 |
|
|
GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT
(**½)
|
|
|
DVD
Movie Review by:
Jim "Good Old JR" Rutkowski
|
Directed by:
Lauren Montgomery |
Written by:
Alan Burnett |
Starring the Voices of:
Christopher Meloni, Victor Garber, Tricia Helfer |
Running time:
77 minutes
|
Released:
07/21/09-direct to dvd |
|
Rated PG-13
for sequences of sci-fi
action violence. |
|
|
"...he (Jordan) is an excruciatingly one-dimensional character that is
simply swept along from one action scene to the next."
|
|
|
Green Lantern is of course the DC comic book
superhero who is part of the Green Lantern Corps, an intergalactic police force
of sorts. This full-length made-for-DVD animated movie is an “origins” story in
which it is retold how a test pilot named Hal Jordan came to be in possession of
the ring powered by alien technology that gives him superpowers as the Green
Lantern.
To be honest about five minutes of the movie is concerned with how Jordan came
to be the Green Lantern. The rest is a sort of Training Day in outer space as
Jordan is shown the ropes by a fellow Green Lantern named Sinestro who turns out
to be a bad guy (no surprise there – what do you expect with a name like that?).
Sinestro thinks that the so-called Guardians of the Universe – the blue-skinned
alien geezers who are the Lanterns’ bosses – are too soft on galactic crime,
which probably makes him a Republican or something. Jordan has to foil his plot
to usurp the Guardians even though no-one trusts him because he is the new guy.
Lauren Montgomery who did Wonder Woman, the previous DC Universe flick, directs
the movie. Wonder Woman turned out to be an unexpectedly fun outing largely
thanks to some welcome humor and a nice comic turn by Nathan Fillon of Firefly
fame as Wonder Woman’s male cohort. (Or is that sidekick?) Unfortunately the
sense of fun and humor that made Wonder Woman so enjoyable is largely missing
from Green Lantern - First Flight.
Clocking in at a mere 77 minutes, Green Lantern is action-packed right from the
start, but the action comes at a price: not much effort is made to make Jordan
an interesting or even likable hero. In fact he is an excruciatingly
one-dimensional character that is simply swept along from one action scene to
the next. Maybe a slightly longer running time would have benefited the material
more – perhaps some scenes early on in which Jordan maybe has some difficulty
getting to master the ring’s powers. Or maybe misuse them for some minor
personal gain – maybe getting back at the guy who cuts in front of during peak
hour traffic or something. Anything! After all, what would you do if you came
into possession of a ring like that? Such scenes would make Jordan a bit easier
to relate to as a character.
Also, the movie is rated PG-13 largely thanks to some unnecessary violence and
“strong” language. This is a pity because the plot and the material never really
rise above that of your average Saturday morning cartoon. There is nothing
“adult” in it to be honest and it is a shame that smaller children won’t be able
to watch it.
The movie could have been better than it is, but the disc is worth it if only
for the five bonus Justice League cartoons picked by producer Bruce Timm. That
is of course if you don’t already have them on disc. Any of these episodes are
actually better than the main feature itself because they spend some time on
characterization.
The extras made especially for this release is on the disappointing side when
compared to those found on previous DC Universe flicks. A featurette promising
to “look at the symbolism of the ring in literary lore as reimagined for Green
Lantern” turns out to be nothing of the sort. A lot of talking heads on display,
but it is good to see that talented comic book writer Geoff Johns is quite a
busy guy as of late. Johns penned the upcoming Blackest Night, “the epic DC
Comics super hero event in which the dead rise.”
So file Green Lantern - First Flight under “disappointing”. This is unfortunate
because the bulk of the DC Universe Original Animated Movies line released by
Warner Premiere and Warner Bros have been first rate. (This film is the fifth
movie in the series. (The others were Superman: Doomsday, Justice League: The
New Frontier, Batman: Gotham Knight and Wonder Woman. Next up is
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies in September 2009). After all the animation is
up to the high standard one would expect of a movie in this series, the voice
talent is adequate and it never really bores. Well, not too much anyway. |
|
|
|
GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT
© 2009 Warner Premiere
All Rights Reserved
Review © 2009 Alternate Reality, Inc.
|
|
|
|
RELATED REVIEWS...
|
|
BLACKEST NIGHT #1 |
|
 |
|
"... I just can't really get
into Geoff Johns squeaky-clean style...." (DS)
|
|
|
|
WONDER WOMAN
DVD
|
|
 |
|
"...solid presentation that should satisfy the expectations of the most die hard
DC Comics fan" (JR) |
|
|
|
STAR WARS CLONE WARS |
|
 |
|
"It’s slight, but effective, only
requiring a crash helmet for a few of the script’s more outrageous and
ill-conceived characterizations" (JR) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
