Green Lantern blasts its way into 4000+ megaplexes this weekend, and audiences are going to be scratching their heads at the end of this one.  Call this my ‘lead pipe’ lock – a big opening, followed by a sputtering 50% loss in audience over the next few weeks.  It’s not that it’s a bad film, because it’s not.  Solid acting, a super hot feminine lead, and some really great attention to detail in the special effects driving the Lantern suits – but it doesn’t move right.  Not exactly cartoony, and not serious enough, it tries to ride a line of appeal to all ages and like the ill fated Speed Racer of 2008, it’s going to win over neither.

Green Lantern is the comic book turned film about a hot shot test pilot, Hal Jordan.  Hal is tormented by the untimely death of his father who was a show pilot and he leads a reckless and self indulgent lifestyle as a result.  When fate drops an alien warrior, Abin Sur, on Earth, dying from wounds imposed by a new super evil named Parallax, Hal is chosen to take the warrior’s place and wear the ring that makes him the famed Green Lantern.  The ring turns thought into reality in the form of projections – giving a Lantern the ability to create and do almost anything.  When Parallax realizes that the ring belonging to Abin Sur, the warrior who once vanquished him, is now on Earth – a collision course ensures between Hal’s newfound powers and the unstoppable Parallax evil that feeds on fear.

I was never a fan of the comic book series, and for me Green Lantern was just a guy in a green suit that flew and had a ridiculous mask to hide his eyes and cheekbones in some misguided thought that it would hide his identity.  Suffice to say, the same mistake was made here.  I read weeks ago that the film was granted an extra few million in ‘post’ to go back and add details to the suit and mask.  The detail is amazing, no doubt, but all the attention to pixels in the world doesn’t make up for a story that just moves horridly.  It drags into a culmination that seems forced, even the 3D doesn’t help your enjoyment.

Ryan Reynolds (Van Wilder) does a great job as the foolhardy, rash test pilot Hal.  He’s mildly charismatic, and his relationship with Carol Ferris (Blake Lively – The Town) is fun and playful to watch.  As far as Blake’s performance, she once again displays poise and execution, but she’s victim to bad placement.  I’m all for equal rights in the workplace, but it’s a tough stretch to get me to believe that the heir apparent to a military contracting company would be this attractive and conduct business in super high mini’s and 4 inch Jimmy Choo’s.  I understand the need to build appeal into the feminine lead, but this is a bit ridiculous.  Like Megan Fox in Transformers, she’s distractingly too good looking for the role.  Angela Bassett (Strange Days) returns to the screen in a bit part as Dr. Amanda Waller, a government research scientist.  I love Angela, and have always looked for her to re-appear, but her role in this film was entirely too short and I questioned if she did it just to get her face back out there.  She’s powerful and dynamic – what did she possibly feel this role would bring for her?  Even Tim Robbins’ (The Shawshank Redemption) turn as Senator Hammond was boring and opaque.  The bright light in the film is Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes) as Sinestro.  No stranger to playing stern and disciplined characters, he brings conviction to Sinesto and commands respect with his dialogue.

Fans of the comic may find this one a great retelling of Green Lantern’s origin, but moviegoers will be ho-hum about its 3D, dazzled by Lively, and thinking to themselves, how could a villain so smart fall for Lantern’s oh so simple plan to thwart him?  Before I forget, stick around when the credits roll – there’s a nice teaser surprise in it for you.

Green Lantern is rated PG-13 for violence and gore, and brief profanity.  Running Time: 105 minutes.

These here interwebs were spiraling into a whirlwind of confusion yesterday at the sudden fear of Justin Timberlake taking up the mantle of Hal Jordan in Martin Campbell’s Green Lantern movie. Well those like yours truly who were opposed to the idea can rest a little easier as Variety reports Ryan Reynolds will be donning the green mask and ring.

Even though Nathan Fillion would have been perfect, Reynolds certainly has the chops to pull off the Hal they’re going for and proved himself as the best thing in both The Proposal and some silly Wolverine adaptation earlier this year. It came down to him, Bradley Cooper, and apparently Jared Leto. Leto would have been odd, and Cooper’s got his franchise now.

This project’s already doing a lot of things right in getting a good director and now a strong lead. Let’s hope the script holds up and they deliver another tremendous DC movie. As a devout Green Lantern fan, I’m nothing but excited at the casting news and can’t wait for this thing to hit.

Green Lantern is scheduled for June 17th, 2011 and production to begin in Janurary.

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, Aint it Cool is the king of kings for movie websites. Usually they’re the ones who report stuff and they’re very well known even to the average joe on the streets. For right now, I have to file them in the “hate” category, not because any of them there did anything to make me mad. No, I feel they do a wonderful job over there and wish we had a fraction of their viewers. I’m currently mad at them for reporting something I do not want to see happen.

A scoop over there is reporting Justin Timberlake, a man I hate with every fiber of my well-being, is screen testing to play Hal Jordan. I’ll admit, this has more to do with my hate for the man than it does my love for Hal Jordan (which is quite a lot) but I don’t want him anywhere near a property I love. Actually, if he was going to be Rayner I would like it or if he would be Guy Gardener I’d love it. But Hal?! Not just a no, but a HELL NO! The guy’s a douche and if anyone should be Hal, it’s Nathan Fillion.

But seriously, no JT as Hal. Period. Do the right thing, Martin Campbell.

This fanboy rant was brought to you by Atomic Popcorn.

Chris Pine

It seems that not even a day went by and we have some casting rumors/news about who will be Hal Jordan in Martin Campbell’s “Green Lantern” for WB.

Rumors are flying all over the internet that one very young and new Captain James T Kirk will be wearing the power ring of OA and playing Hal Jordan. Could Chris Pine be playing Hal Jordan in September when shooting begins?

Pine’s publicist Melissa Kates is on vacation and thus was not available for comment says internet site IESB.

Latino Review says their sources have confirmed that the ‘official offer’ is out to Pine.

Aint It Cool’s Harry Knowles says that Pine is who Producers are targeting for the role.

Personally I think Pine is too young. Hal is a veteran pilot with years of experience before becoming a test pilot for Ferris Air. I know the studios want “young” so they can do a three picture deal but you have to have believability in the character and his age. I still say that Nathon Fillion is the perfect choice to play Hal Jordan.

Either way we’ll know by September who wears the ring. A December 2010 release is scheduled.

Green Lantern in Septermber

Good morning! This is a great day as some new Green Lantern notes have hit the net. I am a big Green Lantern fan and to hear that DC is going to make a faithful movie based on Hal Jordan is good news. And to hear that they are going to start in September is even better news.

Word is that Warner Bros is scheduled to begin shooting Green Lantern in Australia in mid-September.

Producer Donald De Line had this to day, “The status is, funnily enough, we are leaving for Australia Wednesday night with Martin Campbell, our director, to go scout in Sydney and Melbourne, and we plan on starting to shoot mid-September in Australia.” De Line also admits that “we don’t have a soul cast” and reiterates that this story is “the Hal Jordan version of The Green Lantern”.

I can’t wait to hear the Green Lantern Oath on the big screen.

As a Green Lantern fan I am excited of this news. It is being reported all over the Internet that the Green Lantern movie will start shooting this upcoming Spring.

Newsarama.com ( a great comic book site with news and reviews) has the below to say:

Producer Donald De Line, who tells First Showing that a new draft of the script has been submitted, and the studio is “gearing up to start shooting early spring.”

While it’s not confirmed, he added that “it’s coming together and I’m excited about it. Hopefully we’ll make it to start gate. We’re really close – really close.”

The movie, directed by Greg Berlanti and written by Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim and Michael Green, will detail the origin of Hal Jordan, “with all the heroics and action inherent with that character.”

According to a script review — spoilers! — posted earlier this month at Latino Review, “The structure adheres closely to what I call — the ’superhero origin movie paradigm.’ Our hero, in this case Hal Jordan has a fear, limitation, block, or wound at the beginning of the story which he has to overcome (his character arc) or have some control by the midpoint of the script which is usually the time he becomes the superhero for the first time ie: Batman Begins.”

My opinion is if done right and true to the character this will be Warner Brother’s Iron Man.  I can’t wait to hear the Green Lantern oath on the big screen….”In brightes day and blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil’s might, beware my power…GREEN LANTERN’S LIGHT!”

And for those Duck Doger fans, “In Blackest Day or Brightest Night… uh, watermelon, cantalope, yada yada… a superstitious and cowardly lot… with liberty and justice for all!”

(Here is to hoping that Gnort or Chip never show up in a Green Lantern movie)