I’ve been excited and worried about this one for a long time. Green Lantern is an exceptionally hard character to pull off in live-action. More than most other super-heroes, the effects are front and center, and extremely important to get right, but extremely susceptible to looking cartoony. They have to look realistic, and yet they have no connection to reality. The ring effects in particular should have substance, and yet not. Go too far one way or the other and you’ve lost suspension of disbelief. And then you’ve lost the movie. On the other hand, if you hit the visual balance right, you’re in the running, but you’ve still got to get the story right. And if they get that right? Total, full-on, awesomeness.
We’ve seen images of the upcoming film in dribs and drabs, but now we’ve finally got a full trailer to review. See it below in all it’s green-ness.
So did they hit the balance? Does this get me past the first hurdle and into the theater?
Maybe. Honestly, I’m not as impressed as I’d hoped I’d be. In fact, I might go so far as to say disappointed. In many parts it’s pretty obviously computer generated. I get that that’s how it has to be made, but it’s not supposed to look that way. But then they have a problem the other way, too – that scene where he flies in and kicks someone? I can vividly picture the wires and the track they hung from. I haven’t had that sensation in a big budget movie for a long time.
Then there’s the casting. Ryan Reynolds would not have been my choice for this role, and this trailer doesn’t do anything to change my mind on that. He just doesn’t have the gravity to pull this off, in my opinion.
It really pains me to be so negative on this. I very much want this film to be good. I hope as we see more down the road it becomes obvious that the failing is in the trailer, and not the film. I doubt it, but I live in hope.

No, at first glance it doesn’t do anything for me either. I’m willing to give it a chance though
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Jeff says:
November 17th, 2010 at 9:16 am
I’ll be giving it second chances all the way to opening day… maybe I’ll feel more charitable by then.
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Lee Sargent says:
November 18th, 2010 at 4:51 am
You’re just angry they’re focusing on the wrong Green Lantern

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LOL I think that looked freaking AWESOME! I’m really looking forward to it, I wasn’t sold before but the trailer just brought it home for me!!
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Jeff says:
November 17th, 2010 at 9:19 am
Maybe I was in a bad mood when I was watching it. It’s unusual that we’d differ on this kind of film. I’m hoping the next trailer sells it to me.
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Lee Sargent says:
November 18th, 2010 at 4:50 am
I guess my question would be how much of a fan of the character/comic books?
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Jeff says:
November 18th, 2010 at 9:28 am
Hard to categorize, I think. I really like the character, but most of my exposure has been through various Justice League TV incarnations, with a stint of GL Corps comics a couple years ago. It’d be fair to say, though, that I know more about the GLs universe than a particular character. I consider GL to be the one superhero I can think of that could realistically go toe-to-toe with Superman if it came down to it, and have a shot at winning.
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I think it looked good. I’m not as tied up in the effects as you, so I can buy it. But then, I’m not really too well acquainted with the comics, either.
(Aren’t you surprised that I actually watched the trailer? You should be.)
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Jeff says:
November 17th, 2010 at 9:21 am
I’m flabbergasted that you watched the trailer without me over your shoulder! Good job!
And if you’re into it, that significantly ups the odds that we’ll see it.
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[...] Thankfully, it almost all looks better than the first official trailer, which I basically panned. [...]