Release Date: October 14, 2011
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 114 minutes/123 minutes extended cut
In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, an elite, powerful force has existed for centuries. Protectors of peace and justice, they are called the Green Lantern Corps. 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 (Ryan Reynolds). 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’s humanity is one weapon no member of the Corps has ever had, and if–with willpower, determination and the encouragement of fellow pilot and childhood sweetheart Carol Ferris (Blake Lively)–Hal can quickly master his new powers and find the courage to overcome his fears, he will save the Earth and all of mankind from certain destruction.
Of the DC Comics superheroes, Green Lantern has never particularly stood out among the rest to me. Although it’s not like I’ve read enough Green Lantern comics to put down a definitive answer. So while I anticipated the film adaptation, I did not have high expectations. This makes it easy for me to say that the film did not completely captivate me. It reached and reached to tell an epic tale and convey the depth that this story holds but barely touched the surface of the potential for story telling here.
There’s something missing here that I cannot quite put my finger on but I do know that the pace of this film was much too slow for my taste, there were not enough lighthearted moments or comedic bits like in other superhero films in recent years, which brings me to mentioning that the tone was sleepy and dare I say it, the acting was dry. And while I love Blake Lively’s work, she was definitely miscast here. Also, it seemed like there were too many aliens to follow. So in some aspects, it was too much and others, not enough. It’s not like I heard an abundance of good things about the film when it was in theaters, so I guess it is no surprise the disappointment this was.
All of that said, it was quite a pleasant surprise to find that after viewing the bonus features, I am actually much more intrigued with the Green Lantern comic book series than I initially was. The bonus features bring more depth to the Green Lantern than the film did. There’s a moving story here and who better to share its significance the best way than the comic creators, writers, and artists? The bonus features were more than satisfying and make up for my dislike for the film. This was not the winning attempt at telling the tale of Green Lantern on the big screen but it was an attempt that plenty of hard working people were behind, so some credit has to be given for trying.
Bonus Features:
* Extended Cut
* Justice League #1 Digital Comic
* Preview of Green Lantern: The Animated Series
Maximum Movie Mode with Picture in Picture Pods – Maximum Movie Mode is my favorite aspect of the Blu-ray special features period. As the film plays, the writers, producers, cast members, etc… take you on set, in the writers room, and inside many other departments involved in bringing the film together. Interviews with the cast and crew are more complex than the generic promo interviews which is refreshing. Since this is based on a comic, there is an abundance of images to see, comic fans will love it! This feature takes viewers behind the scenes in a way that no other feature can. It is the must see feature of the Blu-ray if there is only one you’ll choose to watch.
The Universe According to Green Lantern – Green Lantern creators, writers, artists, and others involved with the comic book series give me quite the history lesson about the origination of Green Lantern and concept of the characters, conflicts, reinventing the franchise, etc… It’s quite an eye opening feature as it really breaks down this superhero and gives him more significance than I personally thought that the film did. This 20 minute feature makes me want to read the comic book series from start to finish. Comics have much more depth than the mainstream audience is willing to accept and this feature does a fantastic job at exemplifying this very fact.
Ryan Reynolds Becomes Green Lantern – Ryan Reynolds, the cast, and crew sit down on set to talk about Reynolds’ transformation into the Green Lantern as behind the scenes footage from the set is shown. If you are claustrophobic, one part of this feature will make your skin crawl. If you are interested in seeing how some of the stunts worked out, you’ll want to tune in here. This is not a lengthy feature, so if you have ten minutes to spare, check it out.
Additional Scenes – There are no more than five deleted scenes here, some complete, others in-complete production wise. None of these scenes added anything to the film, so they were axed for good reason. So if you had your fill of Green Lantern on screen with the film, there’s no need to watch these few deleted scenes. There’s nothing for you here.
Buy Green Lantern today on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack with UltraViolet Digital Copy or Digital Download.