The Nerdy Bird reviews Green Lantern…ON VIDEO!
Well, I decided to try something new. I type so much every day I felt like giving my fingers a rest and review the new Green Lantern movie in a video instead! Let me know what you think! Without further ado… (slight non-plot related spoilers)
And as an extra treat, take a gander at who was featured in Katrina Hill’s (ActionChick) Green Lantern-inspired webcomic this week! (Click to view larger of course.)
Did they capture me or what?
Let me know what you thought of the movie in the comments!
As far as the video element, Please continue. It's great to be able to work and listen to a well-thought-out review at the same time. Could do the same thing with a podcast as well. Have you considered joining one? Not as if there aren't enough out there!
As far as the movie, I whole-heartedly concur in the confusion over the weird hate against this movie. It was a perfectly enjoyable summer flick. Could it have been better? Maybe, but even as a fan of (pre-Zero Hour) GL, I have to say I was happy walking out of the theater.
And, even though Kilowog and Tomar Re didn't get a lot of lines, Michael Clark Duncan and Geoffrey Rush were pitch perfect in their portrayals. Yes, Mark Strong was amazing, but I MISSED THE EASTER EGG! I was sitting there and thought, "I should wait," but I'd left my wife at home alone with the 15 month old and the 4 year old on the weekend and I was feeling more and more guilty with every passing second.
Anyway, on the whole, I thought it was wonderful. I've said before that I thought it was a solid B or B+ effort.
Oh how I love the intelligence on the internet. Jojo, I don't title my blog "I will not marry you," that's in the bio of my Twitter account. So thanks for taking the time to read both that and enough of my blog to categorize my work as on par with a 12 year old. And yes, i've had several marriage proposals online, I'm sure they were all wonderful gentlemen but I didn't know them. Thanks again for taking the time to read and comment!
And thank you to all the other legitimately wonderful comments on this post. :)
Do you have some type of mental disease? Why do you title your blog as "I will not marry you"? Do you really believe any decent man would propose to you online? Your looks are average at most, and most of what you post is crap on the same grade as any 12 years old kid.
yeah the movie was more disappointing then bad… just felt like a lot of wasted potential. I'll buy it on blu-ray when it's released but I didn't love it.
I love you NERDY BIRD!!
-Ross
really, did anyone expect great? i've seen pretty much all the comic-themed movies, and while there are varying degrees of quality available, i wouldn't call them great movies, like in the sense i'd call the princess bride or apocalypse now great movies.
I would be kind of interested in seeing another video review for x-men: first class.
I think the worst aspect of the film was the pacing. Which I guess also ruined the character and plot. It was a drive by movie. Plot points and character arcs didn't develop, they just happened. It was like they had the plot points on a checklist and just wanted to check them off in a two hour time period with as little time using the expensive CGI as they could. If the plot twists and character developments made sense in that time span, damned if they care as long as they get that expensive CGI out of the way.
Meanwhile I thought Reynolds was a decent Hal, much better than the trailers. If only they didn't fast forward his character through the events. Yeah, it made him look like an ass as some have said. He was the hero because the movie title said so, not because any of the plot of characters made him all that heroic. Hal was always kinda a prick, and I know Kyle and fans of other GLs have kinda been averse to him because of it, but he was never this much of a dick.
And Sinestro putting on the ring at the end? Laaaaame. Talk about blowing your load early. Again, Warners just fast forwarded through the entire movie. They even gave up something after the credits that should have developed during the first third of the next one.
I enjoyed it… but it was like a cliff notes version of the movie I really wanted. It was like your parents taking you to Disney Land, then maybe going on one short ride and walking past the rest on the way to the exit.
There is no doubt Sinestro not only stole the show, but could carry a movie himself. They've set up the sequel to be SO much better than the original. I found myself wanting to see more of Sinestro and Hal interacting.
Hi Jill, I have to echo the other comments in hopes you'll keep the video reviews alive, although the voice/video interface also went a bit wonky for me toward the end (but that might well have been my sad little netbooks fault :)
The thing that struck me about the film was the massive info dump their choice of subject forced on the audience. I think if they'd kept Hal alone on earth to figure it out himself and saved the corps for the sequels it might have been a lot more engaging – maybe had Sinestro show up to ask after Abin Sur and show Hal the basics to battle Parallax, then off to Oa for the cliffhanger ending. It would have let us see more of Hal at home, given us more of the hero's journey . . . but that's just armchair quarterbacking from yet another fanboy after the fact. I didn't mind Reynolds in the role, I liked the all too brief relationship he had with his nephew and friend, and loved that one scene where he {very mild spoiler here} tried on his Batman voice disguise and Carol exclaimed "I've seen you naked Hal! What? You didn't think I'd recognize you if you hid your cheekbones?" Thanks again, and you'll always be Oracle to me, DCnU be damned.
It's funny you mention the Dark Knight score because James Newton Howard scored Green Lantern and both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight (with Hans Zimmer). But I don't think Green Lantern was approached the same way TDK's score was.
I haven't really read any Green Lantern books (that'll change with the relaunch), but Kyle Rayner and Kilowog are some of my best friends' favorite comic characters, so I know the basic stuff. "Good, but not great" is good way of describing the movie. It was actually a better than I expected and I was excited for it. I can understand why some fans of the comic are disappointed in it, but I don't really get why critics have been ripping it apart so badly. The movie was jumpy, but that didn't bother me. My only complaint is that Hal wasn't on Oa long enough.
Definitely do more video reviews! It's a welcome change for someone with credentials such as yourself. Oh, and there was totally no John Stewart anywhere in the movie.
BDS, thank you SO much for bringing up the Superman score thing. After I ended the video I realized I forgot to talk about the score, which bothered me. First, i felt like there was hardly any music in the beginning, allowing the film to be too quiet. Then, like you said, when Hal did something dramatic I TOTALLY heard part of the Superman score. All together it was ok music but nothing that would stand out and make me remember it later like the Dark Knight soundtrack.
More of these videos please. I liked the movie. It was not the biggest of events, but it also seemed to be a throwback to the original Superman movies in some ways. I even heard just a chord selection from that score in the GL music when Hal did something dramatic.
You are my geek crush girl. Keep writing and informing. Later.
You're a lot nicer than I thought you'd be after the film. And will I don't support pointless raging that most of us internet fanboys (& girls) have, I am extremely disappointed by this film, especially since GL is one of my 5 favorite superheroes & the fact that Reynolds is playing Hal means I won't get to see a Deadpool movie anytime soon.
While I understand taking liberties with the canon to make a good movie, this movie wasn't very good as a film. Ang Lee massacred the Hulk origin, but the story he told was complete & compelling. This movie seemed too rushed with so many plot holes, set pieces happened just because they did. There were too many ideas that were hinted at but never really expanded on.
In my head, I felt it was too early to introduce the concept of Parallax. There was already a lot going on. So much so that they lost any emotional resonance that Hal should be feeling when Sinestro finally turned.
Any GL movie should be in 3 parts,
1) Hal & Sinestro's friendship
2) Sinestro's corruption
3) Hal besting Sinestro
Their Parallax wasn't very menacing. For the very embodiment of fear, I was expecting something more terrifying (or a Ray Wise sort of cool businessman type). It was a wasted opportunity to put Sinestro & Jordan on the same side.
In fact. Mark Strong had so little to do that it pissed me off. His speeches were great but it was like Henry V without his Agincourt.
Things arbitrarily happened without barely any explanation. Sinestro putting on the ring after the credits? Made no sense & completely destroyed a possibly momentous scene in the second movie.
As far as the movie went, I'm not angry. I'm extremely disappointed. It was a wasted opportunity. This movie could have been great. Even a simplification of the GL: Secret Origins would have made more sense here.
I'm glad you enjoyed the movie though. I might not agree with you on the depth of the movie but it's an amalgamation of different views that make discussing comic books fun. I hope you do more reviews & you are a very attractive woman. Plus based on your comic book geekery, it's like a dream. =)
Jill, I agreed with everything you said. Heck, I was saying some of it to myself before you did. We're very much on the same page with this movie — good, not great, but still entertaining. Slightly disjointed pacing. Didn't hate Reynolds or Lively as much as I thought I would. Wanted more of the Corps. Was also looking for John Stewart. But I was smiling widely and having lots of geek-out moments like you were. So not perfect but overall, I enjoyed it.
Definitely a fan of the video reviews. I hope you do more. You spoke very eloquently and as others have said, you're very photogenic (we sound like sad comics nerds trying to hit on you but it's true :P).
Also…you made your own Dex-Starr! That's awesome!
Jill, The video was very well done. You have at least put my mind at ease to see Green Lantern. It was nice to actually hear the review for I was able to deduce certain tones of thought that I would not have reading. Thanks for all your good work.
Loved the video, you should do more. :)
Jill,
Agreed with your review of the GL movie 100 percent – loved your video and hope you post tons more!
You video was great. You did a really good job of it. Good review, too. This is the type of stuff I'd want to know, as a fan.
This is one my Dad really wants to see. He's been talking about it for months.
I wish they didn't have to do the origin story every time. It would be nice to just have a Green Lantern story right out of the gates without having to do the whole origin.
bigdirkmalone.tumblr.com
Jill, love the video review – it definitely works for you, and you seemed very relaxed and natural. Definite thumbs up and you should totally do more. As for the film itself, I'm waiting til after the weekend to see it – I've taken the day off work – to avoid the rush, and I too am a huge GL fan…BUT, my expectations are not high and I DON'T expect a perfect adaptation, unlike most. I'll be happy if it entertains me, looks great and FEELS right. I mean, I LIKE Tron Legacy, so I'm used to people slamming films that I enjoy, so maybe I'll dig it a little more than some, due to my expectations being a little more realistic.
Hell, it can't be, like, DAREDEVIL levels of wrongness, can it?
In brightest day,
in waste of a night
With pacing that will make you nap.
Let those who worship sub par films
enjoy them some Green Lantern crap !
Yeah Jill, you should do more video reviews! Your very photogenic and you have a really nice voice. One thing though, you should script yourself and practice a little bit before you record it on camera. I can't help but feel, had you written it, all your thoughts would have been laid out along with your supporting arguments succinctly and sequentially.
Think of Siskel and Ebert and how they managed to make sound very thoughtful, intelligent analysis sound natural. You have all the smarts and camera presence you need to do likewise.
Having not seen the movie, I do have two minor quibbles with a couple of things you said. Myself, I don't think the inclusion of the corps. is required in the FIRST movie. It IS a huge part of the mythology, but really it only comes into play much later in the characters history, I think, with the exception of Sinestro including them in the first movie might perhaps be overkill. Better to spend the time on character development, I think.
The second quibble is in hoping for a sequel. Yes, on the one hand, I'd like to GL get the 5 star treatment he deserves, but if a sequel is made, they're unlikely to do a recast, which means we'd be stuck with Ryan Reynolds. I like what another reviewer said, that he'd have been better cast as Kyle Raynor. But who wants to see that?
Great Video! Between the shirt, Dex and the hair thought I was watching Oracle give us a review. Though I noticed as the video went on the sound and picture got out of sync. No big, maybe the video just needs to be calibrated.
As for the actual review… Agree with 100% of what you said. I actually think the movie could have been longer. It only clocked in around 105 min. Add an extra 15 for an even 2 hrs and then we have enough time to get into Oa and the Corps more. Also thought the "Hal family" scene at the beginning was good… but since we never see them again it should have ended on the cutting room floor so, again more action with the Corps.
I DO kind of understand why they did it. Leave something for the sequel, keep them wanting more… but a bit more of a hook for the Corps would have helped.
I share your fear about this movie. With all the press about the budget and the bad reviews, if it doesn't do well… Batman and Superman may be all we ever see from the DC library for a long time. Also think a boat was missed with the digital relaunch. What better way to promote a movie that to launch your online comics on the same day of the movie launch. That way the feed on each other.
With the DC relaunch looming, (DON'T GET ME STARTED!) and a good chance for GL to be a 200 mil failure… It's a tough time to be a DC fan.
But not a bad time to be a Nerdy Bird fan. Here is to more video reviews! (Sorry about the long reply!)
Ryan Reynolds is a big star? I should be, but he's not. But with this review, it confirms my pre-beliefs about the movie. I knew it wasn't going to be epic from the beginning. I like Reynolds but I think he looks like Kyle Rayner rather than Hal. But I still want to see it, just on a discount day. Probably a great rental though
Jill, you should definitely do more video reviews. The first thing that struck me is that you are very easy on the eyes (in case you don't get what that means, you're an extremely pretty young lady), and you have an enticing voice.
But the kicker, of course, is here we are getting a review from someone who understands who Hal Jordan is, and what the Green Lantern Corps is, and what the stories symbolize.
Anyhow, please, please, please, continue doing video reviews. I want reviews from someone who shares the same love of the genre that I do.