Green Lantern (2011)

I have never been much of a DC fan, personally, I have almost always been a Marvel girl. Not that I didn't read or collect DC, but…you know…favorites, but when I saw the first preview of the Green Lantern, I was pretty stocked. Ryan Reynolds playing the main character Hal Jordan definitely didn’t hurt either J So last night I went with my boyfriend to see it and it was worth it!

The story starts by explaining how the universe it is divided and protected by the Green Lantern Corps. A group of warriors from all the different races in the universe that have be selected and have sworn to keep intergalactic peace and order. Each of these warriors, these Green Lantern’s wear a ring that provides them with superpowers that are only hindered by the Lanterns will and imagination.

But in the Lost Quadrant, a new enemy was brewing, a threat that could destroy the balance of power in the universe, Parallax. Long ago, Parallax was imprisoned by the Green Lantern, Abin Sur but over time, Parallax got bigger and more powerful until he could escape his prison. With only the desire for revenge fueling him, Parallax begins to destroy Green Lanterns and engulf worlds that stand in his path.

Hearing the outcry in the universe, the Green Lanterns rise up to protect and Abin Sur rushes to the most recent cry or assistance in his sector. Sector 2814 (earth falls into this sector).  On his way, Abin receives a message from Sinestro (played by Mark Strong) informing him that all is lost and there is no point for him to continue on. Preparing to turn back, Abin is attack by Parallax, mortally wounded, he evacuates his ship and heads to the nearest inhabited planet in search of a new keeper for the ring. Abin lands on earth, sensing that his time is coming to a close, he sends out a calling for his replacement….

Meanwhile we meet Hal Jordan, a cocky young Air Force pilot. He and his longtime friend and childhood sweetheart Carol Ferris (played by Blake Lively) are selected to compete against the new Ferris Aircraft new robotically controlled aircraft. Ferris Aircraft, owned by Carol’s father Carl has spent years to ensure this government contract and this test was to show that these new aircraft could out fly and outsmart any human pilot. Hal determined to win at any cost, uses Carol as a decoy and fly’s dangerously high into the atmosphere until the new Farris jets stall out and crash down to earth. In the process of going above and beyond, his own aircraft stalled and started to fall back. Realizing that he was going to crash, Hal has a flash back to the day his father, Martin Jordan, died in a plane crash during a test flight for Ferris Aircraft. Hal snaps out just in time to evacuate his aircraft and survive.

Carol is furious with him for destroying his plane, pulling that idiotic stunt in front of the Secretary of Defense but most of all; she could tell that something happened to Hal in the plane. Realizing they may not get the new contract, Carl Ferris, downsizes and fires most of the staff. Hal refusing to talk about it and realizing he messed up he leaves to go to visit his nephew’s birthday party. His brothers and sisters are furious with him, all of them seeing what happened to their father almost happening to Hal. Hal, seeing that his nephew was disturbed by the incident went to make things right. After the party, Hal leaves only to have a giant green sphere enclose around him and take him to an alien space ship with a purple dying alien inside, Abin.

Seeing Abin in trouble, Hal rushes to the ship and pulls the dying man out. Not knowing what to do, Hal tries desperately to get Abin to hold on, but with his dying words he tells Hal that he was choose to take the ring, it was a great honor and that he should take the lantern, place the ring against it and speak the oath. Hal, unsure of what to do accepts the ring out of the dying man’s clutches; he buries him, takes the Lantern and calls his best friend.

Back in his apartment, Hal sits looking at the lantern, I can’t really blame him on this one, I would look at the lantern too. Suddenly his eyes go this strange white and he repeats the oath. I guess through some telepathic possession he amazingly knows the oath….

“In brightest day, in blackest night,
No evil shall escape my sight
Let those who worship evil’s might,
Beware my power… Green Lantern’s light!”

He goes all green glow like and then returns to normal in shock! As anyone would be, because seriously, if I just got electrocuted or whatever by a freaking 1920’s lantern I would beat someone down!

Later that night Carlo and Hal go out for a few drinks, you see the compassion that Carol has for Hal, but Carol is trying desperately to hold her feelings for him back.  Trying to pry into his personal life (like all woman do – I too am guilty of this – even though I do try my hardest not to be) he storms out of the bar. In the parking lot he is attached by 3 of the x-Ferris employees who are pissed off and blame in because they were not valuable enough in the company to avoid getting laid off. During the little scuffle Hal’s ring senses the danger and kicks in, knocking the crap out of the 3 drunken thugs.

Realizing his ring is doing some crazy ass stuff he tried to rip it off, but the ring has a plan of its own and suddenly he is rushing through the universe (how awesome would that be – no big bulky suit, not space ship, just you and the universe…tell me after experiencing something like that you wouldn’t realize just how small and insignificant you really are).

The ring takes him to Oa, home of the Green Lanterns, He awakes to see himself decked out in his green skin…after checking himself out in the mirror, he turns to see Tomar-Re (played by Dorian Kingi), a fish like humanoid, or a humanoid like fish. He introduces him to Oa and explains that there are “3600” Green Lanters across the universe each protecting its own sector. Hal’s sector is sector 2814. Tomar-Re explains to Hal, that the power of the Green Lanterns comes from “will” and the power of each Green Lantern is only as strong as his will. Tomar-Re and Kilowog (played by Michael Clarke Duncan) who is a bad as mo-fo take what seems to be only a few hours before Sinestro steps into the scene, completely embarrasses Hal and sends him crying back to earth

While Hal is getting his ass kicked on Oa, the government has found the Alien Abin and have called in Hector Hammon (played by Peter Sarsgaard) , a young scientist, friend of Hal and Carol and son of Senator Hammond (played by Tim Robbins). Now Hector just looks like an evil little freak of nature who kinda reminded me of Chucky. Hector, thanks to his father’s connections gets the opportunity to dissect the dead alien and in the process he finds some yellow blob (“fear”). The “fear” infects him and he slow starts to experience changes…he can read minds and his head gets all swollen and he looks even more freaky and evil than before if that is even possible.

Hal returning to earth makes his debut as the Green Lantern at Ferris Aircrafts dinner party announcing their new contract. Hector attends (thanks to his father) and he runs into his old friends Carol and Hal. You can tell that Hector has a thing for Carol, but she is too far out of his league and after trying to impress her by telling her he was just experimenting on an alien body his father pulls him away. Frustrated that his father doesn’t appreciate him or think of him as much of a success Hector slowly slips into furry. As the Senator prepares to leave in a Ferris Aircraft Bell Helicopter, Hector snaps and using his new found “fear” power he causes the Helicopter to careen out of control. Luckily Hal is there and saves the day…and the girl!

**stop reading if you haven’t seen the movie and skip to the last paragraph….the rest is pretty much a spoiler J**

Carol realizes who Hal is….guess that stupid little mask that only covered his face didn’t hid his identity very well.  Worst super hero hidden identity every, seriously by the end of this movie like 3 people know who he is and its only been like a week!!

The Senator, realizing that something is wrong with his son, attempts to help him, by hurting him, but it doesn’t work. Parallax has grown stronger inside him and he turns against his father. Hal shows up and he and Hector battle, the Green Lantern wins, but the Senator and everyone else in the building die.  Now Hector knows who is true enemy is…the Green Lantern, and he knows who the Green Lantern is…is long ago friend Hal. While fighting Hector, the Green Lantern learns that Parallax is on his way to earth to destroy him and destroy his planet.

Hal rushes off to Oa to request help from the Guardians, but unable to assist, the do admit that Parallax is in fact a Guardian who long ago, in an attempt to strengthen the power of the green lanterns tried to harness the power of “fear” but was in fact engulfed into it turning him into the monster he is today. Thanks to Abin, Parallax was imprisoned for years, but is now free. Sinestro believes that the Guardians should create a yellow (fear) ring but Hal disagrees, saying will is all they need to beat Parallax. He requests the assistance of other Green Lanterns, but is denied. He turns to go back to earth to fight the fear alone.

After he leaves, Sinestro convinces the Guardians to create a yellow ring….

Back on earth, stuff starts getting heated up. Hector has somehow become a cripple in a wheelchair, I guess his head got to heavy and he has kidnapped Carol. Hal tricks Hector into giving him Carol in exchange for the ring, but Hector didn’t realize the ring only worked for the chosen one. While all this is going on, Parallax is in the background…eating up the city, destroying everyone in its path. When Hal finally defeats Hector…after about 2 min…the guy is just a creepy pedo, Parallax is disappointed and eats, consumes Hectors fear. Ringless (because he gave it to Hector to confuse him) Parallax goes after Hal, but Carol runs over to Hectors dead body, pulls of the ring and tosses it to Hal. Hal and the Parallax battle…badly and within 5 minutes they are in space and Parallax is being consumed by a sun. Hal himself would have did if Sinestro, Tomar-Re and Kilowog had not shown up in the last minute to pull him from the gravitational pull of the sun.

Hal returns to earth, gets the girl…

Sinestro…of course puts on the Yellow ring…idiot!

I guess they will never really be able to turn Carol into Star Sapphire, because how can Star Sapphire and the Green Lantern not know each other’s true identity and fight battles if they already do. Guess they will just have to skip ahead and create Star Sapphire already separate from Carol.

Overall I loved the effects of the movie. I was a little disappointed by the ending, I just felt something was missing, but that could have been just me. Overall, this is a movie that is worth seeing…if you have already seen Thor , you can check out my blog on Thor. I did like it more than X-Man 1^st Class however, but the summer is still young. I am already looking forward to Green Lantern 2, because after they have already banked at the box office this one is already in production and I expect we will see it in 2012 easy.