“Green Lantern” has opened in theatres across the world and GL fans everywhere finally have gotten the chance to see their favorite superhero on the big screen… that’s the good news. The bad news is that the movie has been largely critically panned, its Rotten Tomatoes rating fluctuating all the way down between 20% and 25%. Comparisons are coming up to “Catwoman” and “Wolverine.” Box office results are coming in from the first weekend, placing it as underperforming, behind Thor and behind X-Men: First Class’s first weekends.
Who and what is to blame? A variety of factors are being assessed, some that the movie was overproduced and “made by committee,” and others suggest that fingers can be pointed directly at Geoff Johns, “who also writes the Green Lantern comics and was integrally involved (reputedly even the deciding vote) on every big decision. And he’s respected but also controversial in some quarters” (from Deadline). The script that existed before Geoff came aboard and the shooting script that was arrived at after his involvement was dramatically different, so no matter how the chips fall it seems reasonable that he must carry some portion of the blame.
I personally saw the film last night with objective eyes (not, you know, “I’m looking for things they got WRONG from the COMICS!” because that’s silly) and enjoyed it. It’s a fun, if flawed, little introduction to the world of GL. What seemed lacking to me was a bigger buildup to the Parallax fight at the end, a strong score, and I don’t know… a bigger sense of “wow!”
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