The Meat
DC Comics' most science fiction-y of superheroes has always been dear to my heart. Sure Hal Jordan can be really annoying (as can Kyle Rayner and Guy Gardner), but I love the whole Guardians/Oa thing, and I really dug Geoff Johns' series reboot. So when I heard Warner Bros. was making a feature film, I thought: "Wow, if this could be as good as The Dark Knight, or even X2, I'll be really happy."
Unfortunately, it wasn't to be. The problems begin with casting. Hal Jordan is supposed to be cocky but likable, headstrong but street smart; Ryan Reynolds plays him flat and emotionless. Then there's the inexplicable decision to cast hot-but-nothing-like-the-character Blake Lively (with unnatural looking died brown hair) as Carol Ferris. Of course, I might have been wrong about all this--had I been able to actually hear what they were saying while they were mumbling their lines. Hard to tell who to blame for this one: actors, director or production team.
The second fatal error was to try to incorporate 3 iconic GL villains into one film: Sinestro, Hector Hammond and Parallax. Sure Sinestro is there to basically set up the sequel (if they actually make one), but it's just too much. I know this was a decision made "for the fans," but I'm sure the fans would have preferred a better, more cohesive plot.
The bottom line is, Green Lantern is a very bad film adaptation of a beloved comic book franchise. But hey...there are some cool special effects.
The Math
Objective Quality: 3/10
Bonuses: +1 for stuff on Oa actually looking like it's supposed to
Penalties: -1 for terrible casting; -1 for not just adapting Rebirth.
Cult Film Coefficient: 2/10
