Title: Green Lantern: First Flight
Release Date: July 28, 2009
Cost: $29.99 (Blu-ray), $24.99 (2-disc DVD), $19.99 (1-disc DVD), $14.99 (HD Download)
Format: *Blu-ray, DVD (and Digital Download)
Company: Warner Bros.
Rating: “PG-13” for sequences of animated violence.
Length: 1 hour 17 minutes (77 minutes) plus extras.
Pros: Good animation, impressive voice cast and an interesting story with a few surprises for fans. A lot of classic Corps appearances. Excellent high-definition video and includes a digital download.
Cons: A couple small inconsistencies and mixed era elements only GL fans will notice. A couple questionable voice performances. Digital download is not iPod compatible.
Overall Score: Two thumbs up; 90/100; A-; * * * out of five.
With the rumors about an upcoming Green Lantern movie that may or may not be delayed yet again, fans of the colorful Corps have to be happy with any on-screen adventure they can get.
And this, my fellow poozers, is a pretty decent get.
Jordan Gets His Green On
This animated feature stars Hal Jordan (voiced by Christopher Meloni) and retells an updated version of his super hero origin story as well as Sinestro’s (Victor Garber) final steps to becoming an anti-GL. You’ll see Hal get his ring, a lot of other Green Lanterns from other space sectors, the Guardians of the Universe and Sinestro tossing out streaks of yellow might (along with the Sinestro Corps logo). You’ll get hardly any Carol Ferris (Olivia d’Abo), so forget romance this time around, and no Thomas Kalmaku (aka Pieface).
There are a few fights, several big explosions and many familiar GL cameos (including Boodikka voiced by Tricia Helfer, Kilowog by Michael Madsen, Tomar Re by John Larroquette, Ch’p by David L. Lander and Arisia by Kath Soucie). It also has a few surprising tweaks that include the ability to kill (this the PG-13 rating), questionable vulnerability to yellow, Guardians with names and a mix of older comic age lanterns with the newest generation, giving the story more mixed modern time frame within the GL mythos.
Sinestro? A Bad Guy!? Nah
The story, as was sure to happen with the first GL movie, tries to incorporate a lot. Lucky for us, it does so pretty well, nicely alternating the focus between Hal Jordan and Sinestro while getting a lot of other classic GL elements (and even a few cover homages as seems to happen with a lot of hero-based films).
First Flight gives a good sense for Jordan’s assured abilities both in the voice acting and Sinstro’s nasty hate for the little boys in blue. It has more seriousness that you might expect from a super friend but, as the PG-13 rating suggests, this isn’t really meant for kiddies (although my 2 1/2-year-old really liked seeing most of the “funny looking awiens”).
The colors are fabulous and the animation is a comfortable combination of comic book and semi-anime style art. Particle effects are used a bit sparingly but, when used, accentuate instead of overpowering scenes.
Overall, the voice acting is great with only a couple characters being questionable choices (Kilowrog’s voice, for example, could have been even more gruff). Garber’s Sinestro is just the right amount of evilness without sounding at all like a cheesy slick villain. Likewise, Meloni’s Jordan is cocky enough to be believable while eeking out a little extra personality.
Extra Green
All of the extras are in standard definition, which will be unfortunate for high-res junkies. Most are GL histories with a look at the current “Blackest Night” story line that started in Green Lantern comics and have spread throughout the entire DC universe. Interesting, yes, but not not much is new to a GL fan.
One of my favorite extras is the inclusion of the Duck Dodgers “Green Loontern” episode which features Donald Duck accidentally acquiring a Green lantern outfit and ring due to a mix up at the dry cleaners. A nice surprise that is a great addition that will surely please fans who missed it when it aired.
The other is the Digital Download copy of the movie which you get with the purchase and is playable on a PC and Windows-based portable devices. Read: It is not compatible with the iPhone or iPods. I’m a little torn between praise in appreciation of the free download and negative comments about this since so many people own iPods and previously bundled releases were iTunes friendly (which might anger the many, many iPod-owning customers out there who didn’t read the small print – or this review). for now I remain on the positive end since you can still watch in on a computer and, if you really want it on your iPod, you’ll probably still find a way.
There are also five Justice League animated series episodes that feature Green Lantern (John Stewart GL, that is). I would like to have seen some of the older GL series mixed in there as well since the episodes included are new enough for a GL fan to likely have already seen.
The Blu-ray-exclusive extra featurette is a look at the symbolism of the ring in various literature and myth. It’s an interesting semi-documentary that is worth watching at least once to help put the ring mythos in a more grandiose perspective. It might not be the extra to convince you to buy Blu-ray versus another version but the overall image quality of he high-def release is.
Corps Triumphant
Despite a few small inconsistencies a GL junkie will notice (how and why did those rings get back to OA under those circumstances?), First Flight is an otherwise enjoyable and action-packed adventure that offers a few surprises even for fans of the comics. It offers enough story complexity to seem new, enough action to keep the slow parts moving, decent art and a good mix of voice acting.
Since Warner Bros. seems to have recently embraced the straight-to-video animated feature route for its heroes in tights, let’s hope the trend of animated feature decency continues with other heroes and – keep your ring finger crossed – Green Lantern sequels.
Site [Green Lantern: First Flight] Read [Gamertell]
Perhaps you've hit upon the source of my <a href="discontent" rel="nofollow">http://www.axyro.com/2009/09/green-lantern-first-flight.html">discontent, as the fanboys of Green Lantern and the Corps will see this movie more or less as a cameo packed thrill ride (albeit a bit different from accepted canon).
As a person with just a casual interest in Green Lantern, I found Hal Jordan boring and 2-D, and thought this might as well have been a Sinestro origin story.
I just got the standard version (which is probably best given my lukewarm reaction to the movie), but the extras sound very cool, and something a GL fan would really love.