Emerald Dawn: A Review of the Green Lantern Movie

After Batman, the Emerald Warrior, Green Lantern, emerges from the comics to the big screen. For those who are familiar with the comic book superhero knows that this is the origin of Green Lantern. Most know that the ring wields the power a Green Lantern has. The Green Lantern first appeared July 1940 in DC Comics but it was not Hal Jordan but Alan Scott was the first Green Lantern. Unlike Hal Jordan, Alan Scott's power was based on mysticism when a green flame instructed him to forge a lantern and ring from a meteor that crashed.plus he wore a cape. After the second World War, the Green Lantern was cancelled. It was only until 1959 that DC Comics revived Green Lantern with a new character and a new origin. Unlike Alan Scott, Hal Jordan's ring wields power from an advance alien technology by the Guardians and he is just one of the many in the Green Lantern Corps. across the galaxy.  Green Lantern is not like any superhero. They are an intergalactic law enforcement on each sector of the galaxy. Alan Scott's weakness was wood while Hal Jordan's was yellow.

Alan Scott, the original Green Lantern.Art by Alex Ross

As I said, the story of the movie is the origin of Hal Jordan as a Green Lantern. What impresses me is that the story was compressed with the current developments that is also happening in the comics. It was also timely that the current Green Lantern comics was marketing big time after the success of the Blackest Night story arc which was a major crossover comic event after Crisis On Infinite Earths, which was best crossover of DC Comics back in the 80's.

The casting of other Green Lanterns. Tomar Re was voiced by Geoffrey Rush, who is very popular for the role of Barbossa of Pirates of The Carribean, diverted from his famous role to a more supportive character for Hal Jordan. Tomar Re's features are bird-like beak and a fish fin on top of his head.

Kilowog, a brutish, porcupine-like Green Lantern, was voiced Michael Duncan Clarke, who was suited for the role which does not surprises me. I was impressed that in the movie, he uses his trademark word "poozer".

Abin Sur, the alien Green Lantern who was Hal Jordan's predecessor was played by Temuera Morrison. Unlike Clarke and Rush, he only used special make-up effects for the role. Morrison played Jango Fett and the Clone Troopers in Star Wars Episode 2: Attack Of The Clones and as the voice of Bobba Fett in 2004 Special Edition of Star Wars Episode 5: The Empire Strikes Back.

Sinestro, the leader of the Green Lantern Corps, was played by Mark Strong. Strong was ideal for the role because like his previous character in Sherlock Holmes, he also projected that charisma to other Green Lanterns. Sinestro's features is also humanoid except for the red complexion and pointy ears. This is one character fan is concentrated on.

The Guardians, the creators of the Green Lantern Power Core, was portrayed in a more elevated status like a council that directs the affairs of the GL Corps. Besides them, there are other cameo appearance of other known Green Lanterns and an appearance of a major character of another superhero arc.

The Green Lantern costume, ring and power battery were done more realistic. They were designed to look more otherworldly in origin unlike what it look like  in the comics. In the comics, the power battery look like a regular  Earth lantern except that it's green. The movie costume was also an improvement. It was made to look like a projection of energy coming from a Green Lantern ring.

Lastly, Hal Jordan, played by Ryan Reynolds. He is no different from playing superheroes since he played Knighstalker Hannibal Drake in Blade:Trinity and Wade Wilson aka Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. He played a different Hal Jordan than in the comics which is essential for the story.

Overall, it was good movie. If you are a comic book fan of the character, don't expect to much because you may not enjoy the whole movie so lower your expectations like I did.Don't forget to stay after the credits for an extra scene. Green Lantern opens in 2D and 3D cinemas today and is distributed by Warner Bros.

MARK STRONG PLAYS “GREEN LANTERN” LEADER, SINESTRO

Audiences who are new to “Green Lantern” might not be aware that Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) is only one of a force of thousands, all of whom have the title of Green Lantern.  Foremost among them is Thaal Sinestro, the leader of the Green Lantern Corps, played by British actor Mark Strong (“Sherlock Holmes,” “Robin Hood”).

            In Warner Bros.' 3D action-adventure, Sinestro mourns the loss of fallen Lantern Abin Sur as strongly as he questions the choice of Hal to take his place; although, according to everything he knows, the ring that chooses a Green Lantern never makes a mistake.

            Strong was drawn to the film’s thematic issues.  “I’m intrigued by the notion of the balance between fear and will.  This is a story about what you can achieve, and overcome, if you put your mind to it, and it’s told in a really dynamic, electrifying way.”

            Sinestro is one of only two humanoid aliens portrayed by an actor, albeit under heavy prosthetic makeup.  “He’s a very hard task master, but it’s all done for the right reasons; he’s totally committed to the cause,” Strong justifies.  “He genuinely believes in the Corps and that they can keep peace in the universe.”

            Part of Sinestro’s skepticism with regard to Hal’s capabilities stems from his feelings about the human race, which he deems too young, arrogant and unexceptional to be part of the Corps.  “He doesn’t think humans are worthy, so he is extremely dismissive of Hal, thinking him bound to be the weak link.  Of course, a lot of those feelings exist because he doesn’t think Hal can ever live up to the memory of his former colleague, mentor and friend, Abin Sur.”

            “Mark Strong brought so much gravitas to the role of Sinestro,” producer Donald De Line says.  “Every time the camera rolled, he had great presence and commanded total attention and respect, which is precisely what was called for.”

            Mark Strong will next lend his voice to Pixar’s “John Carter of Mars,” set for release next year.

            Among Strong’s previous film credits are Kevin MacDonald’s Roman epic “The Eagle,” Peter Weir’s fact-based drama “The Way Back,” with Colin Farrell; Ridley Scott’s “Robin Hood,” and “Body of Lies”; Matthew Vaughn’s “Kick-Ass” and “Stardust”; Guy Ritchie’s “Sherlock Holmes,“ “RocknRolla,” and “Revolver”; “The Young Victoria,” opposite Emily Blunt; Pete Travis’ Apartheid drama “Endgame”; “Good,” with Viggo Mortensen; “Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day”; Stephen Gaghan’s “Syriana”; Roman Polanski’s “Oliver Twist”; and “Fever Pitch,” with Colin Firth.

            Opening across the Philippines on June 16 in 3D, 2D and regular format,  “Green Lantern” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Super 8

Super 8 is a Sci-FI suspense story set In the 70’s. It was still the time of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. It was also during this time that Project Blue Book, an operation initiated by the U.S. government to gather and document UFO cases.

Super 8 is another movie by J.J. Abrams that was a sci-fi genre following the success of Star Trek (2009). J.J Abrams applied a conspiracy story like what he did in Mission: Impossible 3 and his popular series, Alias.

This is also a Steven Spielberg production so you can also see a similarity of his earlier works like E.T. but was done more realistic. But unlike E.T., this is not a family movie. If you are into UFO conspiracies, this is something you may watch.

The cast of Super 8 is not what you call star-studded but that was alright so the movie won’t be predictable but there were familiar actors from television like Kyle Chandler of Early Edition and Noah Emmerich, who appears sometimes on White Collar. Super 8 advance screening was held at Glorietta Cinema last June 8 courtesy of Solar Entertainment. Super 8 opens June 10 in Ayala Cinemas – Glorietta 4, Greenbelt 3, Trinoma, Alabang Town Center, Ayala Cebu, Marquee Mall, Abreeza. Log on to www.sureseats.com for online transaction.

CUTTING EDGE MOVIE-VIEWING EXPERIENCE ANEW at MARKET! MARKET!

Nene Tamayo

Ayala Cinemas’ Market! Market! upgrades the movie-viewing experience once again mere months after the relaunch of its cinema 1 as a world-class and state-of-the-art theatre.  Market!Market! offers anew quality movie viewing experience with its latest digital upgrades for Cinema 4 (Digital 3D) and Cinema 5 (Digital 2D) where film buffs will appreciate high definition quality of blockbuster local and foreign movies.

The fun is indeed “in the finds” at Market! Market! cinemas, as it exhibits a diverse selection of films, majestically enhanced to give moviegoers unforgettable viewing experiences. Equipped with the latest technology, Market! Market! cinemas are being discovered by different types of movie aficionados. The cutting edge Dolby Digital 3D system assures viewers crisp and vivid visuals and unrivaled sound effects. Cinemas 4 and 5 also have stadium setups, allowing fuller, clearer and wider views.

As with the refurbished Cinema 1, the new digital cinemas are now more spacious, providing higher backrests, extra leg room and wider walking areas. More comfortable than ever, Cinemas 4 and 5’s homey but luxurious atmosphere inspires more leisurely moments. And with Market! Market!’s commitment to addressing different clients’ needs, these new cinemas have convenient features such as booster seats for younger viewers and user-friendly hallways for the handicapped. Snack trays are also always available.

Guests had a grand time recently at the launch of the new digital cinemas. They were treated to screenings of the fantasy epic “Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides,” starring Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz. The summer seafaring sequel was made even more exciting with entertainment and food provided by Seafood Island. Along with the newly launched theatres, a sleeker, more modern cinema lobby façade greeted the excited moviegoers with free snack treats from Taters and a pirate’s bandana to top the latest movie experience. Guests included local favourite celebrities such as Ronnie Liang, Kiray from the phenomenal ‘Mara Clara’ teleserye, Pinoy Big Brother’s Nene and Jao Mapa among others.

More changes are expected to make movie-viewing at Market! Market! a more pleasurable experience in the coming months. With the bigger capacity and improved picture and sound quality of its new and considerably upgraded cinemas, the crowd-drawing Market! Market! continues the Ayala Malls’ tradition of providing quality leisure and entertainment, just one of the many reasons to, as the appreciative Ayala Cinemas patron would say, “Love ‘Em Mall!”

Ayala Malls Cinemas makes seats and tickets more conveniently accessible to its moviegoers for SureSeats can now also be accessed via SMS by texting SURESEATS to 2910 (Globe and Smart Subscribers), I-Can’s mobile apps for BPI and Bancnet Account holders and downloading SureSeats widget at Nokia’s Ovi Store.  SureSeats’ M-Pass can be reloaded anywhere, anytime via credit card and G-Cash.

“X-MEN: FIRST CLASS” EXCELS AT P71 MILLION MARK IN PHILS.

“X-Men: First Class” stirred the franchise anew as it exceeded fans’ and the general public’s expectations when it opened with a whopping P 71 million at the box-office nationwide on its first 4-day weekend (June 2-5, 2011) in the Phils.

            The movie delivered with flying colors, surpassing 20^th Century Fox’s estimates and is now 2011’s Biggest Opening for a Fox film so far, besting the studio’s recent box-office hit “Rio” at P 17 million on its opening weekend.

“X-Men: First Class’” P 52.2M opening weekend in Metro Manila overtook “Pirates 4’s” opening 3-day weekend of P 47M and that of “Thor’s” P 45.4M 3-day weekend. The fourth installment of the “X-Men” franchise is now the 2^nd Biggest Opening Weekend for the year so far succeeding “Kung Fu Panda’s” P 64M 4-day weekend.

Previous X-Men films have shown male comic book fans dominating the film's market share, but “X-Men: First Class” rebooted the franchise to an even wider demographic as it exceeded “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” gross that previously opened at P 35.4M in 2009 and now holds record as the 2^nd Biggest Opening Weekend of the franchise next to “X-Men: Last Stand” that opened on a 5-day weekend at P 58.8M in 2006. 

Also surpassing the studio’s “Star Wars: Episode III” at a P49.8M opening,  “X-Men: First Class” so far is now Fox’s 3^rd Biggest Opening Weekend All-Time following “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer” at P60.9M opening and that of  X-Men’s “Last Stand.”

 So far recorded as the Biggest Opening Weekend for a Non-3D film, “X-Men: First Class” raked in more than 440,000 admissions in 228 screens on its 4-day Phils. debut.  With the movie reaping strong positive reviews, it will most likely hold strong in the coming 3 weeks more particularly in the following top grossing cinemas.

            Ayala Cinemas’ Trinoma climbed its way to the top of the list in “X-Men: First Class’” top grossing cinemas with its P 4.3million receipt. Next in line are  SM Mall of Asia P 3.8M; SM Megamall P 3.05M; SM North Edsa/The Block P 3M; Glorietta4 P 2.9M; Powerplant P 2.5M; Gateway Cineplex/Ali Mall P2.2M; Eastwood P 2.07M; Greenbelt3 P 1.8M and Alabang Town Center P 1.7M.

           

Still within the million mark’s top grossing cinemas are SM Cebu P1.7M; Shang Cineplex P1.69M; Ayala Cebu P 1.68; TheatreMall P 1.6M; Robinson’s Ermita P 1.55M; Newport P 1.53M; Robinson’s Galleria P 1.5M; Filinvest P 1.3M; Market!Market! P1.2M; SM Fairview P 1.1M and SM San Lazaro P 1M.

            “X-Men: First Class” is set in the 1960s – the dawn of the Space Age, and also the height of the Cold War, when escalating tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union threatened the entire planet – and when the world discovered the existence of mutants that unveils the beginning of the X-Men saga. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender star as Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr before they took the names  Professor X and Magneto.  Before they were archenemies they were the closest of friends, working together and with other mutants to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known. As the first class discovers, harnesses, and comes to terms with their formidable powers, alliances are formed that will shape the eternal war between the heroes and villains of the X-Men universe.

            “X-Men: First Class” is still showing nationwide from 20^th Century Fox distributed by Warner Bros.

             

Mutant Genesis of X-Men: First Class

Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy

The first X-men movie started with the conflicting interests of Professor X and Magneto. Regardless of their individual differences, they still consider each other as close friends. When the X-Men comics first appeared, it already highlighted the conflict between the group and Magneto. But the conflict of Prof. X and Magneto is not between good and evil. It's about ideology. 1963 was the time when racism was an issue in the United States. This was the time of Dr. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. You can say that Prof. X is an embodiment of Dr. King and Magneto is Malcolm X. Of all the villains, you can't say Magneto was totally bad. This is the message Stan Lee was saying when he first created the X-Men. Even until now, the message is still relevant even to us Filipinos. Our history was also about racism. When our colonizers treat us differently that ideas were also developed. In our historical context, I can say our national hero, Jose Rizal shares similarities to what Charles Xavier was trying to do and Erik Lehnsherr was like Andres Bonifacio.

Havok: Movie and comics version

Like the first movie trilogy, there were also inconsistencies like making Alex Summers aka Havok older than his brother Cyclops, who appeared in the three X-Men movies and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. But the movies were not consistent with the comics. Like making Iceman younger than Cyclops, Jean Grey, Beast and Angel which was the first X-Men team members. Even Beast was made older than all of them. 

The first X-Men team

The uniform they wore for the mission were similar to the X-Men uniform in the comics. Even the details of Banshee was quite similar. Despite this minor inconsistencies, it was a redeeming movie for the X-Men franchise since the third movie, X-Men: The Last Stand which was the poorest movie considered by many fans. Expect cameo appearances from a couple of characters so don't blink while watching the movie. X-Men: First Class opens June 2 in cinemas.

X-Men team uniform pattern

“GREEN LANTERN” TRAILER FOR 3D CINEMAS OUT NOW!

Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan

Warner Bros. rolls out another eye-popping trailer of the fantasy action-adventure “Green Lantern.”  The trailer, which was essentially created for 3D theaters, can be viewed on this link – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZerhxsESpro&feature=channel_video_title.

Bringing the enduringly popular superhero to the big screen for the first time, “Green Lantern” stars Ryan Reynolds (“X-Men Origins: Wolverine”) in the title role, under the direction of Martin Campbell (“Casino Royale”).

            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 (Reynolds).

            Hal is a gifted and cocky test pilot, but the Green Lanterns have little respect for humans, who have never harnessed the infinite powers of the ring before. But Hal is clearly the missing piece to the puzzle, and along with his determination and willpower, he has one thing no member of the Corps has ever had: humanity. With the encouragement of fellow pilot and childhood sweetheart Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), if Hal can quickly master his new powers and find the courage to overcome his fears, he may prove to be not only the key to defeating Parallax…he will become the greatest Green Lantern of all.

            Opening across the Philippines on June 16 in 3D, 2D and regular format,  “Green Lantern” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.