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Well, it happened. We have a Green Lantern movie. I honestly never thought this day would come. Of course, after actually seeing the film, most people (especially critics) kind of wish it never had. Whether you’re an avid defender of the movie or one of its harshest critics, everyone seems to agree that Green Lantern had a lot of problems. Some people criticize the script. Some people criticize the acting or CGI. Ultimately, though, I think that all of the problems with Green Lantern come down to one thing:

It should have been Kyle Rayner.

For those of you who don’t know who he is, Kyle Rayner was the Green Lantern after Hal Jordan went Parallax-crazy, single-handedly killed every member of the Green Lantern Corps, and used their rings to destroy Oa, killing all but one of the Guardians of the universe in the process. This lone surviving Guardian, Ganthet, barely escaped Par-Hal-lax with the last remaining Green Lantern ring and crash landed on Earth in an alley behind a bar. It was there that he found Kyle, who isn’t the best choice for a Green Lantern (he doesn’t exactly have “ability to overcome great fear” on his resume), but it’s between him or some homeless dude and Ganthet is pretty desperate. So Kyle becomes the Green Lantern.

What’s interesting is that with no Green Lantern Corps to speak of (everyone’s dead and there isn’t enough power left to recruit any more members), Kyle has to train himself to wield the ring, only learning about the way things were through Ganthet or other heroes telling him. He eventually fulfills a prophecy that says that he’s meant to rebuild Oa and restart the entire Green Lantern Corps, but that’s after years of stories with Kyle learning to overcome fear and become the hero he was always destined to be. In the grand scheme of the Green Lantern mythos, Kyle Rayner is Luke Skywalker.

Think about it: A New Hope works so well because we enter into the world of Star Wars after the Jedi have been destroyed and we’re only told about the old world order through Obi-Wan reminiscing with Luke as the surrogate for the audience. He doesn’t know what’s going on until someone tells him, and neither do we. The Jedi are mysterious, which makes them cool.

With a Kyle Green Lantern movie, we’re not hit with a ton of very necessary (but really unfortunate) exposition about what a Green Lantern is, why they exist, where they come from, etc. What we get is mostly in passing because it’s just not important to his story. We come in at the end and are told about how awesome the Green Lanterns were, and quickly realize that Kyle has a lot to live up to. But he’s not alone. Kyle has his Yoda in Ganthet, his Obi-Wan in John Stewart (an out of commission Green Lantern who barely survived the fight against Par-Hal-lax, but was paralyzed from the waist down in the process), and even a Han Solo of sorts in a cocky, ex-Lantern named Guy Gardner. All of these supporting characters help Kyle master his newfound power and come to terms with being the last the Green Lantern , a job he was never meant to have. Ganthet only gives him the ring after saying something along the lines of “I guess you’ll have to be good enough…”. Kyle’s no hero, at least, not at first. He was just a freelance artist who was in the wrong place at the wrong time and suddenly he’s one of the most powerful beings in the universe. How do you process your whole life being rewritten in an instant, and what do you do next? It makes for an interesting story, and a strong character arc.

Instead, we get a Hal Jordan movie where the Green Lantern Corps are at the height of their power and influence throughout the galaxy. Everything is great other than the “phantom” threat of Parallax and another character who seems to be a good guy right now but we’re all waiting for the moment when he eventually turns dark side and gets his “revenge”. There’s even hints at a war that could be coming in the not so distant future and long boring speeches about intergalactic history and politics. Sound familiar?

In 1999, it was called The Phantom Menace.

Today, it’s called Green Lantern.

Maybe space operas just shouldn’t start at the beginning of their story. It never seems to be interesting, and Hal Jordan’s story is no exception. There’s never any question if Hal will be able to overcome fear; the ring chose him because it knows he can, which means there are no stakes, a very weak character arc, and nowhere for the story to really go. In comics, that’s the kind of character you want in a long running title where the goal is to tell one adventure after another until the end of time. I believe it was Stan Lee that once said that comic books should read like a perpetual second act. But movies are different. Films have an ending. They’re not serialized beyond the occasional trilogy. Kyle Rayner was not a character that could last forever as the lead of a comic book (they did bring Hal back, after all), but for film? He comes packaged with a complete cinematic story.

That being said, I can understand why DC and Warner Bros went the Hal Jordan route with the movie series. Geoff John’s run on the title has been a huge hit for DC Comics and they obviously thought that would translate to movie sales and I can’t fault them for that logic. It is curious, though, that Warner Bros would choose Hal’s story over Kyle’s in this new post-The Dark Knight cinemascape where Warner execs were quoted to say that they wanted every superhero movie from now on to be a little dark and gritty. In Green Lantern, they do it esthetically through Oa’s seemingly perpetual dusk and the gritty realism of the production design, but it doesn’t work because ultimately this is supposed to the Golden Age of the Green Lantern Corps. During Kyle’s time as Green Lantern, the mythology is in a much darker place: The Green Lanterns are basically extinct and the flame is almost dead; Kyle is the sole torch-bearer.

It seems that’s the sort of story Warner execs should have gravitated to. In the comics, Kyle’s girlfriend is brutally murdered by his first villain shortly after he finally accepts his role as Green Lantern. After finding her body, Kyle hunts down and nearly kills her murderer. Not only is that darker storytelling than anything that’s in this recent Green Lantern movie, but it shows just how human and flawed Kyle is. He’s not in control of his emotions at all and has no business being Green Lantern, which makes a much more interesting hero because it gives his character a place to go and something to prove.

While there are certainly worse superhero movies out there (Catwoman, Punisher War Zone, and Electra just to name a few), I think we can all agree that Green Lantern is not a perfect movie by any means. It’s just unfortunate that Warner Bros. chose to center their franchise on a flat, two-dimensional character with nowhere to go, when they had a goldmine of a character with tons of cinematic potential sitting right in front of them.

- Scott Carelli

We start our discussion with non-spoiler reviews of the film before falling into a full-on dissection/discussion of the film with heavy SPOILERS. Enjoy!

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• Comment on the website.
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• Pick up a copy of “Green Lantern: First Flight” so you can watch the film with us!!!
• We will countdown a timer so you can sync the podcast with your movie!
• We discuss the film as well as talk Green Lantern history and comics!!

Be part of the SUPERGEEKS show:

• Comment on the website.
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***And make sure you join us this weekend for the SuperGeeks review and discussion of “X-Men: First Class”!!!

Join Thomas and Jeff later this week for an extra “Green Lantern: First Flight” movie commentary!!

Be part of the show:

• Comment on the website.
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SuperGeeks  11

Superhero News

• Ryan Reynolds chose between Deadpool and The Flash!
• LOTS of “Dark Knight Rises” news
• Bane picture released, casting news and a possible teaser trailer???
• Green Lantern for dummies new trailed debuts for “Pirates 4″.
• Stan Lee spoils his “Amazing Spiderman” cameo!!  (Spoiler Warning!)
• Image released of Wonder Woman TV show final costume.
• Spiderman: Musical preview

Comic Book Reviews—-DC Comics Review

• Batman Incorporated Continues
• War of the Green Lanterns—Part 7,8,9
• Flashpoint—-the new Flash-centric Multiverse adventure

Questions of the Week

• Email or comment on the website for a chance to win this week’s prize!!
• This week’s prize……..

“Next Avengers” animated DVD movie!!

Isn’t it a great morning to wake up and see footage from the new Green Lantern movie? I was a little disheartened when I learned that I would have to wait until Thor’s release in May to get a new trailer. Well wait no further. I’ve seen the 4 minutes and it is awesome! It really blows the old trailer out of the water for me.

What do you think? Not doing it? Does it get you more excited?

-Reid Ackerman

Updated Correction: The email address issues have been fixed.  The email address  given in this episode is correct.  The “new” email address is:     supergeeks@geekshowentertainment.com We apologize for any inconvenience.

Episode 3

Super Hero News

• Batman 3 News
• More Wonder Woman TV casting news and plot details
• Amy Adams as Lois Lane??
• Smallville to have an episode with Blue Beetle and Booster Gold
• New “Captain America” movie trailer

The Super Topic

Is “Sucker Punch” really THAT bad?!  Our meager defense of the film.

• Is style over substance acceptable?
• The music in the movie.
• Should you go see it in the theater?

Comic Book Reviews

• Green Lantern books—”War of the Lanterns”
• Batman Incorporated—Bruce Wayne makes MORE Batmen!!
• Brightest Day—Firestorm vs The Anti-Monitor

Questions of the Week

• Winner of last week’s contest!!
• New email address: supergeeks@geekshowentertainment.com
• Next week’s prize:

The Collected Batman movies 1-4 DVD Set!!!!

Tune in to learn how to win!!!

GREEN LANTERN

In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, a small but powerful force has existed for centuries. Protectors of peace and justice, they are called the Green Lantern Corps. A brotherhood of warriors sworn to keep intergalactic order, each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him superpowers. But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of their newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan.

THE GREEN HORNET

Britt Reid (Seth Rogen), the son of wealthy newspaper publisher James Reid (Tom Wilkinson), is a ne’er do well playboy who inherits a media empire after his father dies. One day, he meets an employee named Kato (Jay Chou), who is more than he appears. After realizing how he and Kato waste their abilities, Britt decides that the two should become crimefighters, taking on the identity of the Green Hornet.

YOUR HIGHNESS (RED BAND TRAILER – NSFW)

Danny McBride and James Franco team up for an epic comedy adventure set in a fantastical world—Your Highness. As two princes on a daring mission to save their land, they must rescue the heir apparent’s fiancée before their kingdom is destroyed.

SOURCE CODE

When decorated soldier Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes up in the body of an unknown man, he discovers he’s part of a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train. In an assignment unlike any he’s ever known, he learns he’s part of a government experiment called the “Source Code,” a program that enables him to cross over into another man’s identity in the last 8 minutes of his life. With a second, much larger target threatening to kill millions in downtown Chicago, Colter re-lives the incident over and over again, gathering clues each time, until he can solve the mystery of who is behind the bombs and prevent the next attack.

COWBOYS AND ALIENS

Blockbuster filmmaker Jon Favreau directs Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford in an event film for summer 2011 that crosses the classic Western with the alien-invasion movie in a blazingly original way: Cowboys & Aliens. Joined by an arsenal of top moviemakers—Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci—he brings an all-new action thriller that will take audiences into the Old West, where a lone cowboy leads an uprising against a terror from beyond our world.

BATTLE: LOS ANGELES

For years, there have been documented cases of UFO sightings around the world – Buenos Aires, Seoul, France, Germany, China. But in 2011, what were once just sightings will become a terrifying reality when Earth is attacked by unknown forces. As people everywhere watch the world’s great cities fall, Los Angeles becomes the last stand for mankind in a battle no one expected. It’s up to a Marine staff sergeant (Aaron Eckhart) and his new platoon to draw a line in the sand as they take on an enemy unlike any they’ve ever encountered before.

RED RIDING HOOD

Set in a medieval village that is haunted by a werewolf, a young girl falls for an orphaned woodcutter, much to her family’s displeasure.

WINNIE THE POOH

Walt Disney Animation Studios returns to the Hundred Acre Wood with Winnie the Pooh, the first big-screen Pooh adventure from Disney animation in more than 35 years. With the charm, wit and whimsy of the original featurettes, this all-new movie reunites audiences with the philosophical “bear of very little brain” and friends Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Kanga, Roo—and last, but certainly not least, Eeyore, who has lost his tail.

CARS 2

Star racecar Lightning McQueen and the incomparable tow truck Mater take their friendship to exciting new places in “Cars 2″ when they head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the world’s fastest car. But the road to the championship is filled with plenty of potholes, detours and hilarious surprises when Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage. Torn between assisting Lightning McQueen in the high-profile race and towing the line in a top-secret spy mission, Mater’s action-packed journey leads him on an explosive chase through the streets of Japan and Europe, trailed by his friends and watched by the whole world. Adding to the fast-paced fun is a colorful new all-car cast that includes secret agents, menacing villains and international racing competitors.

MARS NEEDS MOMS

Take out the trash, eat your broccoli—who needs moms, anyway? Nine-year-old Milo (Seth Green) finds out just how much he needs his mom when she’s nabbed by Martians who plan to steal her mom-ness for their own young. Produced by the team behind Disney’s A Christmas Carol and The Polar Express, Mars Needs Moms showcases Milo’s quest to save his mom—a wild adventure in Disney Digital 3D and IMAX 3D that involves stowing away on a spaceship, navigating an elaborate, multi-level planet and taking on the alien nation and their leader. With the help of a tech-savvy, underground earthman named Gribble and a rebel Martian girl called Ki, Milo just might find his way back to his mom—in more ways than one

MY SUCKY TEEN ROMANCE

In a culture that is currently overrun with romanticized vampires, it is up to four geeky teenagers to defend their friend and beloved sci-fi convention from a group of very real, and very blood-thirsty vampires.

BLINKY

A movie about a boy and his robot.

• Scott Pilgrim vs. The Animation
• Justin Timberlake to star in the post-Superbowl Glee episode? A good fit for Schuester’s little brother?
• Masi Oka joins star-filled Hawaii Five-0 as a possibly-recurring coroner
• The 5th and last season of Friday Night Lights airs in October 27 on DirecTV

• Green Lantern Villain changed from Legion to Parallax? (Rumor)
• Judge Dredd will be “a very hard R-Rated, gritty, realistic movie” that will be shot in Johannesburg with Karl Urban as Dredd
• The Avengers will be shot in 3D
• Edgar Wright calls his Ant-Man a “high-tech, spy heist film”
• Next Terminator to be CG-Animated sequel to original film called Terminator 3000? Legal matters may hold up production
• Warner Bros producing live action Bugs Bunny film

• Bioshock Infinite announced

• Star Wars coming to Blu-Ray in Fall 2011 with more deleted scenes
• Universal considering a Lord of the Rings theme park

GeekJerk Reaction: Lottery Ticket, Nanny McPhee Returns, Piranha 3D, The Switch, Vampires Suck

• Torchwood America will be named “Torchwood: The New World”
• Game of Thrones set for a Spring 2011 debut
• Entourage to end next season. Movie series to follow.
• Live Action Star Wars TV series on hold
• Life Unexpected and One Tree Hill to crossover this season?

• Tony Scott to direct Mark Millar’s “Nemesis”
• Green Lantern to be first part of trilogy, Michael Goldenberg writing part 2
• Christoph Waltz being considered for Spider-Man villain
• The horror! Justin Beiber 3D biopic
• Little Fockers reshoots are adding Dustin Hoffman to the film
• Could Quentin Tarantino direct The Shadow?
• Spike Jonze working on a sci-fi B-movie short film collaboration with Arcade Fire
• Weinsteins produced remake of An American Werewolf in London being penned by The Number 23 scribe
• John Carter of Mars releasing June 8, 2012
• D.J. Caruso still “loosely attached” to directing Y the Last Man. Wants to film a trilogy, New Line wants to cram more of the story into one film
• Men in Black III to begin filming in September in NYC, Spider-Man to film in December in LA
• Greg Berlanti has confirmed he has begun writing the screenplay for The Flash
• The Avengers begins filming February 2011

• Batman: Arkham Asylum sequel titled “Batman: Arkham City” and features Catwoman and Two Face in some way
• Zachari Levi, Felicia Day, Ron Perlman, and Mathew Perry lend their voices to Fallout: New Vegas
• Blockbuster now renting video games via mail

• Netflix in negotiations to add Paramount, Lionsgate, and MGM movies to Watch Instant
• DC changes OGN Earth One plans

GeekJerk Reaction: Scott Pilgrim, Eat Pray Love, The Expendables

• Glee returns this Tuesday. Doctor Who airs on BBC America this Saturday
• Brandon Routhe cast in unknown role and Andrew Lincoln cast as Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead
• Rex Is Not Your Lawyer pilot cast changes hints at Fall pick up for NBC
• Conan O’Brien’s new late night to air on TBS this fall

• Logan Lerman is rumored to be 100% locked as Peter Parker in the Spider-Man reboot. Sony denies again
• Writers of the upcoming Predators movie hired to write a new Masters of the Universe movie
• Green Lantern’s suit is computer generated
• Disney is going all out for Tron. TV series, Light Cycles at theme parks, and work has started on a new sequel
• Jon Favreau to direct “Cowboys and Aliens” for release next summer. Starring Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig, and Olivia Wilde

• Four free Doctor Who adventure games from BBC will be a part of the new season
• Former Infinity Ward leaders will found new company: Respawn Entertainment backed by EA
• The secondary motion controller for Sony will now be called the Navigation Controller
• Gears of War 3 to be announced soon. Adds underwater gameplay and mechs
• Dead Rising 2 to feature co-op and multiple save slots

• Palm is putting itself up for sale

Geek Jerk Reaction: Death at a Funeral & Kick-Ass

– John Krasinski (The Office) won’t be wielding the shield, but Chris Evans (Fantastic Four), Ryan Phillippe (Crash), and Channing Tatum (G.I. Joe) are now in the running for Captain America. Seriously, can we just cast this thing already? (/Film)

- Hugo Weaving (The Matrix) will be taking on the role of Hitler’s right-hand man Red Skull in Captain America. (THR)

- Christopher Nolan spoke about his third Batman film, stating that it “- will end the story”. (LA)

- Green Lantern snags Jango Fett for Abin Sur, and filmmaker/actor Taika Waititi (Eagle vs. Shark) for Thomas “Pieface” Kamaku. (THR)

- The first poster for Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs The World is… epic. (CS)

- The Hobbit begins shooting this June. (/Film)

- Is either a 3D Titanic or an Avatar extended cut rerelease necessary? No? Well, they seem to be happening anyway. (USA)

- Summit is reaching out to Sophia Coppola and Gus Van Sant as possible directors for Twilight: Breaking Dawn? (EW)

It would appear that the star of Just Friends and Blade: Trinity (Wait, he wasn’t the star?) has been cast as Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern in DC/Warner Bros. science fiction blockbuster Green Lantern.

Um…hooray? Yes. I think hooray is a good word.

I’ve always thought, ever since watching him shine through the stink of Blade 3, that Reynolds had the makings of an action hero. I thought Wolverine would be the movie to show the public at large this, but I guess Fox figured having in the movie for three minutes before replacing him with a mute body double was a better idea. But whatever, I’m stoked. I would’ve been interested and impressed if they had chosen Timberlake and cautiously optimistic if they had went with Bradley Cooper, but I know Reynolds will make an awesome Hal Jordon

Now, the rumors say that Timberlake is currently in the screen testing process and is one of the main contenders for the role. Now, I know this sounds crazy at first, and there’s a small pocket of fanboys on hunger strike until Nathan Fillion gets cast, but the more I think about it, the more I like it. Timberlake is one of the few stars around that everyone likes. Girls like him for his looks and dance moves (Generally speaking) and the guy also has a lot of man-cred for his legendary work on Saturday Night Live. Plus, he was the only guy in Southland Tales that looked like he had his shit down. But, whoever gets the part, Director Martin Campbell and Warner Bros. have until the film’s September launch date to decide. I wouldn’t be surprised if they make the big announcement at Comic Con.

What do you guys think?

Dollhouse Finale (SPOILER WARNING!!!)

Chuck Finale (SPOILER WARNING!!!)

Cupid

News

Harold and Kumar bring some holiday cheer

Tetsuo 3

Is Bradley Cooper going Green?

Green Lantern shines its light a little later

Deadpool movie is a GO

Trailers

District 9

Gamer

The Princess and the Frog

Doctor Who Easter Special

News

Scott Pilgrim video diaries

New Live-Action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie in 2011

Spider-Man 4 In 3D?

The Hobbit itself is going to take up two full length pictures

Green Lantern Has $150 Million Budget

Trailers

H2

Bruno

Paper Heart

The Final Harry Potter and the HBP

Reviews

Sunshine Cleaning

Observe and Report

•    Faces of Evil

•    Heart of Hush Sequel

•    Final Crisis

•    New Krypton

•    Green Lantern

•    JSA

The Notebook star Ryan Gosling is, according to Latino Review, Warner Bros. Pictures’ first choice for the role of Hal Jordan. Hal is a second-generation test pilot who was given the Green Lantern power ring and battery by a dying alien named Abin Sur. When Abin Sur’s spaceship crashed on Earth, the alien used his ring to seek out an individual to take his place as Green Lantern: someone who would “overcome great fear”. The Green Lantern, written by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, and Michael Green, will be directed by Berlanti and is currently eyeing an early 2009 start date.

Originally reported as rumor, but recently confirmed by Variety, W. star Josh Brolin has been cast as Jonah Hex in the adaptation from Crank writers/directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor. Jonah Hex is based on the DC Comics title in which Hex, known for having the right side of his face disfigured and wearing a Confederate army uniform, was a rough-and-tumble gunslinger and part-time bounty hunter whose adventures always ended in blood

I’m also a big fan of the costume design that is a cross between original Green Lantern Hal Jordan’s duds and early-00s GL Kyle Rayner:

]]> http://www.geekshow.us/content/movies-content/movie-news/behold-green-lanterns-conceptual-light/feed/ 7 http://www.geekshow.us/old-podcasts/two-geeks/two-geeks-episode-73-clone-war-zone/ http://www.geekshow.us/old-podcasts/two-geeks/two-geeks-episode-73-clone-war-zone/#comments Mon, 18 Aug 2008 04:00:07 +0000 Scott http://www.geekshow.us/?p=543 In this episode, we discuss boycotting a couple of Wars and clear up some false rumors. News involves Billy Bob Krueger, Matthew Vaughan preparing to Kick-Ass, the death of the Justice League, the birth of Green Lantern, and much more. Trailer are loaded this week with Wonder Woman, W, Max Payne, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Sex Drive, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, Flash of Genius, Jack Brooks Monster Slayer, and Harold. Send us your emails for next week’s mailbag episode!