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Green Lantern Blu-ray 3D Review

  • Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
  • Video Codec: MVC (3D); AVC/MPEG-4 (2D)
  • Resolution: 1080p/24
  • Audio Codec: 3D & 2D: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English Descriptive Narration, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Thai Dolby Digital 5.1 (2D & 3D Theatrical), English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (Extended Cut)
  • Subtitles (all versions): English SDH, French, Spanish Mandarin, Cantonese, Portuguese, Bahasa Indonesian, Korean, Thai
  • Region: ABC (Region-Free)
  • Rating: PG-13/Unrated
  • Discs: 3 (1 x Blu-ray 3D + 1 x Blu-ray + 1 x DVD)
  • Studio: Warner
  • Blu-ray Release Date: October 14, 2011
  • List Price: $44.95

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BestBuy.com:
Green Lantern -

Purchase Green Lantern on Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack at CD Universe

Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com

Overall
[Rating:3.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:2.5/5]
Video Quality
2D HD: [Rating:3.5/5]
3D Effect: [Rating:3.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:5/5]

Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures

(Screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG  thus are meant as a general representation of the content and do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)

The Film

[Rating:2.5/5]

With Marvel on a hot streak in Hollywood, as adaptations of their second-tier heroes in particular are setting the screen ablaze, how does rival DC retort? With Green Lantern, a character beloved by fans if not generally known in the mainstream. In the recent film directed by Martin Campbell (Casino Royale), no stranger to origin stories, audiences are introduced to the roguish Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds), a brash test pilot vexed by daddy issues and a fondness for the ladies.

He’s not an obvious choice to be the first human ever inducted into The Green Lantern Corps, a team of intergalactic cops protecting the entire known universe from danger, but that’s exactly what happens when his dying predecessor bestows the honor upon him. Green is the color of will (who knew?), and the immortal Guardians of the Universe have harnessed this single greatest energy to power every Lantern’s ring. It is an awesome weapon and much more, limited only by the imagination of its wearer.

As the new guy, Hal doesn’t get much respect, but he must put aside his doubts and risk everything when a notorious fear monster, newly unleashed and growing stronger, is headed straight for Earth (aren’t they always?) I confess to being a huge Lantern fan in my youth, and so am a little disappointed with his big-time debut. The action sequences are cut a little too quick for my taste (despite the presence of the great editor Stuart Baird), Reynolds’ Hal is a little too much of a wise-ass, and the climactic battle is too short and frankly a quite silly, with this ultimate, world-devouring baddie dispatched far too easily.

Worth noting is that the 2D version can be viewed in both PG-13 theatrical and unrated Extended cuts, with slight differences that add a few minutes to the latter without introducing any major new scenes. Either way, don’t expect this Green Lantern to be a stepping stone to a Justice League movie any time soon.

Video Quality

2D HD: [Rating:3.5/5]

3D Effect: [Rating:3.5/5]

Although shot in 2D (on 35mm film), Green Lantern was converted to 3D in post-production for stereoscopic theatrical exhibition. That 3D version is presented here on Disc One and the results are better than expected. The movie contains vast amounts of computer-generated special effects which are clearly conceived to dazzle with their dynamic movement and depth, showing off the process and seldom in a hokey manner. The edge enhancement in live-action scenes however is often quite blatant.

Noise and grain are generally modest, sometimes more severe. The darkness added by current home theater 3D does not always serve us well with this already somewhat shadowy 2.40:1 image, and the blacks are not especially detailed in either the 2D or 3D versions.

Audio Quality

[Rating:5/5]

By contrast, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1-channel soundtrack is first-rate, booming with bass for the tremendous power of the ring and for the large-scale, fast-paced, high-energy action scenes. A team of Lanterns might attack at once, offering outstanding directionality, while an assembly of all 3,600 Corps members results in a resounding cheer and a shared blast of the old emerald bling. There are also ample beefy explosions, helicopters, and screeching jets worthy of Top Gun.

Supplemental Materials

[Rating:5/5]

Logically, Warner hasn’t put any extras on the 3D disc One, but Disc Two, the 2D Blu-ray, is fairly jam-packed. Leading the way is the latest edition of Warner’s Maximum Movie Mode, here subtitled “Green Lantern‘s Light.” This Bonus View feature (PG-13 only) is hosted by comicdom’s current Green Lantern writer (one of the best ever) and DC Entertainment’s Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns, and while it is not quite as elaborate as other MMMs, with no director walk-ons and such, it is still a terrific exploration of the movie that only Blu-ray can provide. The character backgrounds are particularly generous.

The included Bonus View “Focus Points” featurettes can also be viewed separately, eight in all. A respectful Green Lantern history is provided, along with some face time with our star, four deleted scenes, a look at the upcoming animated series, and a Digital Comic that we can either control or let play automatically.

Disc Two supports BD-Live connectivity, while Disc Three is a DVD presenting the movie in standard definition. This package also contains a unique code to unlock a newfangled Ultra Violet Digital Copy, now accessible via Cloud technology. Near as I can figure, this replaces the erstwhile iTunes/Windows Media transferable copy.

The supplements:

  • Maximum Movie Mode: Green Lantern‘s Light
  • Focus Points:
    • “The Art of Green Lantern” (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 6:03)
    • “Weapons Hot: The U.C.A.V. Dog Fight” (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 4:04)
    • “Reinventing the Superhero Costume” (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 7:46)
    • “Ring Slinging 101” (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 5:20)
    • “We Are The Corps” (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 5:38)
    • “Acting Under 10 Pounds of Silicone” (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 7:10)
    • “Guardians Revealed” (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 6:10)
    • “When Parallax Attacks” (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 4:42)
  • “The Universe According to Green Lantern” (1080p 24; 20:12)
  • “Ryan Reynolds Becomes The Green Lantern (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 8:48)
  • Deleted Scenes (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 7:16)
  • Justice League #1 Digital Comic (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 9:13)
  • Preview of Green Lantern: The Animated Series (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 6:32)
  • Ultra Violet Digital Copy
  • DVD
  • BD-Live

The Definitive Word

Overall:

[Rating:3.5/5]

Green Lantern never quite gels with the epic heroism that I was expecting, both as a longtime reader and as an observer of the recent trends in comic book movies. The clichés and the standard throwaway love interest don’t help either. But if you want to rock the home theater with the latest dose of men-in-tights derring-do, or if you want to keep your superhero Blu-ray collection complete, then by all means answer the call.

Additional Screen Captures

[amazon-product]B005I64U5C[/amazon-product]

BestBuy.com:
Green Lantern -

Purchase Green Lantern on Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack at CD Universe

Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com

Overall
[Rating:3.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:2.5/5]
Video Quality
2D HD: [Rating:3.5/5]
3D Effect: [Rating:3.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:5/5]

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