicks out there. Sure it has it's bad parts, but they're the kind of bad parts that make you take it less seriously and just have fun.
I'd like to conclude all this by issuing a challenge: All of you doubters and naysayers out there, I dare you to give this film another chance. It might not crack your list of "best superhero movies" anytime soon, but you just might find yourself enjoying a decent superhero flick.
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