A Closer Look at the GREEN LANTERN Trailer

Posted on 06/14/11 at 3:30 PM in Articles by Josh Flanagan

We're only days away from an actual Green Lantern movie. To a version of me only a few years ago, that is crazy talk. You'll remember that at one point, the movie was actually going to be a wacky adventure starring Jack Black, so before you worry about Ryan Reynolds too much, remember what could have been.

The latest trailer for the movie gave us the widest view, by far, of the Green Lantern world depicted in this movie. Right now we're going to take a closer look at the bits of the trailer, and get a head start on the kinds of things we can look forward to seeing on the big screen this Friday, June 17.

To start, here's the trailer itself:

Here's our first look at the Guardians, who are the keepers of the Green Lantern power. Is this Ganthet? Will they have names in this movie? He's not listed in the credits, so that might be the case.

Here's a pretty good look at the surface of Oa, the home planet for the Lanterns, and what is probably the power battery in the distance. It looks a lot like Pasadena in about 100 years.

We've moved over the Monument Valley of Oa, where we get a good sense of the number of Corpsmen we're thinking about. I think what worries me here is that it reminds me a lot of the Star Wars prequels where they're trying to cram in 400 different aliens just because they can. Granted, it makes sense here. But it's familiar.

Beating out the movie version of Galactus, here we see what is mostly likely the face of Parallax, the yellow impurity, and the embodiment of fear. Ugly.

They got him. Abin Sur is banged up. He's running from something, probably having to do with Parallax, and honestly, aside from some superficial scratches, he doesn't look that bad. I assume it's internal bleeding and organ damage. "Go get me a sexy man."

Ryan Reynolds' Hal Jordan spends his first few minutes looking rather perplexed. It's only of Reynolds' go-to moves. After the ring ends up in his hands, it seems to pull him through space towards Oa, where he will no longer be extremely attractive, according to the subjective standards of space. Or maybe he will.

While Oan energy harnessing is among the most advanced in the universe, their mirrors are not so good. I think they're telling us that the uniform does what it will, and Hal isn't really controlling the final look. He's wondering why he feels naked, but looks like he isn't. "Is this just glowy bodypaint?"

Let's meet Kilowog and Geoffrey Rush, shall we? Kilowog is the drill sargeant, and he gets to punch Hal in the face. Tomar-Re will teach him more perfect elocution. I could have that last part wrong.

Here's Sinestro, the greatest of all Lanterns at this point. He's clearly modeled after Ethan Van Sciver's more Hitler-y version, all haircut and intense stare. What's interesting is that he formed some swords, and in the moving trailer, you get a sense of how the Green energy works, pulling in light from all around, and forming something that looks and feels solid. Sinestro went so far as to include etching on his blade. That's some willpower.

In order to combat the swords, Hal dreams up a goddamned chainsaw, which is my favorite moment of the whole thing.

Back on Earth, we get a glimpse of the planes that Hal Jordan tests. I think this is pretty similar to the planes developed in Green Lantern: Secret Origin, as drawn by Ivan Reis, which is cool to see.

After a quick shot of what looks like Sinestro flying downward, both symbolically and literally, I think this is Sinestro falling into what looks like a sun, but is probably part of Parallax, because it's wicked yellow.

~~Hal Jordan~~ Hector Hammond is either A) infected by the Parallax B) experiencing severe and acute jaundice, or C) screen testing for the sequel to the worst Stephen King move ever, Sleepwalkers, and will become a cat man. I think it's the first one. See the little yellow lantern reflected in his eyes? That's kind of fantastic.

If I had a power ring, I would make badass cars from the energy, and someone on this movie is thinking like me. It looks like Hal is busting into a restaurant in a green energy hot rod, which is the right thing to do.

After hot rods, the next best thing is to create constructs of WWII era anti-aircraft guns, and again, I approve entirely.

Having been stored improperly in a warehouse Parallax, still angry, so very angry, sucks the life out of this poor dude, who is…

Hector Hammond! I'm not sure where this falls in his story, or what his story in the movie is, but Peter Saarsgard can do creepy, and this is looking like his creepiest yet. Big big heads are rarely a good thing.

This looks like a big yellow power battery, with the Van Sciver designed logo again. Or perhaps this is containing the yellow energy, and we've seen the end of the flick. Either way, those are some lanky dudes.

Finally, there's your big logo, when fanboys would have cheered if they showed this in San Diego last year. I love that they used the classic logo shape, and not the newer version.

We'll see very soon whether it all comes together. Geoff Johns has his fingerprints all over this one, and likely has a lot riding on its success. Director Martin Campbell is capable, and has even done some great films, so it has the potential. Make sure to come back here for more Green Lantern all week.

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Comments

srh1son says:

June 14, 2011 at 3:39 pm

Lovin it. Got my emovie cash ready to spend.

Sleepwalkers is pretty bad. But I might pick Graveyard Shift or The Lawnmower Man for worst Stephen King movie. We’re really just splitting hairs about shit though.
stuclach says:

June 14, 2011 at 3:50 pm

Go get me a sexy man.

Awesome.
GloriousGodfrey says:

June 14, 2011 at 4:04 pm

aren’t the lanky dudes actually guardians with massive robes…?
ckl says:

June 14, 2011 at 4:19 pm

The purist in me will be sorely disappointed if there’s no “Boxing Glove” ring construct in there somewhere…
JDC says:

June 14, 2011 at 4:26 pm

Regarding Ganthet, there’s a shot of the Guardians all sitting on their tall podiums, encircling the area where Green Lanterns make their regular falling-on-deaf-ears pleas to them, and one of the podiums is broken off. Could Ganthet be pre-expelled as of the film? Is it maybe a reference to Krona? That’s all I got.

I’m also hoping Tomar, GL of Sector 2813, alludes to a certain planet he let blow up on his watch…
CaeuZokul says:

June 14, 2011 at 4:28 pm

A lot of people poo-pooed this movie from early on, and I can’t deny I had a little anxiety now and then while it was being made. Poor quality early images and ‘fans’ who knew (just knew!) it was the worst super hero movie of all time made me doubt. However the latest TV trailer I saw had so many high-octaine super heroic stunts that it has already passed Superman Returns for flying-around coolness.

And when I see it opening night, I’m staying the hell away from the 3-D theater. I learned my lesson with Thor.
g0ofgnewt says:

June 14, 2011 at 4:33 pm

June 17 (not here in Australia….) marvel studios can get their ass in gear and do a worldwide release for Thor and cap but we have to wait months.
Oh and June 17 is my birthday too…
azrael1213 says:

June 14, 2011 at 4:36 pm

I want to say that the screen cap of the yellow lantern energy in the eyes isn’t Hal Jordan but it’s of Hector Hammond.

I mean, I’m just going on a screen cap but this other trailer sort of leads me to believe my assertion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oazFv302DIM
finbarbat says:

June 14, 2011 at 4:57 pm

Honest to goodness Green Lantern question here….who was considered the greatest green lantern before humans showed up? Sinestro or Abin Sur? I’ve feel like I’ve read it both ways over the years.
Desaad says:

June 14, 2011 at 5:14 pm

Generally speaking, Sinestro, because nothing bad ever really happened in his sector. Of course, this turned out because he had subjugated the planets in it, but still…
brassai2003 says:

June 14, 2011 at 5:32 pm

@ckl there is. At least they showed one in the orignal trailer. I trust Johns on this one. Got a good feeling.
RoiVampire says:

June 14, 2011 at 5:45 pm

@finbarbat Usually it’s Sinestro as far as he and the gaurdians are concerned but i remember among the other corps members Abin Sur was more revered as a corps member and friend
Neb says:

June 14, 2011 at 5:50 pm

@azrael1213 I was going to make the same comment. I’m pretty sure it’s not Hal in that pic. Otherwise, a good assessment of the trailer. I’m looking foward to this flick for sure.
Alfred says:

June 14, 2011 at 7:10 pm

@rapideyemovement – I was looking through a GL Movie tie in book with all the characters in it. It had Guardians with names, including Ganthet. I think your right about the broken podium/Krona thing.
LukeB says:

June 14, 2011 at 9:15 pm

Comes out tomorrow, can’t wait! Less than 22hrs by my count and it should be starting 😀 That is if my local cinema actually receives it’s copies on time…. which yesterday, they hadn’t.
g0ofgnewt says:

June 15, 2011 at 4:33 am

@LukeB Sorry Luke but as you’re in nz you’re on the same release schedule as Australia which is August 4. August for for aust and shabangabang.
DamonS23 says:

June 15, 2011 at 7:10 am

So no one is worried that they haven’t done a large number of screenings and that most critics won’t see the movie until tonight? I seem to recall that The Spirit trailers made it look like a decent movie. As of right now there are only 2 pro reviews on rotten tomatos and 0 fan reviews of the movie.
abstractgeek says:

June 15, 2011 at 9:05 am

@DamonS23 there are more now, and growing. seems like today is the day the reviews are coming out, and most are not positive. The lack of screeneings doesnt worry me. I think studios are realizing that it doesnt really do much except let people who would otherwise have paid see it for free. There were tons of screenings for Scott Pilgrim, Thor, and X-men first class, all of which had great buzz coming out of the screenings, and it didnt translate to box office for any of them. Much like SDCC i think studios arent seeing the return on that investment and seem to be doing more traditional (outdoor, TV spots) and viral to market the movies.
azrael1213 says:

June 15, 2011 at 9:13 am

@DamonS23 Yeah…I’m doubly worried about the movie now since at the time of this posting, GL only has a 27% rating on rottentomatoes. Well, there goes much chance of any JLA movie…
nastysnow says:

June 15, 2011 at 11:58 am

This movie just looks awful
WheelHands says:

June 15, 2011 at 3:59 pm

@azrael1213: Jumpin the gun a bit, don’t ya think? Rotten Tomatoes has no real influence on whether or not you’ll ever see a JLA movie.

I hope all you Negative Nellies are eating your feet come Monday.
Radmobile says:

June 15, 2011 at 4:06 pm

…and now we’re down to 23% (rotten tomatoes). Not a great sign. I may be sitting this one out, unless I hear rave reviews from friends.
MisterJ says:

June 15, 2011 at 4:37 pm

@WheelHands I think azrael was referring to the cumulative effects of the rating. Meaning; the lower the rating, the less likely the movie is good, the worse the movie, the more likely it is to have a poor gross, and bad gross means that subsequent films are less likely to be made.

I am hoping for the best, but not holding my breath…
LukeB says:

June 15, 2011 at 9:15 pm

@g0ofgnewt Lol, okay…. sucks to live in Australia if it isn’t being released for another 2 months,

So I just go back from watching Green Lantern. Was fun, very serious at times and some of the dialogue was a bit hokey, but definately not bad. Felt to me like they played it really safe, definately going to get a sequel, and make sure you stay until the end of the fancy credits, they didn’t put the special ending RIGHT at the end thank-god.

Went with a mate and he compared how much he enjoyed it to Iron Man 1, personally I walked out feeling about as if not a little more satisfied as when I walked out of ‘The Incredible Hulk’ (with Ed Norton).

Can’t wait to hear what everyone else thinks of it.