Going Green
Thought I would get back to geeking this time around,and do something for us kids. One thing I totally love to do is read comics. I got my favs, Girl Genius, X men, Serenity, etc. But I also like discovering something new. Or at least something new to me. That’s why when I found this dvd, I thought; “Okay this guy has been around for a long time and I know peeps that like it a lot. I wonder why.” So I got it, popped it in my laptop, and now I am hooked. So this time around, let’s look into a bored test flight pilot who wanted a little more adventure in his life; and boy did he ever find it. This time around I give you…
Green Lantern (first flight) – A DVD review by Darcy Low
From the back cover – “Beware his power. When pilot Hal Jordan accepts a mysterious, powerful ring from a dying alien creature; it transforms him into The Green Lantern. One of a elite force of heroes who patrol the universe to ensure peace and justice under the leadership Guardians of the universe. Unsure of their newest recruit, the Guardians assign Hal to their most honored Green Lantern; Sinestro for training, unaware that Sinestro wants to overthrow the Guardians and create a new order that he will control. It;s a battle of might and willpower as Hal must prove his worth by defeating Sinestro to save The Green Lantern Corps.
Voiced by a stellar cast including Christopher Meloni, Victor Garber, Tricia Helfer and Micheal Madison. This DC universe original animated adventure bursts with action packed shakedowns, showdowns and spectacular visuals as Green Lantern uses his powers and imagination to make the impossible real!”
I didn’t know a thing about Green Lantern, other than the ring and he was green. Dad never read it as a kid, so I went into this with no idea what I was getting into. And I have to say I really liked this a lot. Hal is a test pilot, now you would think that was adventure enough for anyone. But sitting inside a rocket simulator, he tries to push it to it’s limits; trying to reach further than it was ever meant to go. So you get the impression that he is longing for more.
At the same moment, we see a alien space crash heading towards earth. The alien creature on board is bleeding badly and trying his best to keep what is left of his craft under control enough to make a landing. Once he does, he uses his mind to reach out to another person, one we later find out who is able to take on the burden that he himself did years ago.
Hal’s prayers for some great adventure is about to be answered.
Back at the flight center lab, everything goes dark and the is a large crash. Inside the simulator; Hal is wondering what has happened and why everything suddenly went dark. He unbuckles and get up, going to the door to have a few choice words with the scientist egg heads. But when he opens the door, he and the sim are floating over the dessert floor. Both he and it in some kind of a glowing green bubble.
He has been taken to the alien’s crash site, where the dying alien tells him he is from a order of Guardians that have been charged to protect the galaxies from all kinds of evils. He explains that the green ring he wears is not only a symbol of his order, but it has great powers as well. Powers to protect the user but others as well. But the ring chooses it’s wearer, and his ring has chosen Hal. It is up to him to except or not.
When he takes the ring and puts it on, he is transformed from the man his was into something greater. He becomes The Green Lantern, now if he can think it, he can create anything. The ring will do it for him, making anything from a giant net to a baseball bat; all green of course. Hal leaves the alien just as the craft blows up and returns to the lab. Carrying the sim back in a large green Easter basket and flying next to it in his new Green Lantern outfit. He exits the sim as Hal Jordan, acting like he has no idea what just happened.
Later Hal is visited by other guardians, all of which are less than happy the new guardian is a human. They consider humans to be less than dirt as my grandpa would say, people who are violent; unruly and not worth taking notice of. Not Green Lantern Corp material at all. So he is taken of world to meet with the Elders, who will judge for themselves if his is worthy of wearing the ring or not. All this time never admitting, as Hall points out; he did not chose the ring, it chose him.
Sinestro, who has been a real jerk up this point; suddenly steps forward and says he is willing to “Take the human under my wing, test him and see if he is up to or standards or not”. Hal is not buying this at all, he knows; as we all do that there is something up here.
Sinestro takes Hal into the Lantern room I guess you’d call it, it is a huge room where the green power source for all of the rings is kept. He is also shown that the green light from the green is all powerful and can only be defeated by one thing, that is the color yellow. Think of light and dark, good and evil. Although yellow rings could be used for good I guess, but every hero has to have some villain.
Sinestro then takes Hal and others with him on a mission. They are searching for a alien that has murdered some others and has been running ever since. They find he is hiding out in one biggest den of thieves in the galaxy. Sinestro feels this is the perfect trail by fire for Hal.
Once there Hal soon discovers that Sinestro is a ruthless, power hungry bully who really hates the Elders and feels he himself can and should be running things, and to that end he is looking for the ultimate weapon, the one thing that can stop even the Green Lanterns; a YEllOW power source along with a yellow ring. If a person had that, he could stand up to the Lanterns and take over. There are rumors of just such a device, and Sinestro is heading for it. Having set Hal up for murder of a fellow Green Lantern, Hal sets in a jail cell having his ring taken from him. While Sinestro returns to the Elders, but not as a Green Lantern, but as the first Yellow Lantern.
As the world of the Green Lanterns is being destroyed bit by bit, and the two power sources are fighting each others, and the sky is filled with returning rings falling from dead Green Lanterns from all over the galaxy as the power source that once powered their rings fail. Things look pretty grim for the Lanterns, it seems that the reign of the Elders are over and the new order under the ruthless thump of Sinestro. But Hal is still there and is unnoticed now that he is human. When a lone Elder shows Hal where his ring is and he regains the power by tapping into the Green crystal of the green power source itself. Hal becomes more powerful that he was before. But can one human, new to his powers and so far untested; stand up to the power of the Yellow Lantern and the cruel mastermind that welds it’s ring?
this was a great movie, full of plot twists and action. There are people that you think are one thing and cool, but turn out to be something else. You get to know Hal as he grows in his powers and you root for him as he proves his and human kind’s worth. The characters are believable and very interesting, I can see each one has his or her own back story. (I am wanting to find out the Green Lantern that is a flying squirrel.)
For me, going into this not knowing anything about The Green lantern, this was the perfect gateway for me. I am looking forward to start reading the comics now, and I think if you guys watch this it will be the same way for you as well.
So check this one out guys, because in the darkest night; you’re going to want something good to watch. 
Darcy
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