Green Lantern (2011) - Action and Reynolds/Lively cast sparks in Campbell's massive flop

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Ryan Reynolds in a green CGI-suit in a neon-drenched CGI universe on this poster for Martin Campbell's Green Lantern

Hal is a jet pilot and a daredevil, who is chosen by the ring of dying green guardians to become one of the protectors of the universe and the green lanterns, when the evil Parallax strikes.

Green Lantern is written by Greg Berlanti (Arrow (2012-20)), Michael Green (Sex and the City (1998, TV-series)), Marc Guggenheim (Supergirl (2017-19)) and Michael Goldenberg (Peter Pan (2003)), based on the DC Comics characters started by Martin Nodell in 1940, and directed by Martin Campbell (The Sex Thief (1973)).

The pace - not least in the action scenes - animatedly fierce and often spectacular in this fresh piece of superhero escapism. Its comic book-like lightness and irony makes it comparable to the later, successful Guardians of the Galaxy movies (2014; 2017). The plot is more than simple, cruising around fear versus willpower, and one shouldn't expect everything to make logical sense in Green Lantern.

But Ryan Reynolds (Smokin' Aces (2006)) gives his character his own brand of wry humor and sympathetic charisma, and his romance with Blake Lively (Accepted (2006)), - which continued backstage, - makes for some sexy sparks.

All in all Green Lantern is quite a lot better than its reputation may make you think and fairly good entertainment.

 

Related post:

 

Martin Campbell: GoldenEye (1995) - Brosnan arrives in Campbell's dumb Bond mess

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 200 mil. $ (some uncertainty; could likely be 209 mil. $)

Box office: 219.8 mil. $

= Huge flop (returned 0.95-1.09 times its cost)

[Green Lantern was released 14 June (New Zealand) and runs 114 minutes. Many people were in talks to head the film since the late 1990s. Berlanti has since stated that he was fired as writer and director and had "nothing to do with the finished product." Shooting took place in Louisiana, including New Orleans, and in California, including San Diego, from March - August 2010 and January - March 2011. Reynolds injured his shoulder during filming in July 2010. It has been reported that Warner Bros. raised the film's VFX budget with 9 mil. $ in post production to meet the release deadline, - but curiously this has not made the 200 mil. $ cost tag bounce to 209 mil. $. The film opened #1 to a 53.1 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent one more weekend in the top 5 (#3) and grossed 116.6 mil. $ (53 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Mexico with 12.4 mil. $ (5.6 %) and Brazil with 10.2 mil. $ (4.6 %). An additional 100 mil. $ were reportedly spent on marketing. Roger Ebert gave it a 2.5/5 star review, equal in rating to this one. Sequel plans were scrapped; a reboot has not materialized; but a Green Lantern TV-series is reportedly in development at HBO. Green Lantern is rotten at 26 % with a 4.70/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Green Lantern?

GoldenEye (1995) - Brosnan arrives in Campbell's dumb Bond mess

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Flanked by two sensual women and his steadfast Walter PPK gun, Pierce Brosnan's Bond hovers over a menagerie of action-promising elements on this fiery poster for Martin Campbell's GoldenEye

 

A space-based weapons system gets stolen by a Russian crime syndicate headed by a former colleague of MI6 agent 007, James Bond.

GoldenEye is written by Michael France (Hulk (2003)), Jeffrey Caine (Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)) and Bruce Feirstein (The Best Legs in Eight Grade, TV movie (1984)) and directed by Martin Campbell (The Sex Thief (1973)). It is the 17th film in the Bond franchise and probably the stupidest of the lot.

There is no visible chemistry between Pierce Brosnan (Robinson Crusoe (1997)) as the new, 5th actor to play Bond, and Sean Bean (Sharpe (1993-08)) as villain, agent 006, Alec Trevelyan. Both Famke Janssen (Hide and Seek (2005)) and Minnie Driver (Big Night (1996)) impress me as unsexy Bond 'babes.' Alan Cumming (Nicholas Nickleby (2002)) appears as a bizarre hacker, who freezes to death.

The dialog seems to be wholly missing in long stretches of this debacle, and the plot is without mitigating qualities; among other things Bond trashes through an Eastern-European major city in a tank. Elegance is dead in this charmless stinker. Desmond Llewelyn (Thunderball (1965)) is one of few elements from previous Bond movies to reappear, and his scenes are among the film's few light moments.

 

Related posts:

Bond franchise: Spectre (2015) - Mendes' second Bond delivers 
Skyfall (2012) - Mendes elevates a slickly produced modern Bond to thrilling heights 
Die Another Day (2002) - Tamahori makes a thrilling, grand piece of Bond escapism 
A View to a Kill (1985) or, Once a Gentleman, Always a Gentleman! 
For Your Eyes Only (1981) - Glen debuts with wacky, action-packed Roger Moore Bond

Top 10: Best car chases in movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Diamonds Are Forever (1971) - Connery's last Bond adventure is a colorful romp 

Goldfinger (1964) - The 007 template gets perfected in fabulously entertaining third spectacle 
From Russia with Love (1963) - Several remarkable elements make Young's 2nd Bond an enduring classic  
Dr. No (1962) - Bond # 1 is one attractive package

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 60 mil. $

Box office: 352.1 mil. $

= Huge hit (returned 5.86 times its cost)

[GoldenEye premiered 13 November (New York) and runs 130 minutes. 6 years passed since the release of License to Kill (1989), before the 17th Bond film was released, primarily due to legal battles following the sale of MGM/UA to Pathé Entertainment in 1990. Prior Bond actor Timothy Dalton's 3-movie contract elapsed due to the long unproductive period, and though he was invited back to the role, he passed, as producer Albert R. Broccoli wanted him to only return for several more films and not just one last. Pierce Brosnan was cast over Paul McGann, after Mel Gibson, Hugh Grant and Liam Neeson had passed on the role. Brosnan was paid 1.2 mil. $ for his performance. The script was the first not directly linked to an Ian Fleming novel. Shooting took place in Skt. Petersburg, Russia, Monaco, Switzerland, Puerto Rico, France, England, including London, from January - June 1995. The film opened #1 to a 26.2 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 3 weeks in the top 5 (#2-#2-#3) and grossed 106.4 mil. $ (30.2 % of the total gross). The film was the 4th highest-grossing in the market over-all of the year and the most successful Bond movie since Moonraker (1979). It was nominated for 2 BAFTAs. Roger Ebert gave it a 3/4 star review, translating to 2 notches higher than this one. Brosnan returned as Bond in Tomorrow Never Dies (1997). Campbell returned with The Mask of Zorro (1998). Brosnan returned first in The Disappearance of Kevin Johnson (1996). GoldenEye is certified fresh at 79 % with a 7.10/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of GoldenEye?