Green Lantern 2011 Revisited With Fresh Eyes

Green Lantern (2011) has a reputation that hits before the opening credits, so we did the only fair thing: we rewatched it and talked it out like movie nerds with long memories. Along the way, we detour through real life updates, including a genuinely wild parenting discovery where a single voice command and the right song can calm a crying newborn in minutes, plus a quick run of recent rewatches that reminded us how much style matters when a superhero movie commits to a look.

Then we get into the main event: Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern Corps, and a movie that wanted to launch a bigger DC shared universe years before that idea fully solidified on the DC side. We break down what still works, including the unapologetically comic book scale, the willpower versus fear theme, and the fun of seeing Lantern mythology on screen. We also dig into what holds it back, like the heavy CGI feel, the infamous mask design, and a plot that splits attention across Hector Hammond and Parallax in ways that do not always click together.

We also debate the big question people still argue about: is Ryan Reynolds miscast, or is the writing and tone doing him no favors? And yes, we talk Sinestro, because his “maybe we need stronger tools” angle is uncomfortably convincing for a supposed hero. If you’ve ever wondered whether Green Lantern (2011) is truly terrible or just a victim of timing, hit play, share your take with us, and please subscribe and leave a review.

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Transcript

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Opening Pledge And Movie Reveal

SPEAKER_03 0:00

In brightest day and blackest night, no podcast can escape your ears. Especially not this one, number 175. This is the one that everyone's been asking for uh for a while now. By everyone I mean none of you. Um but you know it's deep in your subconscious. I can feel it, we can feel it. It's it's it's what the ring yearns for. We're covering Green Lantern 2011 today, folks. A movie I have not seen since it was in theater. So and you know what? I liked it. I liked it when it was in theater. So it hurt me seeing all those reviews and all those negativity uh posts online. But you know what? We're gonna cover it. We're gonna see if it holds up. We have uh a couple guests on the well not guests, they're a little bit more than guests, they're esteemed uh hosts of this uh hallowed podcast. Guys, welcome. Uh my name is Dakota.

SPEAKER_00 0:57

I am joined as always with Anthony and yes, Green Lantern. I think I I think it's been like maybe five plus years since I've uh seen this movie. It's been a while, but you know, it it'll be a good time jumping into this, but you know we can't do it alone.

SPEAKER_02 1:15

And I'm running out the group this week, Rich. Uh shout out poor one out to our uh dearly departed, um missing in action. Gen Gen, uh not joining us this week, but with us in spirit.

SPEAKER_03 1:29

But I'm a I don't know what just start I don't know what happened. Music just started playing on my thing. Um It's fine. I think Jen is controlling it from the bedroom. Hold on. Uh don't need it in the kitchen, don't eat it in the living room. You can have it in the bedroom. How about that?

SPEAKER_02 1:48

It's like when Charlie figured out that he could start playing music. I had connected his watch to my phone for a while, and then he just started playing music randomly, like on my TV downstairs, and he got such a kick out of it.

SPEAKER_03 2:02

I I I mean that's a fun that's a fun little trick. Um,

The Baby Calms Down With Music

SPEAKER_03 2:05

yeah, so the reason uh music has been such an integral part of our lives recently is because the baby seems to have l love it. Love it. Um our our newborn, uh a little over a month now. Sometimes babies just cry. They just cry uncontrollably. You can change them, you can rock them, you can take them for walks and a stroller, you can feed them, um, you can burp them, but they they don't shut up. We have figured out with this child we just ask, hey, S-I-R-I, play a song I like, or I'll or or play something that um you know, like just a random song. It could be anything. It could be a lullaby, it could be black metal, it could be a rap song. I've tried everything. As soon as I say the S-I-R-I word, he looks interested to see like what's gonna happen. And then music starts, I I you know, I dance with him a little bit, but within one to two songs, knocked out. Like completely, like it shuts him up immediately, too. Like it's not even like like he cries for a little bit, it's immediate shut up. Like it's it's amazing. It's it's one of the uh the the greatest discoveries um we've made in this household.

SPEAKER_02 3:19

I I will tell you, Lord Charles, uh one of his very early favorites was Come and Get Your Love. Because you know, Guardians had just come out, and uh, you know, it's a song that uh Star Lord is dancing to at the beginning. And my goodness, I mean, so he was a little older, so he was actually able, it would get him to stand up off of his little diapered booty, and he would actually like start like bopping listen to it on the computer. He was probably like 11 months, he was just not walking yet. So I don't know, a guardian soundtrack, man. You can't go wrong. And also, if you go if you play your cards right, you'll be bringing your kid to his first concert, and it's gonna be weird owl, just like mine. Probably AI. Uh, because he'll be dead or something, but you know, it'll be uh a weird owl concert.

SPEAKER_03 4:09

That'll be a weird AI concert, I guess. Uh even it was right there, man. I I thought that's what you were going for. Um anyway, what have we what have we been up to this past week, guys?

Recent Watches And Batman Praise

SPEAKER_03 4:20

I have uh a bunch of movies that I have been watching, but I genuinely forgot most of them. I'm gonna open up my letterbox, see if I did anything in there. Uh I watched Tumanji. Nice! The 1995 one. Yeah, that's the only one to watch. Fun time. Um I watched I think I told you guys I watched Tomb Raider already. I watched Blade Runner, the original Blade Runner. I've seen that a lot of times. I love it. It's a five out of five for me. Um I watched Terminator, like the original Terminator. I usually watch T2, like Terminator 2. I don't usually watch Terminator 1, but it was a good rewatch. I enjoyed it. And I'm trying to think if I watched anything else. I probably did. Oh yeah. I watched Batman uh 89 and I watched Batman Returns, which was extremely good. You know, like I I you kind of like grow up I mean I grew up scoffing at the idea of like the Burton Schumacher films. Um because you know, I I I grew I I my adolescence was in the age of the Nolan Batman trilogy, where everything was like super realistic and like everything was awesome, and those films will hold up forever. Batman and you know that that that quadrilogy um it go has its ups and downs for sure. But um at least the first two movies are they hold up really well, and the second movie is one of the most beautiful, beautifully shot uh superhero movies I've ever seen. Like just the first five minutes of like uh Oswald Cobblepot like being dumped into the sewers by his parents on Christmas Day, and it's in black and white, and it's in super high contrast, and you can see every flake of snow, and it's so gorgeous. You don't see that in superhero movies these days, and the rest of the movie is just as like in your face with spectacle, and um you know it's it's corny. It's uh the story isn't great, but it is a beautiful and fun movie, and I had a lot of fun with it. So I'm I'm really happy I watched that one.

SPEAKER_02 6:32

When Penguin bites the reporter's nose, that might be my favorite, because they're just like, oh no, he's the regular guy, he's a human, he's not weird.

SPEAKER_03 6:41

They're like they they go and tell everyone like they're they're trying to like you know uh hype him up for his uh mayoral campaign. He's just like, at least I don't have a bloody nose, or at least my nose isn't squirting blood. And the no the reporter's like, what? And he just bites the nose of the reporter for no reason, no reason besides this guy doing his job.

SPEAKER_02 7:01

He's really Danny DeVito is channeling early Frank from like you can see that there are parts of like his acting in It's Always Sunny where you just have this you know crazy penguin coming out of nowhere, like I'm gonna bite your nose. What? I bit your nose, you know. Like it's it's actually it's it's it's it's quite unbelievable. Um I love those movies. I think they're you know, I grew up on that one and then watching the 60s cartoon, I mean the 60s show a lot. So I loved Batman 89.

SPEAKER_00 7:35

My dad my dad actually put me onto those Batman movies. I actually loved them growing up. The ones from from the the Val Kilmer and uh why am I forgetting? Um George Clooney. Uh no, no, no, Keaton.

SPEAKER_02 7:48

Oh yeah, Michael Keaton, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:49

Yeah. Michael Keaton, yeah. Yeah, not the George Clooney. That that's the that's the bad one.

SPEAKER_02 7:54

Um Chill Out. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 7:58

No, but I did I I did like those growing up. I I I actually did like uh Batman and Robin like when I was a kid, but then like when you got when I got older, I was like, eh, this is not as good as the other ones.

SPEAKER_03 8:11

It is a little ridiculous. But anyway, yeah, that's that's what I've been up to. A couple of m random movies. I'm back to work now. Got a stupid early start tomorrow. But what have you guys been up to?

SPEAKER_02 8:24

I'll hop

First Anime Con And Avatar Cosplay

SPEAKER_02 8:25

in real quick. Uh I went to my first anime con this weekend. Uh normally it's something that Charlie and Lauren do together, but I I decided to join them. So it's in the same place that the that anime that Comic Con takes place in, uh, which is a Jacob Javis Center in New York City. Uh however, much lower scale. Like there's just fewer booths. They only use the upstairs area, really. The downstairs area is not used. That's where artist alley normally is. So it was kind of nice. I mean, it it didn't feel as crowded. Uh you know, I've I'm not, as you guys know, like the anime that I've been into is mostly because of you guys. I I just as uh we revisited our avatar theme, except we did it differently. So the first time we went, Charlie was Aang, Lauren was Apa, and I was uh Uncle Iro. This time he was uh Blue Demon. Does that make sense? Or no the blue spirit?

SPEAKER_00 9:18

Uh the blue spirit.

SPEAKER_02 9:20

Yeah, he was the blue spirit. I was Uncle Iroh again because that's just perfect for my facial hair. I grew it out. I hadn't trimmed my my mutton chops in like honestly, five weeks, which is like the longest I've ever gone. They were absurdly long. I felt like a senator from like 1877. Uh, but it it went well. The the weirdest thing, guys, is so when I dress as a Wolverine, people like generally like, you know, hey, Wolby, or something like that, you know, whatever. Dude, as Iroh, people were coming up to me and their faces were like, I know you. You know that that that look that someone has when they recognize you? They're like, oh, hey. And they're like coming up to me, like, hey, and I'm like, Hey. And they're like, Iroh! You know, and they're like, Iroh! And I was like, Oh, so uh Charlie did get. I think this is one of the first times that like Charlie has really been asked. Like many people were asking. I think at least like 10 different people were like, Hey, can we take a picture? And and then they'd look what what would happen is they'd like say you see me, and then they'd see Charlie, and then they'd see Laura, and be like, you could see them go, Oh, oh, oh, it's all of them, you know. Group show. So I'm glad that also that we're very we're we're always very loyal to or you know, it's always being the same group when we when we go together. You know, we don't ever Charlie now wants his next idea for Comic-Con is possibly Ted Lasso, but then he didn't want any of us to be Ted Lasso, and we're like, dude, that's not gonna work. He he wants to be Trent Krim or um or Danny Rojas. Uh so it's kind of weird. But overall it was really cool. I thought I was gonna dislike it. I I also didn't see a lot of themes. Like normally, like you'll see like say like lots of Goku's or lots of you know Avatar or lots of Naruto. There really didn't seem there wasn't really that many. Uh Anthony, maybe the only thing I saw a lot of was One Piece people, but it was like lazy one. So it was just like older dudes. A lot of them were dads, like it looked like dads, just with like the Luffy hat, but then like a general like one piece button-down shirt or something like that. And I was like, ah, you didn't go all out, you didn't go full vest.

SPEAKER_00 11:43

They should they should cosplay Luffy as um as Lucy when he when he like puts on the like old man disguise. He looks like Master Roshi with the beard that he likes to do. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:56

Uh there were and the only thing that was I felt was weird, and I'll leave it at this, is that uh you know, this is anime con and like what is it, Silent Hill? What who is what what game has that like giant obelisk head creature? Silent Hill. Okay. Yeah, and I was just like, what are you doing here?

SPEAKER_00 12:16

You know, technically, yeah. You know, it does happen. Is it yeah, it's it's it's Japanese video game. So Okay, it just felt like it kind of hits there.

SPEAKER_02 12:30

And I was like, like, you know, Deadpool. I'm like, like that's I don't know. Like for I don't know, but I'm I'm a little bit more of a stickler, I guess. But I had a great I actually had a really good time. Uh I don't like it as much as Comic-Con, right? It's it doesn't feel the same, it doesn't have the same gravitas, but uh we enjoyed ourselves. We got a couple cool items. Charlie got uh bleach replica, uh you know, samurai sword. So you know you can never have too many of those. I didn't really pick anything up. He likes bleach. Yeah, no, he he watches bleach as well, yeah. So he he was really excited, and I mean for him, I think the the best part I the best time I had was watching him get excited that people want to take pictures with us, you know? Like, like that was that was really cool because it just made him feel good about his cosplay.

SPEAKER_03 13:22

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 13:23

And what have you been up to, Ant?

Nostalgia TV Blocks And Theater Magic

SPEAKER_00 13:25

Nothing too insane, really. I mean, I've been hanging out with some family this weekend, and I'll be hanging out with them the the rest of the week, like from Wednesday on. It's a little weird, but it kind of like scratches like a weird nostalgia like itch that I have. But there's a bunch of channels on YouTube that they actually upload like kind of like programming blocks, dude. And like it'll have like there there's people who've uploaded like you know old like Nickelodeon cartoons, and like they have the like oh like the commercials and the commercials and everything like added to it. And I know it's weird like when you think about it, but it's like really fun, like when you watch through it and you see all the stuff that like you like forgot about, you're like, oh my gosh, yeah, I remember that. Uh that there's some channels, and it this is a little bit tricky with be with anime due to copyright, but some people all also actually have uh Toonami. And like they'll they'll put like the and like this is right up your alley too. They'll they'll put the exact date that this that that this run went. They'll be like August, August 2nd, 2002. I'm like, oh man, these people know. But I mean it it's it's really it's really crazy, like, because I'm watching this and it's putting me back to like when I was like a kid, and then it reminds me of like you know, watching Toonami when I was younger, and then sometimes like I would fall asleep with the TV on, and then Inuyasha would be you know coming on, or or it, you know, I remember the outro like many times waking up. But so I I I kind of been like watching that stuff. It it's it's funny, you know, it's it's like a little, you know, it's like a like a step back in time, or at least, you know, media, and some of it is uh, you know, you you can kind of like consider some of it lost media because like some of the programming blocks like had anime that I didn't even remember. Like there was an anime called Rave Master, and I didn't I was like, dude, I don't remember this one. And um, yeah, I mean it's pretty interesting. So but yeah, no, that that's kind of like what I've been doing. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:50

Oh, I forgot to tell you guys, uh that I heard you say back. We uh my local movie theater just did like a uh they're doing like older movies uh screenings and they just did back to the future. So me, Lauren, and Charlie got to go see Back to the Future in theaters. I was as you guys know, if you've listened to the podcast before, that's the movie I've seen the most of my entire life. Uh I it was so cool watching it with Charlie on the big screen. I've never I've never seen it on a big screen because you know it it wasn't out in theaters when I was cognizant enough to go to the theaters alone. So uh it was really just an awesome experience. And I'm really happy that theaters are doing little things like this, you know. Uh movies are coming out on their anniversaries, so you can see that on the big screen. And uh I can't believe I'm saying this out loud. As a as you guys know, I'm an avid Jack Sparrow, small screen, blurry uh ads kind of guy, but uh it's there is something there is something magical about it. There's something about the movies, man.

SPEAKER_03 16:55

Yeah. There's something about seeing things in a theater. Speaking of theaters, last time we

Why Green Lantern Mattered Then

SPEAKER_03 17:00

last time I watched the film in question was in a theater, and I was with my friends, and it was uh right around the time that DC did their new 52 nonsense. I think it was right before or right after. Uh DC basically like scrapped their uh run of comics um that they had been going since the 80s um for a new line of uh basically they've just rebooted their universe with the new 52. I was really pissed about that because I I was really invested in the Green Lantern run by Jeff Johns. Um I it was one of my my favorite runs up to that point, and you know, I I was I was into a couple of the series, like the the Teen Titan series at that point was was big for me. Um I was big into the Superman comics uh with action comics and stuff, but they just started from number one. They they did origin stories and I didn't like a lot of them, and I kind of stopped reading comic books a little bit. But around this time is when Green Lantern came out, and I was so happy when I saw it in theaters because they were actually not afraid to do uh like really comic booky stuff, you know, like especially with the Lantern Corps. I think that's for me the strong suit because this was around the time of brightest day, blackest night, uh that that comic run that was going on in the Green Lantern universe. And I was so stoked to see um how excited they seem to be to like showcase the the Green Lantern Corps and to you know showcase not just Inestro, but a bunch of the Lanterns um and dive into that mythology. And then everyone hated it. So yeah, no, it's it's and I I it it like stung me so much that I just have not watched it since. Uh, but I watched it the other day, uh, right after I watched the first episode of Lanterns, and the second episode of Lanterns is out as well. I haven't seen it yet, but uh it got me back to watching this, and uh yeah, good time.

SPEAKER_00 19:08

Would you say that this is one of those movies that like despite the the reaction that like you know it's something that you enjoy? Which is like I mean, there's I feel like even like the worst movies out here, which this is definitely nowhere near being the worst movie, that like there's there's fans out there for pretty much everything, even like that movie The Room, which is like all like critically panned everywhere. People love it. Yeah, people love it. I mean it's it's so bad it's good.

SPEAKER_02 19:38

Yeah, but um yeah, you're my number one customer.

SPEAKER_03 19:44

It's so stupid. Um, this is not the room, it's not bad at all.

SPEAKER_02 19:49

Honestly, I I don't think can I I don't know, and may me I'm not just saying this because you said you like it. I don't I don't know if it's that bad, man. Like it it gives me Daredevil vibes, and I know people are gonna be like, that movie was terrible, but like we didn't have that many superhero movies. It was just cool to see, you know, Green Lantern on screen. Like that's like I I don't I feel like a lot I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 20:19

I kind of like the Daredevil movie too. I know it's a not a great movie, but you know, it's actually fun. You get to see I really like the action.

SPEAKER_02 20:26

The people who don't like these superhero movies clearly didn't watch like 50 episodes of the Batman 60s TV series, you know, like we were just grabbing for scraps, man. Like just scraps. And I don't I don't think that the only gripe I think I have with this movie, and I know that like it's the way the mask looks. And I know it's supposed to be. Yeah, it doesn't hold up. It doesn't hold up. There's something about it, it it it doesn't work right, and I feel like I would have much rather that be a practical effect, even if it dissolves, have the dissolve B CGI, but have the mask be practical because it looked stupid, you know?

SPEAKER_03 21:09

Yeah. No, that's a really good point, actually.

SPEAKER_00 21:12

I always but but I always thought like masks like that were like hilarious because it's like only covering the eyes. Like if you know the person, like you know, I mean, obviously he was known by the people who knew him, they knew that it was him. Like that that was that protecting his identity from anybody. So even like the villain, like even the the the guy that that Dakota you have the picture of, um what was his name again? I have Hector Hammond. Hector Hammond.

SPEAKER_03 21:41

Um and like he knew I don't think he has like a superhero he doesn't have like a super villain name. He's just Hector Hammond. He just gets a big old head and he's got like psychic powers. Uh but yeah, so the even I think um Carol, she knows it's how like almost immediately. Oh, that's ridiculous pretty much.

SPEAKER_00 22:00

Yeah. It's like j j immedi she's like, Oh, thank you. And then she's like it took her like maybe a split second, but then she realized that it was him.

SPEAKER_02 22:07

Like I have t she's like, How I have tons of lucha libre masks, right? And I have a very I have uh mutton chop, so I have a rather distinctive uh facial hair. So when I put one on, I I almost always will hilariously pick the one that exposes my beard so that it's clear that it's me. Like Charlie and I used to do this whole thing at night where I'd come in and pretend to be a different luchador, you know. And I always giggled because I would purposely wear the masks that showed my beard. So like it was so clearly me. And one of my favorite things uh in wrestling uh Hulk Hogan at one point put a mask on and wrestled as Mr. America, but he had his giant mustache, like you could tell it was him, you know, and it was like laughable, and that was part of the joke. But I didn't understand why the lantern tech didn't identify that like he clearly wasn't in danger. Because when he gets to hold on, Awa? Am I Owa? Alright. I was close. I tried to do my research. When he goes there, right, the uh other lantern says, Oh yeah, the mask comes off because when you don't need it. So then like, why didn't it come off when he was clearly in front of someone who knew who he was?

SPEAKER_03 23:18

I think he he has a choice. Oh, okay. Um I think it's it's not necessarily like you know, just because he doesn't need it doesn't mean that he has to take it off. But yeah, it's that's that's just what's happening. Um

Masks CGI And Two Villains

SPEAKER_03 23:35

Can you guys hear the baby crying in the next room?

SPEAKER_04 23:38

No.

SPEAKER_03 23:39

Okay. Just wondering if it's picked up on a camera or on the mic. Okay. So um what I will s yeah, what what I will say about this movie is that it's got like two it's it does have two different stories going on um that don't really intersect that well, but they try their hardest to make it intersect. You have the Hector who Hector Hammond, he is like the disappointing son of a politician uh who gets the opportunity to dissect an alien life form who happens to be the previous um Green Lantern. Um who plays that lantern? I wonder. The uh the actor for Hector, I think he's I guess Oh, whoa. Abinsur is played by Timuera Morrison. Um the the the actor who plays uh Boba Fett. Or not Boba Fett. Well, yeah, he plays Boba Fett in the in the in the Mandalorian uh universe. But he plays uh Django Fett and everything. Yeah, Timuera Morrison was the one who played Abinsur, which was the Green Lantern of their sector prior to Hal Jordan getting the ring. That's kind of cool.

SPEAKER_02 24:47

But I thought the actor who played Hector, like he's I don't I can't identify I I can't recall what I also seen him in, but I he's very good at playing like that character, which is like this kind of like kind of a sad sack who ends up becoming a villain because he's so looked down upon by the rest of society.

SPEAKER_03 25:08

Yeah, he was in a couple things.

SPEAKER_02 25:11

I want to say he's super familiar with Dracula not Dracula, the Kate Beckingsdale vampire movies, but I might be wrong. Underworld? Underworld. Yeah, I thought he was in Underworld. But he's great. I thought he was he really plays the the role well here. I uh do you think that Ryan Reynolds was maybe miscast? Now I'm not a Hal Jordan guy, I'm not a DC guy. I know I think I told you guys last week I know about Green Lantern because of standing on the Superman line at Great Adventure and reading the stupid sign over and over again.

SPEAKER_03 25:45

You did mention that.

SPEAKER_02 25:47

Uh but for me, I and I I don't know if this is tainted, but I just watched the lantern show, and that dude seems like Green Lantern-Y more to me than how this Hal Jordan, but is this like supposed like is this just a much younger, like I think it was it was bad writing.

SPEAKER_03 26:07

Um I think yeah, I mean I I don't think it's necessarily it feels like Hal Jordan all the way.

SPEAKER_02 26:14

The Hal Jordan in the show, and I'm sorry to compare it, but he's so grizzled, right? That I don't know from the comics, like Ryan Reynolds is such a He isn't usually that he isn't usually that grizzled. Oh, because Ryan Reynolds is such a you know, he's like a polished, like pre Madonna kind of I I I wouldn't he's he's perfect as Deadpool, but I in in this era of his uh his career, I remember him as Van Wilder, like being like the Playboy, pretty boy kind of more like a Tony Stark kind of guy than uh than a this you know I do think you know I think the the film gets to the that that part of the character, the the you know, the Tony Starkisms, like the the Woody banter.

SPEAKER_03 27:00

Um but he's not like Spider-Man in that sense where like everything is Woody Banter. A lot of it is a lot a little bit more serious. Um and I think that a lot of it is probably just Ryan Reynolds interjecting himself into the character. Um and a lot of the line reads are probably not meant to be super comical, but they they were, you know, written that way or read that way. One thing that I think that they were trying to go uh more Hell Jordan with was the theme of not being afraid. And I I you know they they even talk about like that's something that they bring up in the lantern show. Not gonna get into spoilers or anything, but a lot of times they'll be like, Are you afraid? Because fear is the enemy of willpower, basically, in in The Lantern's mythos. So in in this movie, they really clung on to that, and like uh from from like childhood all the way to you know him facing parallax by himself. Are you afraid? You know, and I think that that is I I like that they went there, you know, like they they weren't trying to shy away from the mythology uh by by any means. Um and again, did it did it fully work? No, it didn't. You know, a lot of it's so they added so much that you have some things get truncated and you know the the plot becomes a little contrived, but he's like I don't know. What what do you think, Ant? I I we haven't heard much of uh

Ryan Reynolds Fit And Fear Theme

SPEAKER_03 28:20

from you about this movie.

SPEAKER_00 28:21

I didn't really have much exposure to Hal Jordan. I might have read a couple comics. My bus my biggest experience with Green Lantern is Jon Stewart, and that was through the Justice League cartoon. So I'm kind of I'm kind of in the middle where I am with Rich in a way because I I've been more a little bit more of a Marvel person. I've always loved Marvel, but there have been aspects of DC that I really like. Like you know, like I loved Teen Titans. That cartoon, one of my absolute favorites, and I and I got me to actually read some of like Teen Titans uh comics. Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, some of the like best uh best uh superhero cartoons out there. And if there's if there's one thing that I have to say about DC is that where where they were doing, you know, where they're not too good in their maybe live action or their movie in the movie field, their cartoons, their animations, their the the movies and the TV shows are like just top-notch.

SPEAKER_03 29:30

And yeah, they they have it unlocked there for some reason.

SPEAKER_00 29:33

Absolutely, absolutely. And Marvel, maybe with a couple, like the the X-Men uh series, um, and they like really like stepped it up with like the you know when they brought it back. But DC, man, they they really like locked it in. But you know, w watching this, you know, I sat there and I was like, okay, I understand the gripes, like maybe because like I think by then people were really I think I feel like by then like in 2011 people were were really getting tired of like the overutilization of like CGI and like this movie was like uh like 90% CGI.

SPEAKER_03 30:13

Yeah, yeah. I think we as uh it's it's crazy to think that because I I kind of like compartmentalize like eras of movies, but like I consider like 2015 on like the current era of movies, which is like when Force Awakens came out and they revitalized um the idea of like incorporating um a lot of practical effects with their CGI effects. You know, I thought that that was like really um groundbreaking and just fun and it made it feel so real. And that was just four years after this movie. Um and it feels like it's such a a huge distance away from uh that film.

SPEAKER_02 30:56

Yeah, you know your boy uh Stellan I read an article at Stellan Skarsgard while he was filming the Pirates movies. A lot of the other actors did the CGI and uh he he requested the practical so he would sit in um he would sit in costuming for six hours getting all those barnacles attached as he was uh a member of the uh the black flag, right?

SPEAKER_03 31:21

No, the black pearl, black pearl uh day well Davy Jones. The Black Pearl, right? Yeah Flying Dutchman.

SPEAKER_02 31:27

Oh, the Flying Dutchman, yeah. So uh I just thought that was I you heard I heard you say that and I just like another another notch in on in the wind column for uh for old Stellan.

SPEAKER_03 31:38

Have we covered the second or third uh pirates movies? I think I know we covered the first one.

SPEAKER_00 31:45

Yeah, I don't know. We we haven't done uh Dead Man's Chess or at World's End.

SPEAKER_03 31:51

We should do that at some point. Hopefully soon.

SPEAKER_02 31:54

Look, I won't even get into that. Uh but uh I did want to add uh one thing that um also do you think it's weird that this movie came out? I mean, I know it's the the video the the comic companies comic copying off each other, but it's I just got so many like wait, this is the man he's like a man without fear. He's a like the Green Lantern has to be a man without fear, and I just I laugh I in my head it la it made me laugh because there was so much about being without fear, and the same as in Dead in Daredevil, and that movie's also panned. So maybe it's something about like you know, not calling yourself fearless. I don't know. What did you think about so I knew a little bit about Sinestro overall? Like I again I feel like I'm in Anthony's court. I didn't know I'm not a real lore guy here, but I I knew that Sinestro, you know, was kind of evil. But you know what's crazy is that his plan in my mind actually makes way like at the end, right? Like he's like, okay, so we need to use something more powerful or whatever. We need something we need another power to to be able to fight everything off. And I like Hal Jordan over here goes, nah man, like you can never give in to fear, and they're like, Yeah, you're right, bro. And and I just I'm like, uh like you're a little bit of a novice to just be throwing down these these uh you know these phrases, and everyone's supposed to follow suit. Uh it I almost cited with Sinestro in this movie, like they need a yellow ring, man.

SPEAKER_03 33:29

Yeah. Oh, so I I looked it up. You you mentioned something, Rich, where and I'll get back to you know, Sinestro on the ring, but you mentioned something about how it felt like these different companies were kind of um biting off of each other. And this is just this is three years after Iron Man. This is the same year that Captain America First Avenger came up the same year as Thor. What? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 33:56

Um they're like five years behind Marvel.

SPEAKER_03 34:00

Exactly. Apparently, I looked at I I remembered this, but I I think because it was panned so badly, I I I excised this from my mind. But apparently this movie was supposed to be uh positioned as the starting point for a shared DC universe. Um with Green Lantern 2 and a movie. Um and yeah, uh Yeah. Apparently it was going it was it was gonna be a huge thing. But uh it was it was not anyway, it didn't happen. We got we got uh and you know what

DC Versus MCU And CGI Fatigue

SPEAKER_03 34:35

I I don't hate Zack Snyder's you know DC EU. I don't, but it's not what I wanted. You know, it doesn't it didn't feel like it didn't feel like DC Comics to me. It felt like the Dark Knight comics, if them it's it was different, it's a different vibe entirely. But anyway, getting back to what you were saying about fear and um yeah, uh there was some stupid stuff. A lot of the lanterns are like just super one note, unfortunately, where they they're just meant to say a line, and then Ryan Reynolds is supposed to either learn something from that line, something very specific about every single line that's that's said, or uh he's supposed to combat that because he's got you know the better plan. And I get it, but it yeah, it does it does feel really contrived, and um the idea that he would know better than like the elders of the Green Lantern Corps and Sinestro um on his second day, because I did count the days, I I reconstructed this timeline, folks. Um he the movie takes place across four days. He uh he he won them over, but and and and defeated Parallax, which uh a group of like 15 or 20 uh Green Lanterns could not do together. Um I do like though that the film gives you hints as to what's gonna happen. Um in the the beginning of the movie he trades a uh a race car with a young Hector Hammond. He he tr he trades a Hot Wheels car. Then when he goes to the birthday party, um, this is in the extended edition. I don't know if you guys watched that one on Hulu, but or HBO, whatever, whatever it's on. Um in the extended edition, he visits a birthday party um and he plays with one of the kids' Hot Wheels. And then on the night of that helicopter incident at that gala, or the the the banquet that's being held in Carol Ferros' honest honor, um, he uses his first construct, which is basically a Hot Wheels track. So it kind of like they've they've eased your way into that. And and you know, Carol goes, uh that's the first oh no, who said that? Someone said someone like criticized him for the colour.

SPEAKER_00 36:49

Oh Tyka's character.

SPEAKER_03 36:51

Tyka's character. Uh yeah, he's just like the first thing he thought of was a race car or a Hot Wheels. Um, and I like that. I like that because they they've kind of been easing their way into that. Um and the same goes for when he's training in the Green Lantern Corps and Um Um One of the Green Lanterns, they they basically say, like, uh they mentioned something about the power of the sun, like you won't be able to, you know, get away from it. And I I liked that. Um and I I basically the movie's basically about, you know, he's he's Icarus, he flew too close to the sun, but he gets saved anyway, you know, and he he saves um not only the universe, but he gets saved in return. So I don't know. It's it's kind of corny, it's kind of fun, but it's Green Lantern 2011 for you. Sorry, I feel like I've I've spoken so much uh on the podcast. I haven't got got what do you guys think of Ryan Reynolds in the role? What do you think of goodness? Why am I I'm drawing so many brain farts today?

SPEAKER_02 37:51

So for me, Ryan Reynolds like I said, it's very much that Van Wilder kind of see his Deadpool works because he's so close to Deadpool, right? Deadpool is wise cracky, Deadpool is um self-deprecating, right? Uh I think that that those are all the things that like if you watch what Ryan Reynolds in movies outside of movies, that's just kind of his personality. I don't know enough about Hal Jordan to to really determine whether or not it worked. But I will say that I didn't get the feeling that this was Hal Jordan. I got the feeling that this was Ryan Reynolds playing Hal Jordan. Whereas like I was a Chris Pratt fan from The Office, but when he was Star Lord, he was Star Lord.

SPEAKER_03 38:48

Sure, okay, I see. I he he embodied.

SPEAKER_02 38:50

And I and I know I know there was the physical transformation that really helped. You know, like Ryan Reynolds has kind of always looked very similar to you know, he's kind of had the same look. So I don't think that helps it too much. But um, yeah, I didn't get even you know, Christian Bale, I mean, and that guy's notorious for taking on roles, you know, but when he was in Dark Knight, like I felt like he was he's he's not the guy from American Psycho, he's Bruce Wayne, you know. And I don't know if Ryan Reynolds did enough to separate himself. Well, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 39:23

Anthony, what do you feel like uh Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively had a lot of chemistry in this film?

SPEAKER_00 39:31

I actually did, and like this was actually and and like I I ended up like looking it up because like you they're they're married in real life. So this was actually like right before they they started dating. And I think they got married.

SPEAKER_03 39:49

So they met on this basically, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 39:51

Yeah, like I I think it and like this is where they met. Like this is the this is the movie that they like met, and then I guess like you know, that friendship formed, and then I think they were like with other people at the time, but I do think that they had some pretty decent chemistry. I feel like with with everything like that's known, you're looking you're kind of looking to see like, okay, so is this is this where that that romance you know blossomed on the screen?

SPEAKER_03 40:19

And I will say it's uh you know Hollywood relationships don't usually last more than a handful of years, so more power to is Hal Jordan okay.

SPEAKER_02 40:31

Is Hal Jordan supp supposed to be so much like Tom Cruise and Top Gun?

SPEAKER_03 40:36

Oh, uh well yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 40:38

Okay, because it just felt like even like the fact that like him and Blake Lives a relationship kind of reminds me of the relationship that Top Gun ha that that that Tom Cruise has in Top Gun, uh, you know, like the motorcycle and like the you know the intimacy, whatever. It just felt like you know, because he's a crazy fly boy who just doesn't follow the rules, you know, and like and she's just gonna manage to get him back on track. It just felt uh but I wasn't sure if that in some ways like Tom Cruise's character is almost like Hal Jordan, because I know Hal Jordan predates top uh Top Gun.

SPEAKER_03 41:14

Yeah, I don't remember um I mean I I don't know like when the origin of Hal Jordan became what it is as we know it, which is his father uh crashing and then him becoming a pilot and using uh that fearless streak to eventually become no, I'm pretty sure that's that's an original that that's been around since the 60s 70s. So um yeah I I think that that actually predates Top Gun. Cool, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 41:43

So Top Gun So Maverick is actually Hal Jordan.

SPEAKER_03 41:47

Maverick is essentially the lanterns of Green Lantern 2011. Yeah. Wow, we've really come full circle.

Final Verdicts Plus What Comes Next

SPEAKER_03 41:57

Before we close this out, uh what were your thoughts going into this movie? Um uh we'll start with Anthony. Like, did you remember this uh fondly, poorly, or just kind of it was always there? Um like what what are your thoughts?

SPEAKER_00 42:13

I I I faintly remembered like some of it. I I had forgotten a lot because it had it has been a while since I'd seen it, and I'd only seen it I think maybe a couple times. And so it's not something that that I would say that I looked back on fondly, but I didn't look back on it like oh man, I hated that movie. I just it was more so like you know, you know, okay, you I I I thought it was a fun movie, it's just the story, I didn't really remember too much about it. I just kind of remember, you know, Ryan Reynolds and uh some of the scenes, but um and I I remembered uh Sinestro was in it, but I didn't remember who the villain wanted who the villain was. I thought that at for some reason at some point I was like, you know, oh wait, I I thought Sinestro became the villain at some point in the story, whi but it wasn't until like the end credits that he actually becomes that Sinestro.

SPEAKER_03 43:12

They really should have like considered that this guy named Sinestro might not be good.

SPEAKER_00 43:18

Right, right, it's insane.

SPEAKER_03 43:20

He might not have their best interests in my and in mine. Um Rich, what were your thoughts going into this movie? When was the last time you saw it? And if if you've ever seen it before, I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 43:31

So I don't actually think that I had ever seen it. I think that it came out and it being a DC movie, I'm trying to think. It came out in 2011, so I would have been seeing a lot of the other, you know, what else came out at that time? Thor, Captain America, X Men in First Class. I was just stacked here for the Yeah, there was a lot of movies coming out, and I'm you know, not I think that now that you know with Charlie and everything, I kind of make it a point to go see movies and make them more uh what do you call that that makes you good parents supposedly um core memories uh you know but you know like you don't have core memories of like you know I don't know sitting in the basement watching a a bad version of the movie you have a better memory going to the theater so I think that this is one that I just said eh I'm good and then I read the reviews and I was like oh well then there's no reason and I don't think I don't think I ever did anything but like put it on like in the background you know while I was like cleaning or a grading you know I can't remember it. So this was my first full watch. I wasn't offended. I mean like I I going into into the viewing I knew the feedback right I know the the oh this is terrible type thing so that's kind of all I knew and then when I watched it I went eh it's not as you know like Daredevil's meh you know so like whatever like Val like I don't there are tons of superhero movies and with this genre I think I'm way more forgiving than you guys are sometimes because I'm just so happy to see this stuff on screen you know like who doesn't want to see you know Daenerys Targaryen with a Draxarm you know like these are the things that we've all wanted to see in life you know and and and just seeing them on the screen even if it's a a kind of crummy adaptation I you know I look if this movie came out in two thousand seven two thousand eight I think it gets different reviews but but it when it came out I think so too I do think so too big problem it just you're comparing all right I'll just wrap it up this way in wrestling there was something called the Monday Night Wars essentially there was one established wrestling program that was on and then another company decided we're gonna go right up against them at the same time right and at first it didn't work for them at all because you know you're you're going up against the juggernaut what are you doing? Why are you forcing that comparison at the same time on the same night? And I would say the argument here was like they didn't do a good enough job for this to be up against the the burgeoning Marvel MCU. Yeah they needed to do something to blow it out of the water and they didn't do it.

SPEAKER_03 46:25

Or I I I also think it might be too much at the same time. Like it they they tried to stuff so much that like it's hard to latch on to anything in this movie.

SPEAKER_02 46:36

I think that might be part of I mean I don't know if you guys have this issue you know but like I also how many movies can you drag your significant other two if they're not into comics you know like you're gonna be like oh this is the one you know like and honestly I'm not gonna get into a fight over Green Lantern. You know like I gotta save that for Wolverine you know like no matter how bad that one could be. So I think that I think that the the preponderance of comic book movies at that time really hurt this movie. And I think that it if it comes out in a bubble where it's not surrounded by those movies and not immediately held up to that standard, I think it does well.

SPEAKER_03 47:13

That's fair. Alright those are your final thoughts Rich what about you Ant?

SPEAKER_00 47:18

Yeah I I I think it's a I think it's a fun movie. I don't think it's I don't think it's as bad as it got you know hit for I but I do believe that a lot of the there are a lot of gripes that are there are justified. But I would say yeah I I would agree that that if this came out maybe a little bit earlier when we weren't so I guess like CGI fatigued the CGI in this definitely felt like it was maybe a little dated right so it it wasn't and maybe that's just looking at the lens of you know like ah you know another full CGI movie. So I mean it it could also be maybe some bias but it I mean it's not that it looks bad. It's just I guess like when you get to the to the point where it feels like it's nothing but green screen and nothing feels real in this movie then you kind of become a little disillusioned but I still don't I I really don't think it's that bad though. Like I said it's it's not it's not a the room you know it's not gonna be anywhere near being the worst movie ever.

SPEAKER_03 48:38

And I do believe that there is a place for you know a fandom for it you know yeah um I I like what you said there it about the green screen uh but what's interesting is they covered the green screen with green scene sorry uh no I I honestly I think that this movie is better than some of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. I I don't think it's up there with like the good Marvel Cinematic Universe movies but um so much of the MCU like even the bad ones there's still a trade-off where you're getting a piece to a puzzle and I think that that's kind of the the shtick that even like the bad MCU projects have is that like well you're getting to see the next part of where this character is going or you're going to see the interconnection of this character and this character. And that does trigger something in our minds you know like that that is enticing. And this movie doesn't have that because um unfortunately this didn't become a cinematic universe. So I will say that this is probably the best of the Green Lantern 2011 cinematic universe. And I'm gonna stand by that.

SPEAKER_00 49:54

Top top one top one look I I will say that I would much rather watch this than watch Morbius.

SPEAKER_03 50:02

Well you know I I I I watched Morbius as a honestly I I I can't believe Morbius.

SPEAKER_02 50:09

I can't believe Morbius existed I watched Morbius like and I'll tell you the only thing that made it enjoyable was being able to crack open a voodoo ranger juicy IPA the unofficial official beer of the podcast uh so it beautiful it just really helped out I mean it honestly if I had three of those I would write the type of review that I think you should tell our listeners to write wow wow you know I I was drinking a beer the other day and I realized that you know it's one of my favorite beers I have it maybe not all the time but you know like once in a blue moon I'll I'll I'll buy a case of it um or not a case but you know like a a six pack whatever and it's uh it's from a local company uh local a local brewery called Sloop S-L-O-O-P and I was you know I finished off the the six pack and I looked at the the the drink in my hand and I was just like huh juice bomb and then I and then I I got so pissed because I had juicebomb in my fridge and I was drinking I was drinking a lager on the show like I could have pulled out a juicom um don't be like me guys throw a juicom in our in our reviews five stars juice bomb this podcast so that more people can uh listen and um enjoy the juice and you guys heard it here second and unofficial official beer of the podcast blue juicebomb introduced by Dakota it's delicious actually guys thank you so much for listening to us here for 175 next week what are we covering next week Gar TBD good idea next week we are covering Pirates of the Caribbean TBD Man's Chest Dead Man's Chest I forgot the name of the second movie um I was gonna say Dead Men Tell No Tales but I'm like that's not right um Deadman's Chest we are watching this going into the amped up the minute we stop taping I'm gonna get started guys I'm actually on second thought we're going to recant that and we're gonna cover something in anime oh man all right guys thank you so much have a good one bye the Wolverine one of these days we're gonna cover Wolverine you're gonna feel sorry for ever saying that