Rent Green Lantern: First Flight (2009)

Green Lantern: First Flight review by Mark McPherson - Cinema Paradiso

As one of the first films of the Green Lantern, there’s a rather gutsy approach to how quickly First Flight jumps from origins to mission. The film is treated less as an intro and more of a crash course in the superhero who protects the universe with a magic ring. In the span of about five minutes, we’re introduced to the pilot Hal Jordan and relayed his origins of how he discovered the alien Abin Sur during a flight. The dying Sur grants the powers of his ring to Jordan and the pilot soon becomes a cop of the galaxy, learning of the responsibilities and structure of the Green Lantern Corps. Got it? I hope so because the film isn’t going to slow down for too much explanation.

The film finds Jordan working alongside the Green Lantern veteran of Sinestro on a mission to investigate the yellow energy of fear that threatens the green reach. Of course, thanks to the likes of Superfriends and Justice League series, even people who don’t read comic books know that Sinestro will ultimately turn to become the more notable villain who wields yellow rather than green. But the film does its best to make this transition proceed down a Training Day route, where the rookie comes to understand the corruption of the old guard and topple over it.

In truth, this story is more of Sinestro’s origins than it they are that of Hal Jordan. Honestly, Jordan is not as interesting considering his heroic instincts are only slightly mired by the brashness of being a gung-ho pilot. He straightens out to fly right and use his ring for more good as the film progresses. It’s Sinestro, however, that makes more of the turn-in character become the villain. We watch as he takes off for the planet of Qward and receives everything he needs from the Weaponers to amass an assault on the Green Lantern homeworld of Oa. By the time he has fully embraced the power of fear, the film mostly settles into becoming your standard superhero affair with Hal trying to lead the charge against Sinestro’s attack on the Green Lantern guardians.

The script is rather strong considering how there’s a bit more personality to the alien creatures and their deceptive ways. I particularly dug the way Kurtwood Smith plays the space pirate of Kanjar Ro with a nature that seems more lived-in as a gangster familiar with dangerous deals and giving Green Lanterns the slip. It probably helps that Smith has a bit of experience since he also did the voice of a lawyer in a Green Lantern episode of Justice League. Maybe he has a fondness for Green Lantern stories or maybe it’s just the luck of the draw. At any rate, he delivers a great performance.

The rest of the voices are not too shabby either. Christopher Meloni plays Hal Jordan and it’s an interesting choice to lean in harder to that police character considering Meloni’s years of experience on Law & Order. Veteran stage actor Victor Garber is also a good choice for Sinestro, bringing a certain aged sophistication to a role that requires some pomposity. Tricia Helfer, better known from Battlestar Galactica as the seductive Six, portrays Boodikka with a sultry stern nature. And the casting of Michael Madsen as the gruff GL trainer of Kilowag is so unbelievably fitting I doubt there was little prep he had to have for such a role.

Green Lantern: First Flight stumbles a bit here and there for becoming little more than a familiar story of the comics. But in terms of the presentation and the strong casting, the film is still a treat for any Green Lantern fan and a solid intro for newcomers to become engaged in the space cop drama.