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Green Lantern 3D (Blu-ray) Official AVSForum Review

13K views 34 replies 31 participants last post by  Taranteacher 
#1 ·


The Review at a Glance: (max score: 5 )

Film:


Extras:


Audio/3D Video total rating:

( Max score: 100 )

82






Studio and Year: Warner - 2011
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Feature running time: 123/114 minutes
Genre: Action/Fantasy

Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC/MVC
Video Aspect: 2.40:1
Resolution: 1080p/24


Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio, Spanish/French Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Tim Robbins, Mark Strong, Peter Sarsgaard, Angela Bassett, Jay O. Sanders
Directed by: Martin Campbell
Music by: James Newton Howard
Written by: Greg Berlanti, Michael Green, Marc Guggenheim, Michael Goldberg
Region Code: A,B,C

Blu-ray Disc release Date: October 14, 2011







"In brightest day, in blackest night"



Film Synopsis:


In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, an elite force of protectors for peace and justice has existed for centuries. They are the Green Lantern Corps. When a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of the Corps' newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds).

My Take:


Hal is a gifted and cocky test pilot, but the Green Lanterns have little respect for humans, who have never harnessed the infinite powers of the ring before. But Hal's humanity is one weapon no member of the Corps has ever had, and if with willpower, determination and the encouragement of fellow pilot and sweetheart Carol Ferris Hal can quickly master his new powers and find the resolve to overcome his inner conflict, he may prove to be not only the key to defeating Parallax but a worthy addition to the lineage of fearless heroism established by the Green Lanterns that have come before him. As a kid I wasn't much of a DC Comics fan BUT I did start out reading them and Green Lantern was among those that I picked up here and there. He was okay but I recall not being overly impressed with his powers especially since they were derived solely from his ring. When the film was announced I became interested when I learned that Ryan Reynolds was cast in the role. My son and I went and checked it out in the theater.

It's a CGI fest (not unexpected), with an ambitious scope that unfortunately can't be sustained by its relatively thin story. The setup is what you might expect, we meet our unsuspecting hero, see how/why he is chosen to become a Green Lantern, his transformation, and finally his encounter with his first foe. In between there is relationship melodrama (both romantic and interpersonal), a bit of background on the intergalactic Green Lantern corps, and storyline fragments pertaining to Hal's personal life, acceptance among his Green Lantern peers and a backstory on the villain Parallax and his connection to victim/minion Hector. I never really found myself immersed in the story. There are elements of humor that play to Reynolds' effecting charisma however they seem misplaced especially if you are at all familiar with the comic book. The development of the characters is fine but the narrative's focus gets watered down by too many inane obstacles and a bloated runtime. Parallax, the destroyer of worlds is pretty lame, as is his connection to Hector (and Hector's subplot, which falls into the inane obstacle category). The finale and the events leading up to it are corny both in explanation and execution not to mention lacking in sense based upon what transpired earlier in the film. The special effects are a mixed bag, but most of the time work well and coincide nicely with the source material. The plethora of characters (another inane obstacle) is played well enough by the cast but other than Reynolds few are given the opportunity to shine. This Blu-ray release contains both the theatrical version as well as an extended cut which adds an additional 9 minutes. Most of that is dedicated to footage on Hal's childhood and the events surrounding the death of his test pilot father (some of which is seen during flashbacks in the theatrical version). I don't think the additional material hindered or helped the outcome. I didn't dislike Green Lantern per se but found it to be a mundane superhero flick that barely has enough steam to qualify as a popcorn movie.



Parental Guide:


Both versions of the film contain intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action.





AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:
REFERENCE = 92-100 / EXCELLENT = 83-91 / GOOD = 74-82 / AVERAGE = 65-73 / BELOW AVERAGE = under 65

**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**


(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)


Audio: 90


  • Dynamics:

  • Low frequency extension:

  • Surround Sound presentation:

  • Clarity/Detail:

  • Dialogue Reproduction:




3D Presentation: 74


(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)

  • Depth (Onscreen):

  • Dimension (Beyond the screen):

  • Realism:

  • Clarity/Detail:

  • Color reproduction:

Green Lantern 3D comes to Blu-ray Disc from Warner Home Video featuring 1080p MVC encoded video and lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 4.1 Mbps.

This film wasn't shot natively in 3D but was converted in post production for theatrical release. A large portion of the film is CGI based and/or shot against green screens and the reproduction of digital effects and their integration with live action is quite good. Depth onscreen ebbs and flows leaving certain shots with an appreciable sense of dimension as evidenced by the separation of objects and/or people layered in the foreground/background while others are noticeably devoid of those attributes and appear 2D by comparison. Apparent resolution is consistent with the 2D presentation with aspects that shine in high definition and those that are questionable. Similarly the film's multitude of low level sequences, don't hold up well and suffer from dynamically tweaked contrast, flat blacks and unresolved shadow detail. There is a distinct lack of 3D effects that transcend the boundaries of the screen which makes for a somewhat less involving experience especially for an action oriented film of this type. In terms of the reproduction of color and fleshtones this 3D presentation mimics the 2D version. The end result is a sporadic and unremarkable 3D video presentation.

It is hard not to be impressed with the innate quality of lossless surround sound. Warner utilizes DTS-HD Master Audio sound on their Blu-ray Disc releases and this is the type of film that benefits from its inherent attributes. Similar to my recollection of its theatrical presentation this makes for an engaging and active surround mix that has extended dynamic range that renders the film's action based elements with aplomb. The is several sequences that effectively transform the room into a three dimensional sound field filled with immersive 360 degree surround activity that engage the listening position from multiple directions. Low frequency effects produce deep, authoritative bass that energizes the room. Dialogue is reproduced with lucid expression and exacting clarity that produced just the slightest hint of sibilance in the upper registers. This is a rewarding and dynamically enhanced sound design that features high level sonic detail, excellent directional correlation, and rhythmically charged bass that makes for an involving audio presentation.



2D Video Quality:




Video: 84


(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)

  • Resolution/Clarity:

  • Black level/Shadow detail:

  • Color reproduction:

  • Fleshtones:

  • Compression:

Green Lantern comes to Blu-ray Disc from Warner Home Video featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 18 Mbps.

Thinking back to my experience with this film in the theater I would say that in general this presentation is similar. Overall I found it to be satisfactory but distinctly lacking when compared to the better high definition renderings of new release films that have come to Blu-ray. This isn't an especially bright film as many of its essential sequences take place in limited lighting and/or low level environs. Blacks are plenty deep but slightly crushed. Shadow detail isn't definitive and the dynamically tweaked contrast occasionally overdrives the image. Color balance is quite good as both primary and secondary hues are cleanly rendered with a pleasing level of saturation and depth. Skin tones are warm, with delineated highlights and predominantly lifelike complexions. Resolution and clarity is estimable although sharpness can be inconsistent. This appears innate and generally affects CGI derived sequences however it is not limited to them. When all is right images appear well resolved with discernible definition and fair rendering of fine detail during close up and mid level camera pans. I noticed a few noisy backgrounds and minor banding but neither rose to a deleterious level. It would probably be unfair to say that Green Lantern doesn't look good in high definition. It just doesn't look as good as it should.







Bonus Features:


  • Disc 1:

  • 3D (Theatrical cut) version of Green Lantern


  • Disc 2:

  • Theatrical and Extended cuts of Green Lantern

  • (HD) Maximum Movie Mode (with Picture-in-picture pods): Green Lantern's light - It includes trivia, facts, inside/behind the scenes information, SFX breakdowns, cast/crew interviews, character related bios and more

  • (HD) Focus points -

    1. The art of Green Lantern - 6 minutes
    2. Weapons hot: The U.C.A.V dog fight - 4 minutes
    3. Reinventing the superhero costume - 7 minutes
    4. Ring slinging 101 - 5 minutes
    5. We are the Corps - 5 minutes
    6. Acting under 10 pounds of silicone - 7 minutes
    7. Guardians revealed - 6 minutes
    8. When Parallax attacks - 4 minutes
  • (HD) The universe according to Green Lantern - 20 minute featurette

  • (HD) Ryan Reynolds becomes The Green Lantern - 9 minute featurette

  • (HD) 5 Deleted scenes

  • (HD) Justice League # 1 - 9 minute Digital Comic

  • (HD) Green Lantern: The animated series - 9 minute preview

  • ** New ** Ultraviolet Digital Copy of Green Lantern - Ultraviolet Digital Copy Allows consumers to instantly stream their movies from a digital cloud to computers, tablets, and smartphones.

  • Bonus DVD of Green Lantern

  • BD-Live access




Final Thoughts:


I had high hopes for Green Lantern, but unfortunately it suffers from an overdrawn script, bloated runtime and derivative superhero action. Having said that, I will admit that as a fan of Ryan Reynolds and the genre there are aspect of Green Lantern that I find entertaining. Green Lantern comes to Blu-ray from Warner Home Video in a three disc set that includes 3D/2D Blu-ray/DVD (the subject of this review) as well as a standard Blu-ray/DVD combo set. It features high definition video quality that will more than likely satisfy most viewers but will fall below the standards of critical videophiles.

I wasn't blown away by its 2D to 3D conversion which is lacking in the kind of involving dimensionality/effects that take full advantage of the format. Diehard 3D fans may find it adds an enjoyable element nonetheless. On a positive note it features an excellent DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio soundtrack, a strong supplemental package (including Warner's new Ultraviolet Digital Copy), and includes both the theatrical version and extended cut of the film. If you're a fan the decision to go with the 3D release will depend on how important that is to you. I can't recommend Green Lantern as a blind buy, but if you enjoy these types of films, it's probably worth a rental.















Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews





Reference Review System:



JVC DLA-RS50 3D Ready 1080p High Definition Front Projector

Stewart Filmscreen - Studiotek 130 G3 100 16x9 Screen

Onkyo PR-SC5508 THX Ultra 2 Audio/Video Processor

Sherbourn Technologies - 7/200 Seven Channel Amplifier

Oppo BDP-93 Universal Disc/3D capable Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)

Panasonic DMP-BDT310 3D capable Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)

Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD Player (HDMI Audio/Video)

Sony Playstation 3 Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)

System Controller: Apple iPad/iRule Pro HD Universal Remote Control

Canton "Ergo" Series speakers

Axiom Audio QS8 Quadpolar speakers

SV Sound PB-13 Ultra (Rosenut finish)

APC AV S15BLK Power Conditioner/Surge Protector

Furman SPR-20i Stable Power Regulator

Wireworld, Better Cables (Silver Serpent) - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling

Cool Components - CP-CP102 cooling package
 
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#3 ·
I liked this movie better than Thor. On a relative scale, both movies were not that great to start with. I know I'll get slammed for this comment.


Mark Strong makes a very good Sinestro. Blake Lively never looked so good. I was kinda put off when she played the "white trash" character in The Town, but looked great here.
 
#4 ·
Ralph, thanks for the review. I saw this in 2D in the theater and like you was hoping for better (read the comic books as a kid). My biggest disappointment was that this was directed by the usually dependable Martin Campbell who was probably outside of his comfort zone with sci-fi and 3D. But in his defense the script for this needed a lot of help. Luckily for Warner Brothers they didn't lose much money on this and will probably turn a profit on its video release.
 
#6 ·
I could not wait for this movie to come out and then I saw it...was not as good as I was hoping. And they spent over $100 million to make this movie and nothing in it blew me away or kept me on the edge of my seat. Way too many stars in it which is not always a bad thing but they just seemed out of place to me. Plus the story just dragged on in parts and almost made me fall asleep.
 
#9 ·
I was a Green Lantern fanboy going back to the first issue in the 60's. To say I was all jacked-up as an adult learning a movie would be made about my favorite superhero would be an understatement. I walked away from watching it in 3D thinking, "How in God's name did they screw it up so badly!?" Bloated, inane subplots, and what I thought was half the movie convincing us that Hal Jordan was a ******. Plus, all through the second half, the Guardians pounding into everyone that the yellow ring was bad. So what happens during the ending credits? Sinestro puts on the yellow ring! I guess even among superheroes, some take the short bus.


What a friggin' trainwreck!
 
#11 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by smudge981 /forum/post/21052224


I was a Green Lantern fanboy going back to the first issue in the 60's. To say I was all jacked-up as an adult learning a movie would be made about my favorite superhero would be an understatement. I walked away from watching it in 3D thinking, "How in God's name did they screw it up so badly!?" Bloated, inane subplots, and what I thought was half the movie convincing us that Hal Jordan was a ******. Plus, all through the second half, the Guardians pounding into everyone that the yellow ring was bad. So what happens during the ending credits? Sinestro puts on the yellow ring! I guess even among superheroes, some take the short bus.


What a friggin' trainwreck!

i walked out on this thing, the only interesting character was the mustached red-faced lantern man... crap script, crap special effects... 100$mill !!! omg...
 
#13 ·
I enjoyed the 3D Blu-Ray more than I expected because the director, Martin Campbell, is a good storyteller with such good films as "Edge of Darkness" and "Casino Royale" to his credit. He knows how to make even a traffic jam movie plot like this work and gets the best from his actors no matter how bad their roles are.


The 3D is fun, but Ralph is right about this disc not looking as good as other Blu-Rays. How did it compare with the theatrical prints?
 
#15 ·
Another sub-par 3D release. I have yet to buy a 3D movie that has been converted from 2D to 3D. I don't plan on purchasing one either. On another note I have read a few reviews on the 2D quality and am surprised since I figured this would be a top notch release. I will go in with low expectations on this one. lol
 
#16 ·
This movie lost a ton of money and won't make much back on the BDs. $250 million before marketing and then to compensate they spent another $150M to create buzz...oversaturated the ad market bcuz they knew they had a stinker. I'm a GL fan and did see it in the theater in 3D. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't a good movie. For what they spent it was a disaster.
 
#17 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by markmathers /forum/post/21053269


Hello Ralph, thanks for the review. Not sure if you saw this one in theaters but if you did, how would you compare the 3D in the theater to the blu ray? Better? Worse? Same?

Greetings,


Mark, I did see it in the theater but not in 3D.



Regards,
 
#18 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by capnvid /forum/post/21053109


The 3D is fun, but Ralph is right about this disc not looking as good as other Blu-Rays. How did it compare with the theatrical prints?

Greetings,


I saw it 5 or 6 months ago but my recollection is that while it looked better in the theater this reproduction isn't completely off the mark.


Regards,
 
#19 ·
Hard to believe that the DC Comics creative officer (and writer) was involved and they still got it wrong.


Quote:
The result is that, at a time when $35M is the average marketing cost and $70M the domestic norm for a big summer tentpole, Warner Bros spent $55M on Green Lanterns domestic TV ads, and a total $100 million for the overall domestic campaign. (Every time I turn my TV on, I think I'm watching the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, there's so much green slime going on, a rival studio exec snarked to me.)


Hollywood is expecting director Martin Campbell to be made the scapegoat: he's already publicly suggested he won't be back if there's a sequel. Some point to Geoff Johns, DC Entertainment's chief creative officer 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. But Warner Bros execs Jeff Robinov and Greg Silverman should have made sure this movie was much better than a score of only 21% positive on Rotten Tomatoes (compared to Thors 77% and X-Mens 87%). Looks like there's plenty of blame to go around. I'm not going to tell you this is the greatest movie, a studio exec admits to me about why the film wasn't better. The problem sounds like it was filmmaking by committee.
http://www.deadline.com/2011/06/gree...35m-midnights/
 
#20 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by adpayne /forum/post/21051606


Why is that? He seems like a decent enough guy. It's because of the abs, right?

For me...I'm still pissed off at him for ruining Blade 3. He should stick to rom-com's

Quote:
Originally Posted by smudge981 /forum/post/0


I was a Green Lantern fanboy going back to the first issue in the 60's. To say I was all jacked-up as an adult learning a movie would be made about my favorite superhero would be an understatement. I walked away from watching it in 3D thinking, "How in God's name did they screw it up so badly!?"

I felt the same way about the Ang Lee Hulk movie(except it obviously wasn't in 3d). Hulk was the 1st comic I ever bought and remains my favorite character. BTW, the TV show sucked too...absolutely no similarity to the comic other than the name.
 
#21 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Busa /forum/post/21054279


For me...I'm still pissed off at him for ruining Blade 3. He should stick to rom-com's


I felt the same way about the Ang Lee Hulk movie(except it obviously wasn't in 3d). Hulk was the 1st comic I ever bought and remains my favorite character. BTW, the TV show sucked too...absolutely no similarity to the comic other than the name.

Yeah, I think one reason for the poor box office was initial low expectations due to his part in blade 3. A cliched script doesn't help either as some of the hero flicks are becoming overdone.


As for Hulk the second movie was an improvement IMO, and the blu ray is reference material.
 
#25 ·
I think some of you are getting a little too jaded...maybe because we have had numerious super hero movies thrown at us. Actually I kind of liked Green Lantern for what it was...a comic book movie. Yes, the script could have been better. I thought the audio was very good. I was entertained for awhile. My 2 cents.
 
#26 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by CraigR /forum/post/0


I think some of you are getting a little too jaded...maybe because we have had numerious super hero movies thrown at us. Actually I kind of liked Green Lantern for what it was...a comic book movie. Yes, the script could have been better. I thought the audio was very good. I was entertained for awhile. My 2 cents.

I agree that we are looking at a comic book superhero, but I would have preferred a different actor for Hal. Other than that the movie was enjoyable. I hope the sequel has better writing and directing.
 
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