I semi recently watched both Green Lantern and John arter and was struck by the difference in the two films despite the commonality of both being box office disappointments (and also both featuring legendary villain performer Mark Strong whomSujoy recently had an encounter with on the Tube).
It wasn’t my first time watching Green Lantern but I managed to pick it up cheap on blu-ray and wanted to see if it were truly as bad as I had thought originally or if watching it again I might find some fun in it. I’d also started reading and enjoying the new Green Lantern books so I was also feeling warm towards the character, maybe even more forgiving.This time I also dragged Tracey in front of the television.
Seriously, if our marriage can survive that then we’re pretty rock solid because yeah it was as bad as I remembered it and no amount of new found love for the character was going to help. That being said I did like both Sinestro and Kilowog for their somewhat limited appearances. Ironically Mark Strong isn’t actually a baddie at this point but of course we all know he’ll become one, just like Sean Bean he’s a bit of a walking spoiler.
I don’t even know if I can put my finger on the problem with the film. The constructs are all a bit stupid and the script is really weak. I can see what they’re going for but it just doesn’t happen. It actually became a game of how I would have shot that scene better. The explosion scene wehere his dad dies for example, rather than showing the explosion I would have focused on the young Hal and showed the reflection of the explosion in his eyes. It’s just all a bit uninspired and doesn’t make me want to see any more.
Of course this wasn’t supposed to happen, this should have been a massive hit because Marvel are kicking goals left right and center so there was a discussion around whether or not Warner Bros would cut their losses or invest more into a sequel in order to keep the character going especially as it’s one of the A characters of the DC universe.
Problem is that this film doesn’t deserve a sequel, they should focus on their other characters such as Aquaman, Flash and Wonder Woman. Let Green Lantern gather a bit of dust before relaunching Incredible Hulk style in five or so years.
Now the other film John Carter I had not seen and now I really wish I had at the cinema because whilst it was a commercial failure at the box office it is a really fantastic and fun film. Sure I may be biased because in part it is Tim Riggins goes to Mars (anyone who hasn’t seen the series Friday Night Lights needs to get on to that) but everyone I talk to who has also seen it echoes my sentiments. Even Tracey liked it and it has to be generally entertaining for her to enjoy a science fiction film (she’s a good yard stick when I’m letting fanboy’ism take over). The film is family friendly, the cast is likeable, there’s a strong female character and the special effects are just enough on the right side of space opera that whilst no Avatar I still thought it all looked a bit cool.I’ve started reading the books too and the differences haven’t really irked me like die hard novel fans might be. One of the reasons why I started the books is that I want to know what happens after this film. The awful reality is that whilst Warner Bros are contemplating bringing out a sequel for Green Lantern, Disney are taking a sequel off the table for John Carter.
It’s a huge shame because I would love to see the story continued and it was only a combination of timing and bad advertising that Carter wasn’t successful. It deserved to be watched and as a whole franchise a sequel could save it. The problem is that it’s a gamble and we’re talking a lot of money. The same thing happened with Serenity, great reviews, wonderful film not enough cash to guarantee a sequel thus no gamble made.
Green Lantern gets itself a 
John Carter earns itself a
So do these films deserve sequels? Would you rather they cut their losses and try out other properties? Let me know in the comments!
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