“Green Lantern” Movie Trailer Review

“Green Lantern”

Movie Trailer Review

By our guest blogger, Joe Oliveto

It’s been a little more than a decade since Bryan Singer’s “X-Men” hit theaters, sparking the revolution of comic book movies that continues to this day. While we’ve seen some excellent entries into the genre—“The Dark Knight” and “Iron Man” come to mind—we’ve also encountered our fair share of disappointments. While it would be foolish to attempt to explain in simple terms why some of these films worked while others failed, it must be said that the memorable ones all share a strong focus on character. Sure, we like special-effects spectacles and action movie thrills, but it is the inner struggle that makes us care about these characters enough to be invested in the film.

So, we’re a little wary of “Green Lantern.” From a fanboy perspective, it does look fairly exciting; the idea of a ring which allows the wearer to conjure up anything he can imagine is enticing for those of us who grew up desperately wanting superpowers. However, from this trailer, we’re not noticing any strong emotional conflict. Sure, there appears to be a love story injected into the plot, but this is Hollywood we’re talking about—studio execs would find a way to toss a sexy romance into a movie about Buddhist monks if they thought it would sell more tickets.

The problem is Ryan Reynolds. While anyone who saw “Buried” knows that he has come a long way since his “Van Wilder” days, he doesn’t seem to be hitting the right notes for this character. Part of that may be the fact that he is forced to spend most of his time acting on a green-screen; moments in the trailer are reminiscent of the kind of inauthentic drama that plagued the “Star Wars” prequels.

To be fair, though, it’s never easy to cut a trailer that can balance thrills and story. From an emotional perspective, “Green Lantern” doesn’t look all that promising, but there’s still a good chance it will surprise us.