So I just saw the Extended Cut of Green Lantern, never saw it in theaters. While it had "ok" moments, overall the film lacked well developed characters, a solid villain, real direction, and epicness.
The extended version started off showing Hal as a child overhearing his mom tell his dad that she was worried etc. Then his dad talks to Hal, it's paralleled later when he talks with his nephew. Those scenes were really, really well done, I don't understand why the theatrical version removed that scene and only used a snippet as flashbacks. Really poor decision making there.
Ryan Reynolds...I don't know what to say. He had decent moments like with his nephew, or at the end reciting the oath while he fought Parallax but for the majority he was just not interesting. Hal Jordan from the comics seems like Han Solo or Captain Kirk with a power ring. Yes he's cocky and fun but not...smarmy as someone called it. Just look at how Star Trek introduced us to Kirk.
He was shown to brash, impulsive, but with lots of untapped potential. In like 15 mins you actually cared about this cocky jokester and wanted to follow him on his journey. They gave him heart while still being true to his arrogant behavior. That's the sort of approach that Hal Jordan needed. Instead we got the weak guy with so much self doubt and just waiting around being afraid of everything it was off-putting.
I recently re-watched FF4 one and two, and found the approach to Johnny Storm would've been more true to Hal Jordan, he's cocky, a little full of himself but he needs to learn responsibility. It's hard to imagine Johnny walking around depressed and doubting himself for half the movie, then running around half cocked. Even the sequel in which he did feel like he was a screw up he still never descended into the needless second guessing, "i feel sorry and need a pep talk constantly" that Hal did in GL. The script really made him more frustrating to watch than anything. I don't know how Ryan would've done with a better script but as it was it just made the character less than likable.
The movie should’ve felt epic on a grand scale. And you can say what you want about budget restraints but I agree with the poster that said it was a bad use of budget.
OA and the Corps was entirely unimpressive. I expected something akin to Asgard, that looked amazing and really draws you in, you want to see more of it. Instead they pushed the “Alieness” of it to the point of abstraction. I found myself trying to figure out what I was looking at as they flew over OA. And this is from a guy who’s seen First Flight and read the comics for years! I felt the same way about the alien GLs. They really pushed them to look “alien” but so much so that it was again offputting. The scenes with all of them gathered together should’ve felt epic instead it just felt “meh”. The GLs they focused on were all good, but man despite the fact the number, the lack of development of anyone else made the Corp feel small scale when it should’ve felt epic….like Asgard…yes I went there again.
Secret Origin did a much better job of developing him as a character before he ever gets the ring. If I’m not mistaken the entire first issue shows his journey from his father’s death to his time in the Air Force (does the movie even mention that has in the air force) to him being dishonorably discharged for striking a superior officer (which he did on purpose b/c he needed to get out but wouldn’t quit) etc. It showed his depth. He wasn’t just some screw up who had everything handed to him and just squandered it away as the movie points out. He was a guy trying to follow in his father’s footsteps, a bit of a cocky hothead, who gives it up when his younger brother tells him his mother is seriously ill but has refused to see him as long as he’s in the Air Force. So he strikes another officer, gets kicked out just so he can see his mom and she dies before he gets there. Guy hits rock bottom, then gets test pilot job at Ferris Air. He’s clearly meant for more but is at a loss for what to do, when the ring summons him. Now that is a character arc. Even if you don’t go into all that detail, just give time to flesh him out so you don’t have to question why he was chosen the whole movie. Again I refer to the 15 min intro to Captain Kirk as a child and before entering Star Fleet. You see he’s cocky, yet you care about him and his potential as well. So well done.
