The 2011 movie and the green lantern brand

[Herowatcher]

I honestly didn't think it was *that* bad...it wasn't great, but it was still much more watchable than BATMAN AND ROBIN.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

I feel the same.
It was better than the Man of Steel IMO.

[Grim Ghost]

It was simply a very mediocre film. Not even close to something truly terrible like Batman and Robin or the last Fantastic 4 movie. It was more like Superman Returns, just a pretty forgettable film. I think it is mostly forgotten by the general public now so I don't see it as being a problem for something like Justice League where Green Lantern isn't even the main attraction.

I don't even think it really matters which Lantern they go with. They could even use an alien Lantern or a brand new character and 99% of people won't care beyond message boards.

[WillieMorgan]

Sure, if a movie is an absolute failure, then maybe they need to walk away quietly. I can see that with CATWOMAN or JONAH HEX. But most of their movies have made money and if they just brave face it, then people will forget. It's when WB flinches that people start to remember--and then the movies appear to be greater failures.

I agree that DC/WB would do themselves a big favour if they showed a little more faith in their properties. Regrettably, I feel that the GL movie should be compared more to the likes of 'Catwoman' and 'Jonah Hex' than, say, 'Man Of Steel'. Obviously the economics of those movies were way different but GL must have lost them a LOT of money. There was no possibility of a sequel getting greenlit. Not in that instance.

You can make that same argument about any DC title not named Batman, Harley Quinn or Justice League.

It's not worth it man. Unless the GL comics are selling a quarter of a million copies each issue or exactly mirror his fan-fiction then that CBR member is never gonna stop using them as a punching bag.

[AcesX1X]

here is three things i felt were really awful from the gl movie:

1. the cloud parallax
2. hector hammond love triangle with carol and hal
3. amanda waller was a joke!

if they had worked on those 3 things a little bit harder, i really think that people would have loved this movie more. but i guess it's a waste now.

[Crazy Diamond]

here is three things i felt were really awful from the gl movie:

1. the cloud parallax
2. hector hammond love triangle with carol and hal
3. amanda waller was a joke!

if they had worked on those 3 things a little bit harder, i really think that people would have loved this movie more. but i guess it's a waste now.

Angela Basset was one of the few watchable performers in that film. Mark Strong did a good job with what he had too.

[Jim Kelly]

I confess to liking the movie a lot more than others. I can't see the argument that it was a soulless corporate product--not from day one, anyhow--because things I found odd were not the kind of things that would come from corporate thinking. For example, the Hector Hammond character--and played by Peter Sarsgaard--hardly seems like something that would come out of committee. I really didn't like that approach, but it was a very outside of the box choice. I believe it was the wrong choice to build the movie around that character, but it seemed very much an artistic choice. I can respect that.

What did appear corporate thinking to me was the effort to jam in a lot of effects in post-production. The way that the Green Lantern Corps didn't fit in organically with the plot. And yet editing down the movie and taking out scenes that were supposed to be part of the movie to tell the story. That all made it uneven. That's the kind of thing that seems to happen to all DC comic book movies--after the director and crew have finished their artistic version of the movie, then the suits insist on adding a bunch of junk while editing down the run time so they can get more theatrical showings per day. It happens so often with DC movies that it's become absolutely predictable.

[Güicho]

With Green Lantern, it felt like corporate product manufactured. Aside from Greg Berlanti and Geoff Johns, was anyone on that film a fan of the character? Or were they just trying to cash in on the latest nerd IP?

In case anyone missed the random hotwheels product placement in the middle of the film.
This was made by the higher ups to sell toys.
Marvel was already developing relatively b-d list properties (as far as mainstream) and making a killing and creating their shared Universe.
While WB corporate was still only looking at, and pushing to develop off only the Batman Superman brand names, and potential toy contracts.
That's all they saw, they were still like - huh? We have other franchises? Like what?

So the first thing they pushed through, and actually green-lit was the Robert Smigel, Jack Black comedy version of GL.
Which would have been a one-note joke, but they were willing to cash in on the then Jack Black craze.
Despite Marvel's success the WB corporate still did not get the success Marvel had in developing these as serious franchises, and the potential for world building.

WB just weren't there, they did not see it. And this is reflected in how they are still half-assed stumbling into it now.
While Marvel got it done ages ago.

WB corporate finally saw - Oh they want to do this somewhat serious?
It took Berlanti's hasty script (and loose trilogy concept) and Johns sudden rise, to push just to stop! the Smigel comedy script, (which would have at least been funny, but set up the DCU as a joke).


But it was done to quick. The story wasn't ready, Johns afterthought input became disjointed, and the production pieces - Directing, Casting, Visual FX, all put together with little passion from the top down by corporate WB.

Al hung on the "smoke-monster villain of the week" and the hideously creepy exposed-muscle-tissue-glowing-green-bacon-looking suit, which was disgusting!

[AcesX1X]

Angela Basset was one of the few watchable performers in that film. Mark Strong did a good job with what he had too.

really and how do you figure? my memory of that movie is fuzzy, but all i remember her doing is getting slapped up against the wall like a ragdoll weakling. she barely spoke

[The Darknight Detective]

It was simply a very mediocre film. Not even close to something truly terrible like Batman and Robin or the last Fantastic 4 movie. It was more like Superman Returns, just a pretty forgettable film. I think it is mostly forgotten by the general public now so I don't see it as being a problem for something like Justice League where Green Lantern isn't even the main attraction.

I don't even think it really matters which Lantern they go with. They could even use an alien Lantern or a brand new character and 99% of people won't care beyond message boards.

Yeah, at worst, it was just meh. For me, it was okay, though too much was crammed into too short of a film.

[Crazy Diamond]

really and how do you figure? my memory of that movie is fuzzy, but all i remember her doing is getting slapped up against the wall like a ragdoll weakling. she barely spoke

I won't say that it was one of Bassett's best roles, but given what little she had to work with she did what she could. I'll admit that I'm a fan of Bassett in general and feel that she's an underrated performer at times.

[WillieMorgan]

So the first thing they pushed through, and actually green-lit was the Robert Smigel, Jack Black comedy version of GL.
Which would have been a one-note joke, but they were willing to cash in on the then Jack Black craze.
Despite Marvel's success the WB corporate still did not get the success Marvel had in developing these as serious franchises, and the potential for world building.

WB just weren't there, they did not see it. And this is reflected in how they are still half-assed stumbling into it now.
While Marvel got it done ages ago.

WB corporate finally saw - Oh they want to do this somewhat serious?
It took Berlanti's hasty script (and loose trilogy concept) and Johns sudden rise, to push just to stop! the Smigel comedy script, (which would have at least been funny, but set up the DCU as a joke).


But it was done to quick. The story wasn't ready, Johns afterthought input became disjointed, and the production pieces - Directing, Casting, Visual FX, all put together with little passion from the top down by corporate WB.

Yeah, this is a pretty good summary of the production process. WB not realising what they were sitting on (unlike Marvel). Greenlighting a comedic inspired take on the character, mercifully back-tracking on that but chucking several ideas and pitches into one film making it a confused mess. That's the 2011 film.

I guess we should be thankful though. Talking about the film damaging the GL brand, imagine how awful it would have been had the Smigel script been developed.

'Oh, Green Lanterns just a joke character...'

[The Darknight Detective]

Yeah, this is a pretty good summary of the production process. WB not realising what they were sitting on (unlike Marvel). Greenlighting a comedic inspired take on the character, mercifully back-tracking on that but chucking several ideas and pitches into one film making it a confused mess. That's the 2011 film.

I guess we should be thankful though. Talking about the film damaging the GL brand, imagine how awful it would have been had the Smigel script been developed.

'Oh, Green Lanterns just a joke character...'

Well, it did work for Batman in '66, so why not GL in 2011?

[Jim Kelly]

Given DC's desperate need to get some diversity into the Justice League, I'm surprised they haven't put a random female GL into the mix. I hardly think it would hijack the whole movie. And they are including Aquaman who is a much bigger joke to the public at large than Green Lantern ever was.

[AcesX1X]

Given DC's desperate need to get some diversity into the Justice League, I'm surprised they haven't put a random female GL into the mix. I hardly think it would hijack the whole movie. And they are including Aquaman who is a much bigger joke to the public at large than Green Lantern ever was.

i would love LOVE for jessica and baz to go to the cinematic universe. but jessica's story needs time to tell...more than you can do in the first jl movie

[Uncanny Mutie]

here is three things i felt were really awful from the gl movie:

1. the cloud parallax
2. hector hammond love triangle with carol and hal
3. amanda waller was a joke!

Amanda Waller was fine. The three things I would list that killed the GL movie are:

1. Horrible, cheap looking, half done looking, CGI/special effects
2. Should have spent more time in space with the Corps, interacting with Alien lifeforms. If they would have built up that aspect of the GL mythos, they could have built a movie universe somewhat like the Star Wars franchise. HUGE missed opportunity there.
3. Lame villains (Hector Hammond and yellow cloud Parallax).