Wednesday, November 17, 2010
2010 Green Lantern Movie Trailer
The Entertainment Tonight preview looked pretty bad, but now that the full length trailer for Warner Brother's summer 2011 tentpole has been released, I figure this better pull some kind of Hancock. I mean, I never saw the Will Smith vehicle, but even though the reviewers were unkind, it was able rake in some dough. At the end of the day, it was one of the world's biggest stars playing the only black super-hero to ever be afforded a decent budget, and the comedy worked for its audience. Green Lantern seems to fall more on the Meteor Man side of "funny super-heroics," and Ryan Reynolds has never really proven himself outside of comedy of the dubious/romantic variety. Maybe it's just me, but that CGI costume looks ridiculous, and I can't see past Reynolds to Hal Jordan. Blake Lively looks like she should be carded, and acts like cardboard. The brief glimpses of Hector Hammond recall Jeffrey Jones in Howard the Duck. The other aliens/landscapes make for some really nice video game cut scenes, but on the silver screen? It seems to me this thing really wants to be Iron Man, but everything is so awkward and goofy looking, it has the stink of too-faithful failures past all over it (The Phantom, The Rocketeer, Superman Returns.) It may make money, but will it win hearts?
For the record, Captain America looks like it's going to break my heart. That's possibly my all time favorite super-hero, but he just does not seem to work in live action. My only hope for next year is Thor. Like Iron Man, I don't care very much about Thor as a comic book character, but the film shows all kinds of promise. Check the trailer below and tell me what your preference is. I reserve the right to mock you, by the way.
In reverse order:
ReplyDeleteI'm VERY jazzed for Thor. Easily my favorite Marvel character since I grew out of Wolverine (well, except for Beta Ray Bill, who in a perfect world has a crossover with J'onn J'onzz that rules all) directed by Kenneth Branaugh, likable star, Tony Hopkins... full of win. If he was wearing the helmet more I'd be in link already, but then, I never did quite buy into the Ultimates.
Captain America. I've grown to like Chris whatshisname, but he is NOT Cap. Just not. Poor ass casting. I will watch this on video. By accident. Someday.
GL: I have an unreasoning love of Ryan Reynolds (Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place anyone?). True, I liked the idea of him as Wally West a few years back in some sort of JLA movie more, but as comic book superheroes go, I'd say he fits the bill pretty well. And for the womanizing, cocky asshole aspects of Jordan, that's not a stretch for him... on the other hand, I concur that he doesn't feel like the character that was around until Geoff Johns got his hooks into him. Even considering that this movie is clearly going to be drawing from John's bag of tricks, he's not a perfect fit. Still better than Captain America's casting.
The CGI, while not perfect, I think works well enough for my tastes. I liked the CGI in HULK for instance, so as long as it's consistent, I'll go along with it. I thought Kilowog, Tomar Re and Sinestro, looked like they should, and the space stuff seems dynamic and fantastic. I'll be going in theaters, although it'll take a good overall performance for me to fully approve.
Okay, mock away.
Beta Ray Bill is cool for sure, and I'm with you on The Ultimates. Portman as Jane Foster felt right on announcement, but once I saw Hemsworth in action, I was sold. I also have a lot of faith in Branaugh, whose Frankenstein adaptation is underloved. I just wish they'd gotten Josh Hartnett for Loki, which would have been perfection. It would have been like Keanu Reeves in Much Ado About Nothing all over again-- using the lack of acting dimensions to sell the soullessness.
ReplyDeleteI had hope for Chris Evans, but he seems like he's trying to hard to be serious, and the suit's wearing him. Joe Johnson is full of lose, and I'll spend have the running time waiting for Hugo Weaver to over enunciate "Aih-gent Roh-gers" in a monotone. "The name... is... Captain America!" Mein Gott in Hemmel (no wait... they're not Nazis...)
Reynolds would have been fine as Wally West or Deadpool. He doesn't have the huevos for Jordan, and I cannot take him at all seriously. Honestly, I just don't like the guy's face. He needs a beard or a full face mask or something so I can forget he's not supposed to be That Guy who does all those awful romcoms.
I haven't seen all of Incredible Hulk, but I liked what I did. If Captain America isn't hopping around like Tim Roth (especially if he's practically awful like the fights in The Wolfman,) I'm demanding my money back.
I do find it rather funny that they aren't calling them Nazi's, but then, this is probably a good way to establish Hydra in the Marvel Movie Universe.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think you've hit on something there, Reynolds is too self deprecating. Hal Jordan isn't smart enough for self deprecation.
BTW, I was referring to the Ang Lee Hulk, Although Incredible was pretty ok. Basically I don't mind a little obvious CGI if they sell it properly.
The movie GL costume is TERRIBLE on all fronts, especially the peeled-back skin/exposed muscles look they were going for. I don't know what they were thinking ruining one of the sleekest costume designs of the Silver Age. I've never seen Ryan Reynolds in a movie, but he just doesn't have the charisma to play Hal Jordan, and he's too young, and he's too fine-featured. And his hair isn't nice enough, and he just kind of annoys me. Maybe they actually want him to be annoying to female audience members and that was their intention all along? Or maybe I'm just way too damn picky.
ReplyDeleteI don't have much of an opinion about any Marvel movies, becuase I don't read Marvel--which I think is actcually a good thing. Ignorance is bliss, so when/if I go to see either Thor or Captain America, I don't have to worry about comparing either of them to the comics.
Cap is your favorite hero over the Martian Manhunter? My coworker keeps telling me I'd like Captain America so I find that interesting.
"Hal Jordan isn't smart enough for self deprecation."
ReplyDeleteHah!
I liked the gonzo style of the Ang Lee movie, but aside from Sam Elliot, the cast was terrible. It also overstayed its welcome by at least a half hour. I could take or leave the effects. CGI isn't really my bag, because I can almost always tell, and it kicks me right out of the picture. We need more District 9 types that use it to enhance reality rather than usurp it.
Liss, Ryan's babyfaced, but he's actually into his thirties. Ladies love his abs, but they also recently picked Vin Diesel sexiest man alive on Facebook, so the public is pretty tasteless in that respect. I generally find both obnoxious, and they consistently choose poor material.
Given your tastes, I'd recommend The Adventures of Captain America & Bucky, an early '90s prestige format mini-series by Fabian Nicieza, Kevin Maguire, and the guys brought in when Maguire blew his deadlines. It's a human, serio-comic look at his early days. You could also try an Essential edition, delightfully free of any subtext. It has long been observed that Cap is a DC character trapped in the Marvel Universe, with his '60s pathos reminiscent of '50s Superman, and his '70s political awakening paralleling the Hard-Traveled Heroes. I've been fond of Martian Manhunter since the mid-80s, but my mix of true fandom and scholarly interest didn't kick in until the late '90s. I've loved Captain America all my life.
I blame the books/movies full of sensitive vampires and all that crap for planting the idea in women's minds that we should all want pouty, whiny men. How Vin Diesel fits into that paradigm, I have no clue, but that's my story and I'm sticking with it. I long for the days when action movies had Harrison Ford or Arnold Schwarzenegger in them and not Shia LeBoeuf.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the Captain America suggestions! I didn't realize he was considered a DC-esque hero, so maybe that's why I kept getting told to read more about him. It would be nice to see Kevin Maguire drawing something other than DC, too.
I started out with Batman (considering I grew up with the Tim Burton movies), and J'onzz was definitely a later addition to my fandom.
And, oh, I LOVED The Rocketeer when it came out, and still do consider it one of my favorite comic book movies of all time, so mock away on that one.
I'm sorry to say that I have yet to see The Rocketeer It was noted as a box office bomb, but I've often heard it was pretty good. I did see The Shadow and as much of The Phantom as I could stand, which might explain why I never went back to the Joe Johnson flick.
ReplyDeleteThe current crop of action zeros make Keanu Reeves and Ben Affleck look tough. No wonder I watch so few these days (and the best I've seen in years was the return of Rambo!)
Remember too, that it's Maguire drawing period only. All '40s action!
The Phantom wasn't any good. The Rocketeer was leagues better. I think it rivals Batman '89 in terms of storytelling and character depth.
ReplyDeleteLackluster action films is one reason why I turn to 1930's gangster films. There was a short feature on TCM about Cagney where George C. Scott says Cagney could fake a punch better than anyone, but I swear the guy was just actually hitting other actors. He smacked the Dead End kids around when the cameras weren't rolling, so I wouldn't put it past him. Ahhh...the good ol' days.