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mygif

No, I agree completely: Green Lantern looked like crap from the moment the first trailer (you know, the one that ripped off every other superhero movie trailer ever made) was released.

Effects and visuals aside, it just feels so “me too” – I understand the necessity for an origin story for a character like Green Lantern, but this film (judging by trailers alone, mind you) still feels as if it’s just a mishmash of other, better superhero films without any thought as to why those films were good.

DC would be better off sticking to making bad comics.

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Mark R. Campbell said on May 5th, 2011 at 11:45 am

I’m not going to say the trailer looks bad… but I think the movie might be trying to do too much. Honestly, it looks like a really good fan-made trailer with a massive budget and amount of skill behind it.

Within one film they are giving us background on who the Corps are, Hal’s origin as a Lantern, a smokey monster thing, Hector Hammond, and Sinestro. Can you really do all that in one movie and have enough time to give each aspect the attention it deserves?

I’ll wait for it to hit the second-run theatre.

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mygif

Okay, what have you got against Thor? I am unreasonably excited about that one. Possibly for strictly superficial reasons, but still.

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mygif

Okay, what have you got against Thor?

Absolutely nothing, but as previously mentioned: I don’t really care about Thor.

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Patrick said on May 5th, 2011 at 12:01 pm

I think “X-Men: Tiny Toons” looks fairly promising.

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mygif

it does look awful, and they made saarsgard ugly. how is that possible.

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mygif

If Pixar has taught me anything it’s that you never judge anything by the trailer, but still, even if Green Lantern isn’t necessarily bad, it’s probably not going to age well. The graphics alone are going to look infinitely more goofy than they do now in 20 years.

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karellan said on May 5th, 2011 at 12:24 pm

The only thing that makes me raise an eyebrow at Captain America is Chris Evans, who just doesn’t seem like Steve Rogers to me. Everything else about it just seems fantastic. I had no interest in Thor until I started seeing trailers for it, and those combined with the great reviews it’s getting have me really psyched for it.

I had little interest in Green Lantern from the beginning, and each preview I see for it just hammers into my brain that I would have to be a moron to go see it. It looks “Jonah Hex” bad. It looks “Catwoman” bad. It looks like the biggest waste of money and time ever concieved.

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mygif

I’m not a big fan of THOR so its trailer/s do nothing for me.

I’m not a big fan of CAPTAIN AMERICA but its trailers actually make me curious to see the final film.

I’m a big fan of GREEN LANTERN (at least classic GL) and the 2nd trailer doesn’t make me not want to see it. It certainly is better than the first one.

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mygif

I disagree about the Oath. Numerous friends of mine, friends who do not read comics, mind you, are quoting that oath now. And i will even go so far as to say it is a healthy dose of “OH YEAH!” when you hear it. At least, i think so.

But what do you think of X-Men First Class? Where does it fall when compared to these 3 movies?

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Toby S. said on May 5th, 2011 at 12:43 pm

I saw Thor last Sunday (it came out last week in Europe) and I enjoyed it. Perfectly fun movie, a few lines I plan on integrating into my repertoire of movie quotes, and good smashing… just don’t see it in 3D.

And I’ll go see GL regardless. You’re not the boss of me, MGK! Nyah!

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mygif

One reason I’m not pumped for any of these super hero movies are they are basically origin stories and origin stories can be told in a few panels.

I wish they could integrate the origin story into the movie, so it wouldn’t be the largest chunk of the film (though its not a movie, I think Dini did a good job of putting Batman’s origin in the Scarecrow dreams in AA).

Also, I think Thor looks better than Cap.

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mygif

Having seen Thor as well, I thought it was really well done. Not a big fan of the character either, but it was a big fun adventure moving with sufficient quantities of both hitting ice giants with a hammer and character development. If they want to make a Thor sequel, hopefully Branagh will do it though.

You are right about GL though. I might see it (I’ve got a yearly pass to the cinema, so it wouldn’t cost me anything) but my hopes are so low they may well be subterranean by now.

Also, anythoughts of X-Men: First Class MGK? Trailer looks pretty boss, actually.

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mygif

I disagree. I’m looking forward to GL more than any other comic book movie this year.

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mygif

Honestly the more I see, the more impressed I get with it..they really shouldn’t be trying to have two villains the first go round (a trilogy of Parallax, Hammond, Sinestro – although I’d reverse the order on that) would work best. But I thought this was gonna be awful and that Reynolds was terribly miscast.

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David Fullam said on May 5th, 2011 at 1:34 pm

Seriously don’t get the hate. What trailers are you guys watching? From the start I have been struck at how incredibly funny this looks. And is that not the point, to be funny? The great comedies (and I predict that this will be one) were are all about entertaining the audience and making them laugh. I dare say this will rank with Animal House, Airplane, and maybe even the classic old screwball comedies of Hollywood yesteryear. This is Warner Brothers after all, home to Bugs, Daffy and all the rest. So get ready to laugh and guffaw, the comedy event of year is nearly upon us!

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Christopher Foxx said on May 5th, 2011 at 1:39 pm

“The costume sucks. You can see his toes!”
“Michael Keaton as Batman? This is gonna suck!”
“Wolverine is a tall Australian? That will RUIN the movie!”
“Mr Zathura is gonna direct? Iran Man is gonna bomb.”

Yeah, I’ll hold off judgment until I see it. Too often early opinions based on still photos and quick-cut trailers have been shown to be wrong once the whole film is actually seen as intended.

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Brendan said on May 5th, 2011 at 1:53 pm

I’ve never been a big GL fan; I always thought the potential of the franchise was more interesting than the execution.

That said, I am not as turned off by this movie as MGK is. The last minute splurge of spending is a big of a red flag, to be sure, but ComicsAlliance had an interesting article about how last minute special effects idiocy is becoming more and more prevalent, even in movies that turned out okay. I’m not willing to call this a deathknell for the movie.

And yes, it is very cartoonish, but I think that could potentially work for it, in a Roger Rabbit sort of way. By that I mean it makes a clear separation between Earth and the greater cosmic setting of the Green Lanterns. Hal’s suit being primarily a cartoon almost makes it as if he himself is becoming a part of this crazy cosmic cartoon world, where corny things like the Oath can be said seriously, and where we can have tons of weird aliens like Rot Lop Fan taken at face value. Of course, this cartoon stuff is penetrating “reality,” which has to be dealt with, and if the movie is smart it will end with Hal having to leave reality (and Earth) behind to become fully enmeshed in this fantasy world.

That is, quite frankly, the only way I think the movie could make these cartoonish effects work, to make it compliment some thematic framework. Whether the movie will or won’t I have no idea.

In short, it hasn’t completely lost me yet, and I was never much of a Green Lantern fan. I’m most underwhelmed by the actual ring constructs, which are pretty boring and straightforward for a concept that screams for an outlandish approach.

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Peyton said on May 5th, 2011 at 2:06 pm

I saw 80% of Thor already and, like others am not the biggest fan of the comic, but I really loved the movie. I can’t wait until Saturday evening when my family takes me to it for Mother’s Day.

I don’t think Captain America can do any wrong. I am unbelievably excited about it.

I am a huge fan of Ryan Reynolds(‘ abs) and look forward to Green Lantern for him (them) alone, but I really do think the movie will not only suck from a fan perspective but that it will also bomb. I’m biased, though, because 1) I’m not a fan of space opera and 2) I always sided with Green Arrow.

And I say that as someone who absolutely *knew* that Keaton would rock as Batman (I mean really, anyone who saw him in Clean and Sober knew he was perfect), loved the idea of Jackman as Wolverine regardless of how tall he is, and had faith that any movie that starred RDJ as Tony Stark couldn’t miss.

I honestly have no idea what the “You can see his toes” line refers to.

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mygif

The boring constructs actually make some sense – Hal Jordan’s a smartass, but not especially creative; that’s one thing that set Rayner apart from the rest – you went from Hal with the boxing glove to Kyle busting out full-on mechas.

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Brendan said on May 5th, 2011 at 2:16 pm

While it is entirely true that boring constructs make sense given Hal’s boring imagination, that does not make it a good idea. We are talking about a setting that has amazing visuals as one of its big appeals. Needing a reason to explain why those visual are not amazing is inherently a bad thing.

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kny789 said on May 5th, 2011 at 2:27 pm

I’m gonna skip ahead of all the comments and just say THANK YOU for saying what so many people have been scared to say up to this point

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mygif

I don’t know. The reason Geoff Johns’ Green Lantern comics fascinate me is because there’s an over-arching theme to the whole thing. It’s a serial medium and Green Lantern works well because it’s a space opera after all.

One film to capture the entirety of the GL mythos is impossible and I predict it’ll rush through various elements, and as MGK mentioned, that’ll make none of the characters feel very real because you won’t have time to get to know them. Will it be visually impressive? Most likely. Will it be good? Probably not. And I’m as big a Sarsgaard fan as they come so I’m stoked for Hector Hammond.

As for Thor? Blah. Ultimate Thor (well Ultimates 1 and 2 Thor) is more my type of character than some Norse God and Hemsworth hasn’t really displayed his acting chops yet.

Captain America could’ve been great (I long hoped that the first Cap movie would’ve been a World War II film), but Chris Evans (who was the absolute right choice for Johnny Storm) isn’t Captain America. Sometimes comedic actors are comedic actors. They needed an actor who people felt they could rally around, that represented America, etc. just like the Cap character. Evans doesn’t do that for me.

I’m more pumped for Harry Potter 7-2, than any superhero movie this year.

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Christopher Foxx said on May 5th, 2011 at 2:27 pm

>> I honestly have no idea what
>> the “You can see his toes” line
>> refers to.

GL’s movie costume: http://geektyrant.com/storage/page-images/ryan-reynolds-gl-2.jpeg

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Matthew Johnson said on May 5th, 2011 at 2:37 pm

If Amanda Waller is in it then it is, by definition, a Good Thing if only because it should throw some money John Ostrander’s way. (I believe DC has quite generous terms in that regard — I recall Len Wein saying he made more money from Lucius Fox appearing in the Nolan Batman movies than he ever made from Wolverine.)

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mygif

While fans might have assumed that Captain America was the least likely superhero movie to succeed out of the three big comic-book movies this year, Cap is also the only character that the general public will recognize. Of the superhero movie franchises that are regarded as successful,how many of them involve little-known superheroes? I’d say that Iron Man is the least known, but he has a Sabbath song.

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Brendan said on May 5th, 2011 at 3:57 pm

I’m note entirely convinced Captain America will come out of this season on top; it comes out right after what are probably this Summer’s two biggest blockbusters for general audiences, Transformers 3 and the final Harry Potter.

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Menamebephil said on May 5th, 2011 at 4:22 pm

@Brendan: Wait, people are still pumped for Transformers?

Really?

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mygif

Hold the fucking phone, ANGELA BASSET is Waller?! How did I not know this until now? I am obligated to see this based on that fact alone; hopefully we’ll even get a Suicide Squad movie out of it.

Anyway, the CG aliens/locations are…not that great, but I can overlook that; what I cannot overlook are the CG costume and mask, which I find ludicrously distracting and visually annoying. Was it really that much trouble for them to spring for a real one?

Also, really digging Mark Strong as Sinestro so far.

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mygif

@Menamebephil: I gotta say, having seen the latest trailer, I am actually somewhat optimistic about it (though my attachment to Transformers is only in it’s infancy at the moment, so I enjoyed the first; still loathed the second). Some of the cuts there even lasted longer than the patented 5 second Bay cut norm, so who knows?

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Tim O'Neil said on May 5th, 2011 at 4:41 pm

Wait, haven’t seen the trailer but, has Angela Basset put on a lot of weight recently? Because the Wall, ah, well . . .

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Urthman said on May 5th, 2011 at 4:58 pm

Chris Evans might work in the first movie where Cap is just a young man during WW2.

But once you bring Captain America into the present, he has to be a future-shocked grandpa in a twenty-year-old’s body who is so utterly earnest it’s actually inspiring instead of annoying. He has to be the guy for whom Robert Downey Jr will take his feet off the table, sit up straight, and listen without smirking.

If Chris Evans can pull that off, he’ll deserve an Oscar. I don’t think he’s going to win an Oscar.

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Dio Brando said on May 5th, 2011 at 4:59 pm

Why do you hate Hal Jordan so much?

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mygif

I’m not surprised that Captain America seems the most promising of the three. Superhero movie and World War II period piece seems chocolate-in-peanut-butter brilliant to me.

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mygif

There’s a whiplash-inducing discrepancy, to me, between the cruddiness of the visuals in the Green Lantern trailer and the actual story they’re apparently trying to tell, which looks legitimately fun. And I’m not a particular fan of Green Lantern, but I *love* space opera, and I love that they’re keeping that aspect of the character. I’m sick to death of superhero movies that have characters hanging around in nondescript locales on the apparent belief that being too imaginative would blow the mainstream audience’s minds (see: Four, Fantastic, The) This summer we’ve actually got two superhero characters with sweeping, epic, cosmic locales (and two others that are period pieces, which is kind of odd in and of itself).

Anyway, if GL is actually a good, well-told story, I’ll be able to give the visuals a pass, as goofy as they are. I mean, hey, it’s a comic book, right?

(And for the record, I’ll confirm that a number of non-comic readers seem to have really enjoyed the oath, my girlfriend among them.)

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mygif

…This looks like Stargate meets Mortal Combat. I’m decidedly “meh”.

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Robert said on May 6th, 2011 at 6:24 am

You are not alone: Green Lantern looks fucking awful. The trailers are basically a wall-to-wall visual assault with unappealing CGI, showing no interesting scenes, characters, concepts, or dialogue.

I suppose if someone was reaaaaaaally jonesing to see the Hal Jordan origin story retold on the big screen, that trailer would work. It certainly makes it clear that Hal Jordan becomes Green Lantern: it just doesn’t show any details that might even hint that there’d be anything remotely interesting or entertaining about seeing that happen.

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mygif

I’m a pretty big GL fan (tho i hate Jordan) and plan on seeing the movie and I gotta admit the trailers are a bit meh. With the Nolan!Bat Flicks what instantly stood out was that Nolan REALLY grasped the source material and understood what Batman is and should represent. With Iron Man, Downey’s portrayal of Tony Stark was incredible; it was apparent even in the trailers that RDJ had nailed all the traits and nuances that Favreau had given him to work with.

Im not seeing any of that in GL. It seems so dedicated to the source material (which isnt an absolute bad thing) that there was no room left to add anything else.

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mygif

Ugh.

I *so* want there to be a big-budget, kick-arse GL movie, but I’m going to be very surprised if this turns out to be better than just mediocre.

On the bright side, with expectations as low as I now have, it shouldn’t be too hard to exceed them.

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mygif

You know, I love me some CGI. I do. It’s done awesome stuff in the past and will continue to do awesome stuff in the future.

But honestly, is the art of set and costume design LOST? The non-human GLs in this, as well as quite a lot of OA, looks fucking awful. Significantly worse than what Lucas was showing us a DECADE ago, and that didn’t look too hot to begin with. Would it have killed them to actually build real sets and put together alien costumes that were on the same level as, say, what we were seeing in Babylon 5 a decade and a half ago, and limited their CGI to things that absolutely needed it, such as the actual ring effects?

Honestly.

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Allegretto said on May 6th, 2011 at 3:24 pm

I agree MGK, this looks mediocre at best. I may be biased because I have grown to hate everything Hal Jordan and everything Geoff Johns has anything to do with, but I really doubt this movie will be anything more than “Okay-ish”.

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mygif

Smoky shadow monster seems to be Parallax from the looks of it. I’m seeing distinctly yellowish tints in places.

The disjunct between the voice work, which has a real presence, and the terrible cheesiness of the alien effects is really something to behold. Does it really cost that much more to do makeup, costumes, and puppeteering? Why not save the CGI for the ring itself?

Granted, this wouldn’t save the character designs, which are pretty awful themselves.

Overall? Yeah, looks terrible.

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mygif

I don’t think it looks terrible. In fact, as a guy who hates Hal Jordan with a passion, and doesn’t understand why Hector Hammond is the villain at all, I still want to see this. Mark Strong as Sinestro is all kinds of perfection.

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mygif

That second GL trailer looks superb. I think Green Lantern is going to be the best comic book movie of the summer. Hands down. Better acting, better story and the CGI looks impressive as anything.

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mygif

Gotta say, I love the alien designs that really look alien, I love the casting, I love that the CGI looks sort of unreal. I think this one looks like a winner, and while I know it could be really really bad, I’m willing to take the risk.

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Enlight_Bystand said on May 7th, 2011 at 6:18 pm

@Brendan I think MGK means that Cap will be the best of these movies, not nessecarily the highest grossing…

On Thor – it’s a fun movie. Not brilliant, but knows it’s subject matter is at times silly and runs with it. Hiddlestone is good as Loki, as you spend half the movie ‘okay, that’s reasonable’ to his crazy.

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Cookie McCool said on May 16th, 2011 at 2:45 pm

I’m uncomfortable with the the idea of a hot Amanda Waller, but really, this whole movie looks like cartoony stupid crap.

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