The most recent movie was Green Lantern. Steve read the Green Lantern comics and liked him, so I read up on the lore and was "prepared." I have really enjoyed watching Ryan Reynolds in a few very different roles and felt he had what it would take to pull off Hal Jordan. I believe I was right. And I have to say Blake Lively was a pleasant surprise. She is very young and 11 years younger than Ryan Reynolds, but she still managed to make it fairly easy to believe they could have grown up together. The seriousness and intensity of her performance was also a nice surprise.
The movie was intense and a little scary in parts, which was the point. It was a lot of backstory and idea to put into one movie. And, I suppose, if you know nothing about Green Lantern or the Green Lantern Corps, it might be a little too much to take in. Unless you're willing to let it be a superhero movie. Unless you're willing to listen and follow the story. Green Lantern has been written and rewritten a few times, as have most comic book superheroes. And I suppose if you like one version, embracing another could be difficult. This is the reason I don't mind "changing" my superheroes up a bit. I will not complain--too much--about backstory being changed. Or about different people being the catalyst to whatever event. Some things work better on screen. X-Men: First Class is an excellent example of this. They changed SO much, but I really enjoyed the new ideas. And the movie would have been a little insane if they had tried to make it like the comics.
That being said, if the movie is based on a book...I tend to have more issues. I have been annoyed--and annoyed my husband by huffing--when things I felt were important were left out or changed. My most recent annoyance was the absence of my favorite line in (The Twilight Saga) Eclipse. And those movies in general have not been my most favorite of book retellings. But I have to look at the movie as a whole. I have to respect the author's opinion. Because if Stephenie Meyer and J.K. Rowling have given their blessings on these movies, then I need to shut up. I believe you can always find something to complain about, if you look hard enough. But is that the point of going to see a movie? So I will be in the theatre watching the last Harry Potter, and I will be at the midnight showing of Breaking Dawn, both parts.
I haven't read any of the reviews for Green Lantern. I tend to ignore most reviews nowadays. I believe most reviewers have a hard time separating their personal opinion about the main actors, the director, or what they think the character--especially comic book characters--should look or act like. And I have heard a few comments like "It was too much like a superhero movie." Really? Why the heck would you go see a movie like that if you didn't want it to be a superhero movie? Not that I would do any better. Give me a Michael Bay movie and I will defend it, for the most part. Mostly because there are times when you just want to see things blow up. And he does that so very well. So, I will go see the next Transformers happily. And I know I won't be disappointed. The story could possibly be ridiculous, or even offensive as they make the space race about Decepticons and change history. But, hey, it's a movie about giant robots...there are times when you just have to suspend your beliefs. And I feel that is the point of most movies.
