Green Lantern: Extended Cut [Blu-Ray]

The adaptation of Green Lantern pisses me the hell off. Not because it was terrible, or lame, or complete garbage, but because it was just so damn average. It should be called Vanilla Lantern. Actually, no, that would be stupid… This year has seriously been the year of comic book movies. Thor, Captain America, X-Men: First Class, all of them were great and brought something new to the genre. And while I’m not even going into the whole Marvel vs. DC debate here (I’m bigger than that), I will say this: Green Lantern isn’t as good as those films. That said, it’s not Dylan Dog or Cowboys and Aliens bad, either. It’s just okay, and that’s what might be the most offensive thing about it. I’d rather it be a total abomination like Transformers 3 than for it to be "just okay." Hatred is a strong reaction, but at least it is a reaction. When I saw Green Lantern in the theater, all I could do was shrug. And after watching it at home, all I can still do is shrug. It’s just so bland. Couldn’t it have been better? As a Marvel fanboy, I’d like to blame it on the character himself. But I know that’s not true, as Green Lantern is actually kind of cool. So what the hell happened? Well, Ryan Reynolds and a terrible script, that’s what happened.

The story involves Hal Jordan, a pilot who one day encounters an alien who gives him an incredibly powerful ring and lantern. The ring allows Jordan to conjure up things with his mind and bring them into reality. As you can guess, this leads to some pretty interesting visuals. But you know what? They’re not interesting enough. I'd like to think if I had the ring, I’d make all sorts of weird objects, like T-rexes shooting refrigerators from their eyes or a legion of hermaphrodites with poison-tipped penises. And while I know that might not jive with the comic, I’d expect him to use something better than a giant fist to trounce his final foe.

There’s an interesting sequence where they show Hal Jordan’s training on the distant planet of Oa, and that’s the one instance in the entire film that excited me, because it showed just how creative and cool this film could have been. Unfortunately, the rest of the movie doesn’t even come close to that scene. The villain, Parallax -- who I’m told is one of Green Lantern's most important villains in the comics -- comes off as bland, as does the rest of the script. And Ryan Reynolds, who I normally like, just doesn’t seem right for the role.

All in all, Green Lantern isn’t a bad movie. It has some decent special effects, a passable storyline, and a tolerable runtime, but it’s missing something. This could have been so cool. Instead, it’s a “could have been” movie. Maybe the sequel, which I hear they’re making, will be better. Green Lantern deserves his day, gosh darn it. The far-better possible sequel practically writes itself. Remember everything I said up top? Well, I stand by it. That said, I must admit that the people involved in the making of this disc definitely intended for the fans to be satisfied with their purchase, as there are plenty of extras here, and they all immerse the viewer deeper into the Green Lantern mythology.

“Maximum Movie Mode: Green Lantern’s Light,” is a picture-in-picture commentary that discusses all sorts of different details from the making of the film. It’s insightful and I liked it. “Focus Points” discusses everything from the character of Green Lantern himself, the costume, special fight scenes, and other details in the film. “The Universe According to Green Lantern” is an even more extensive look at the character and his origin, as well as his place in comics today. It’s worth a watch. The “Ryan Reynolds becomes the Green Lantern,” feature is just fine, if you actually like hearing about why Reynolds identifies with the character so much. It’s ho hum, really. Unnecessary deleted scenes, a special Justice League digital comic, and a preview of the new animated series -- which looks cheesy -- round out the disc. There’s also an extended cut of the film, which I watched, but I didn’t notice anything different from when I saw it in theaters, so make of that what you will. If you liked the film, there’s a lot on this disc for you to enjoy.