“Green Lantern” is a solid romantic comedy trapped in a terrible superhero movie

One of the recurring problems with most superhero movies released today is that their romantic subplots are completely uninteresting. It’s actually quite shocking that, despite the radical evolution of the genre, the idea of ​​romance in a comic book universe hasn’t evolved all that much since the release of . Superman: The Movie in 1978. Even the best comic book adaptations are privy to this problem; The Dark Knight is called a modern masterpiece, but the chemistry between Christian Bale And Maggie Gyllenhaal is sorely lacking. Ironically, one of the worst comic book movies of all time actually has a solid romantic plotseen in the chemistry between Blake Lively And Ryan Reynolds in 2011 Green Lantern.

Green Lantern is often cited as one of the most disastrous superhero films in the history of the genre. Fans of the DC Comics universe had waited decades to see the Green Lantern Corps brought to life on the big screen in a stunning space opera adventure, but what they got was an over-the-top, cheesy and emotionally hollow work of Hollywood cynicism that seemingly had no respect for the source material. The idea that Green Lantern would kickstart a new franchise for Warner Bros. was immediately written off as no version of the character appeared in the DC Extended Universe, which began with Man of Steel two years later. Although it was a colossal failure of a superhero film, Green Lantern isn’t that bad if you consider it a romantic comedy.

Green Lantern

Reckless test pilot Hal Jordan receives an alien ring that gives him supernatural powers and introduces him to an intergalactic police force, the Green Lantern Corps.

Release date

17 June 2011

Duration

114 minutes

Authors

Greg Berlanti, Michael Green, Marc Guggenheim, Michael Goldenberg

slogan

In the brightest day, in the darkest night.

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“Green Lantern”: The chemistry between Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively is great

The most interesting aspects of Green Lantern are scenes that take place on earth, without supernatural elements. The beginning of the film focuses on Hal Jordan (Reynolds) going on dangerous missions and performing radical stunts for the Ferris Aircraft Corporation, much to the annoyance of her vice president Carol (Lively). The setup is perfect in the classic “opposites attract” premise of a romantic comedy; Hal doesn’t seem to care in the slightest about the risks he takes if it gives him a chance to prove his skills, but Carol has serious concerns about the future of her company and the preservation of her family legacy. Hal’s injury ties their fates together in a way that forces them both to rethink their approaches; it all becomes quite charming before Hal is catapulted into space to meet with Thaal Sinestro (Mark Stark) and the other members of the Green Lantern Corps.

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The romance between Hal and Carol is far better developed than the relationships in most comic book filmsas the film takes the time to explore their backstories before the science fiction side of the story kicks in. The idea of ​​childhood friends getting back together later in life is a common trend in romantic films (including Lively’s latest starring film, It ends with us), and it manages to avoid moments of explanation that would have dragged the film down had it begun with a traditional “meet cute.” Since Carol and Hal already know a lot about each other’s goals, Green Lantern succeeds in linking the two thematically in an exciting way: Both try to continue their fathers’ legacy and are secretly afraid of not living up to the responsibility that comes with it.

“Green Lantern” works even without superhero elements

Green Lantern has much more self-confidence than most comic book adaptations. One of the strangest cliches in superhero cinema is the idea that no one would recognize a mysterious crime fighter if he wore a mask that covered a quarter of his face. This premise may have its roots in the Golden Age of comics, but it seems completely ridiculous in modern adaptations where the internet and news footage are more common. Green Lantern has fun with this concept in a scene where Hal, still in his armor, shows up at Carol’s apartment and is immediately recognized. This was a fun inside joke for comic book fans and took a playful approach to the source material, but it may have also appealed to non-Obsessed who viewed the story from a more realistic perspective. It also managed to make Carol an active character in her own right rather than just a secondary love interest who was only there to be rescued.

Green Lantern begins to fall apart when it distracts the attention of Hal and Carolas none of the other Green Lantern Corps characters introduced in space have any real personality. The CGI looks bland, making it difficult to get a real feel for the action dynamics or the stakes. As entertaining as Peter Sarsgaard than Hector seemed to have Hammond, his entire villain subplot felt like an underdeveloped storyline that would have been much better suited to a sequel. The final act of Green Lantern is not only the epitome of why audiences are sick of superhero movies, it’s also the moment when the film decides that creating massive spectacle seems more important than deepening the relationship between the two actors, who actually did have chemistry.

Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively deserve a better romantic comedy

The relationship between Reynolds and Lively is perhaps the best aspect of Green Lanterns legacybecause the two married shortly after they met on set. Green Lantern himself became the object of ridicule, which Reynolds even mocked in the post-credit scene Deadpool 2but Lively was finally able to team up with her husband for a cameo appearance as Lady Deadpool in Deadpool and Wolverine. Both Reynolds and Lively have done great work in the romantic comedy genre and are now at the peak of their popularity as the internet’s favorite couple. If nothing else, Green Lantern had a greater impact on the romantic comedy genre than on the intended franchise.

Green Lantern can be rented from Amazon in the USA

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