GREEN LANTERN – The Death Knell of Superhero Films?

A few weeks ago, Green Lantern opened in late June to very tepid box office numbers.  After this film has been hyped time after time, it still came up short.  I’m not going to post a negative review of the film because I haven’t seen it yet (with a family it’s pretty difficult to find a babysitter).  It’s highly likely that I will see it on Blu-Ray DVD this fall.  However, the reviews that I received ranged from “It was just okay” to “It could have been better if they weren’t trying to over-explain the origin story.”  I mean setting up origins is already tough enough for this kind of film (i.e. the slow moving Phantom Menace comes to mind), in addition to appealing to the fan boy masses (such as me) and the majority of the film goers who have no idea who this character is.  I mean it was a tough sell to get it out there, and there were people excited.  However, people weren’t excited enough for it to make up its budget (including advertising) $200…ouch!  Still, I applaud Warner Bros. for making an A+ effort for film that had C+ writing.  With that being said, what it boils down to is the writing.  The writing can make or break the film and the old adage that I can’t stress enough is, “What looks good on paper, doesn’t necessarily looks good on film.” 

                Hopefully, Green Lantern won’t be the last of the superhero films that continues to make strides in filmmaking and with the audience (especially with the box office).  Alas, the summer isn’t over yet and I am still looking forward to checking out Captain America.  If it is any good as Thor, then I think people will overlook the disappointment that was Green Lantern, and move forward with the other films in the pipeline such as, The Avengers, The Amazing Spider Man, and the stuck in development hell, The Wolverine. 

                Lastly, I think that superhero films, even though they are tent-poles for the summer time, not all of them can be a hit with the masses.  In addition, just because Green Lantern came up short, doesn’t mean that Warner Bros. is going to abandon the franchise.  They are moving forward with a sequel to the film and the biggest lesson that they would have to definitely learn is that just because you spent a lot of money on a spectacle that people will come.  The key factor lies in the story itself.  It has to be quality.  The story is the backbone of the film and if it isn’t done correctly, then they would be shooting themselves in the foot once again.  Honestly, I think they should have Chris Nolan as a supervising producer on the next one so that he can pick the right creators to get it done right.

                Look at what he’s done with the Batman franchise; two films are major blockbuster hits, and a third on the way.   Don't get  me started with Inception, that was a moden classic and loved it.  Chris Nolan is doing something right.