Warning: the following review contains some spoilers. If you don't want to know anything about the film until you see it, skip to the last paragraph.
The extended version of Green Lantern may not be out until Oct. 14th, but it leaked online a couple days ago, so I decided to download a torrent and see if it was any better than the theatrical cut. Personally (for those who were unaware), I actually enjoyed Green Lantern quite a bit. Sure it wasn't all it could be and it has a LOT of problems, but I found it entertaining enough to enjoy. The action scenes were especially fun (particularly on Oa), and the final battle scene between Hal and Parallax was just epic. Despite this, the following review of the extended cut for the film will be from an unbiased DC/Marvel fanboy.
Green Lantern (2011)
Rating:
Starring:
Ryan Reynolds
Blake Lively
Mark Strong
Peter Sarsgaard
Angela Bassett
Geoffry Rush
Michael Clark Duncan
Running time:
1 hr 45 min (theatrical)
1 hr 54 min (extended)
Synopsis: In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, a small but powerful force has existed for centuries. Protectors of peace and justice, they are called the Green Lantern Corps. A brotherhood of warriors sworn to keep intergalactic order, each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him superpowers. But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of their newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan.
Hal is a gifted and cocky test pilot, but the Green Lanterns have little respect for humans, who have never harnessed the infinite powers of the ring before. But Hal is clearly the missing piece to the puzzle, and along with his determination and willpower, he has one thing no member of the Corps has ever had: humanity. With the encouragement of fellow pilot and childhood sweetheart Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), if Hal can quickly master his new powers and find the courage to overcome his fears, he may prove to be not only the key to defeating Parallax…he will become the greatest Green Lantern of all.
I think we can all agree that
Green Lantern was one of the most disappointing films of the year (if not the most). The reaction to the first trailer was relatively mixed, but after the release of posters and trailers showcasing the finished CGI, expectations went sky-high, with some fanboys (myself included) thinking that it would be the movie of the year. Well, then the movie came out amidst critical panning. The fanboys were probably even more negative in response. I saw it on opening day and actually enjoyed it (as I said before), but I could see how a lot of people wouldn't care for it. When I heard an director's cut was gonna be released, I was curious to see how this would improve on the theatrical version (if at all). You can't really do a whole lot with nine minutes of footage. After viewing the extended version, does it improve? Yes and no.
First up, the new scenes. There's a scene showcases some footage of Hal Jordan and Hector Hammond as kids, as well as more footage of Hal's relationship with his father. The extra footage helps you to feel for the characters more (well, for Hal at least; I couldn't give a crap about Hammond and I'm glad Parallax killed him), creating a pretty good background for the two. Also, in the scene where Hal shows off his suit to Tom, the scene is slightly extended when asks 'Doesn't the hero always get the girl?'. This led right into the scene where Carol finds out that Hal is the one who saved her previously. Sadly, there isn't really any new footage set on Oa, and the amount of new scenes don't change the theatrical version a whole lot. Anyone expecting a lot of new scenes set on Oa will be very disappointed.
The special effects have received a ton of criticism, but I personally thought the use of CGI was mostly excellent. While not as perfect as
Thor's Asgard,
Green Lantern's Oa looked absolutely beautiful, and every scene set on the planet was highly memorable. The constructs made by the Green Lanterns looked epic (especially when Hal was firing a machine gun at Sinestro), they were also high points in the film. But where the film stumbles in CGI is...well, too much CGI. Computerizing all of the costumes was very unnecessary (except for characters made completely out of CGI, such as Kilowog and Tomar-Re), and while it made the costumes look cooler and more organic, it would've been much cheaper just to use actual costumes than computerizing them on the humans. Also, Hal's mask still looks liked it was made out of clay, and it would've been best to use a real mask there as well (I also hated Hammond's head, it looked like a freaking testicle). Otherwise, the CGI in
Green Lantern was used excellently.
The acting is also a little hit-and-miss. A lot of people thought Ryan Reynolds was just being himself in his scenes, but I thought he was excellent as Hal Jordan. Sure he may have said one too many wisecracks, but otherwise his portrayal of Hal is almost the perfect idea of what I think of when I think of a live action Green Lantern. Blake Lively was okay as Carol Ferris, but she doesn't do a whole lot other than look hot. Maybe she would have done better if she had a better script to work with, but IDK (I haven't seen any of her other films, so I can't say anything on her overall quality as an actress). Mark Strong was so perfect as Sinestro it's crazy, he's everything I imagine Sinestro to be like. I never liked the character of Hector Hammond to begin with, but Peter Sarsgaard's horrible performance made me dislike Hammond even more. Angela Bassett was decent as Amanda Waller, but she isn't given a whole lot to do. Geoffry Rush and Michael Clarke Duncan's voice portrayals as Tomar-Re and Kilowog, respectively, were highly memorable (I especially loved hearing Kilowog call Hal a Poozer), and I'd love to see them return for a possible sequel. To round out the cast, Tim Robbins was good as Hector's father, Senator Hammond, while the voice portrayals of Parallax (Clancy Brown) and the Guardians of Oa were done very well. The character development was handled pretty well (Especially for Hal, Parallax, and even Sinestro to a degree), though I would've liked to see characters like Kilowog and Tomar-Re a little more fleshed out.
As for the flaws in
Green Lantern, it's kind of hard to decide where to begin. Perhaps the biggest flaw(s) were the plot holes. While mostly minor, it's hard not to notice that Abin Sur's costume doesn't dissolve when he takes off his ring until after he dies, yet Hal's costume always disappears immediately when he removes his (to read my in-depth thoughts on the plot holes, click the image above to check out my review of the theatrical cut). On top of some of the actors being hit-and-miss in their performances and Hal's mask looking like clay, perhaps another flaw would be how Parallax appeared. Sure he looked quite menacing (especially when he showed his full size), but he could've looked a little better. Maybe it was still some unfinished CGI for the character, but he also didn't need to be in his cloud form 24/7. I've heard people say he looked like a turd and all, but personally I better see him as a giant piece of fried chicken. He was menacing enough, but having him stay in his cloud form the whole time was a mistake IMO.
For those wondering, I didn't see the Nick Jones as John Stewart cameo in the director's cut, or the supposed Central City reference. That's actually another flaw, it seems like Warner Bros. is trying their best not to set anything up for a full-on franchise (other than the after-credits scene with Sinestro; while that scene was awesome it still seemed pretty pointless), let alone hinting at other DC characters. If they do continue the franchise, I'd love to see it expanded to include other DC characters, setting up a DC Cinematic Universe. For more on my thoughts on
Green Lantern's flaws and high points, check out my previous review by clicking the image above.
In the end,
Green Lantern is certainly not all it could be. It failed to live up to massive expectations and seems to further prove that WB has yet to put out a truly GREAT DC film other than Batman, Superman or Watchmen. I honestly would rather see a sequel to the film other than a complete reboot, but I'd honestly wouldn't mind either way. Still,
Green Lantern offers a lot of edge-of-the-seat action and some solid acting, and is entertaining enough for me to want to rewatch from time to time. The extended cut helps in some ways, while at times rehashes some of the film's flaws; but it is still a little better overall than the theatrical (and the film is definitely better the second time around).