In Brightest Hopes, In Blackest Van Wilders

Yesterday, Warner Bros released the latest Green Lantern trailer. With a little more than 40 days to go before it hits theaters, the Green Lantern, starring Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan/Green Lantern, may finally be starting to show some promise, although some fans remain skeptical.

The debut trailer, which aired last November, was very Reynolds-centric, striking a flat note with fans, who subsequently wrote the film off as a potential flop. Perhaps Warner Bros originally intended on easing fans in to the idea of the Van Wilder actor playing the much beloved Hal Jordan. Although it certainly helps that Reynolds bears a resemblance to the comic book character, some hardcore comic book nerds still cannot help but wince when they remember the abomination that was X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Then again, it’s hardly fair to hold Reynolds accountable for what that film did to Deadpool.

This latest Green Lantern trailer features less Reynolds and more of the alien Lanterns who make up the Green Lantern Corp, the intergalactic police force that patrols the universe on behalf of the Guardians, a race of immortals who live on the planet Oa, as well as the alien world itself. While some fans are impressed and showing significantly more excitement over the film than they did following November’s trailer, others find themselves unimpressed with what they term cheap-looking alien makeup and ungainly CGI.

Still, this latest trailer is a perfectly crafted teaser, showcasing just the right number of snippets from the film to draw fans in, even divulging a bit of Lantern history, without giving away the entire movie. The trailer opens with Jordan finding a dying Abin Sur (for mainstream fans not familiar with the comic book, Abin Sur is the first Green Lantern in the DC Universe), who bestows the ring upon Jordan. He tells Jordan that the ring chose him, and urges him to speak the oath. The ring, of course, gives the wearer the power to channel his thoughts with green energy and is controlled, and limited, by the wearer’s will power.

There is a typical Reynolds-esque wisecrack-y moment thrown in, as Jordan attempts to take a stab at the oath by pledging allegiance to the lantern; however, there are also scenes showing Jordan’s training in Oa with his mentor Sinestro, played by Mark Strong.

The trailer does a nice job of showing Jordan’s transformation into the Green Lantern, the moments in which he finally comes into his own and truly owns the superhero’s persona. What may give skeptical fans additional hope is the manner in which Reynolds seems to come into his own as well. He goes from the wisecracking pretty boy that may as well be delivering lines from one of his bland romantic comedies to an actor who, finally comfortable in Jordan’s skin and in the Green Lantern’s costume, owns both character and the character’s secret identity.

Of course, naysayers insist the film will be the most hated comic book film yet (2003’s Hulk, anyone?). However, even some of the more skeptical fans who are still having trouble accepting Van Wilder as their cherished Green Lantern felt chills as Reynolds recited the oath:

In brightest day, in blackest night,
no evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil’s might
beware my power: Green Lantern’s light!

It will be interesting to see how the film does at the box office. If it is indeed a box office hit, and even with a now-awesome trailer making the rounds it remains a big IF, considering Hal Jordan is one of the founding members of the Justice League, dare fans hope…?

Green Lantern opens in theaters June 17.

About Viv Gomez 32 Articles
Vivian Gomez is a freelance writer for Journatic and a contributing writer for several online publications, including eHow, Examiner.com, Answerbag, and PetPlace.com. She loves the marriage of good writing and beautiful, fantastic art, and that's mostly why she writes here.