Green Lantern the Movie

I went to see the Green Lantern movie yesterday. I'd heard a lot about the movie going in. Mostly I was hearing bad things. People saying the movie was "terrible" or some such nonsense.

It should come as not surprise to all of you that I greatly enjoyed the Green Lantern movie. Was it the apex of humankind's cinematic achievement? No. Was it the best comic book move ever made? Certainly not. But it was exactly what a comic book movie should be: entertaining.

I had a lot of fun watching the movie. It was a little slow in the middle but mostly I had a blast. The special effects were beautiful and I felt that the casting was mostly very, very good. Mark Strong nailed Sinestro, Peter Sarsgaard was perfectly creepy as Hector Hammond.

And Ryan Reynolds? Reynolds got the role just right. He was cocky and a bit of an asshole which is exactly what Hal Jordan needs to be. But he also managed to add aspects to Hal Jordan that we rarely get to see.

There was a seen in the film -- I don't remember exactly where -- Hal was up against a major villain. He was gritting his teeth and wielding his ring and he recited the Green Lantern oath as he did it. I remember saying aloud (without thinking about it): "That's Hal Jordan." And I'd never felt that a comic character was so effectively portrayed on screen as he was at that moment.

I'm pleased to see that despite lackluster reviews and lower than hoped for box office receipts we'll probably get a sequel. There's a lot of territory to explore. Let's hope this film helps opens up a whole universe -- specifically the DC Universe -- to the movie going public.