On April 1st, Warner Bros. released four new minutes of the upcoming superhero movie Green Lantern in comic book convention Wonder Con. With its stellar cast and amazing CGI, this movie is slated to be the comic book adaptation of recent years.
Based on the DC comic book character of the same name, the movie depicts the Silver Age Green Lantern of the 1950s, Hal Jordan. He was the first human to ever be selected to join the Green Lantern Corps, a brotherhood of warriors that serve to maintain intergalactic order overseen by the Guardians, a race of immortals residing on the Corps’ headquarters, planet Oa. Each Green Lantern is given a power ring that grants the use of incredible abilities controlled by the wearer’s willpower.
Watch The Trailer
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Hal, a test pilot for the United States Air Force, was given the ring and lantern by a dying alien, Abin Sur, whose spaceship crashed on earth. Critically injured, Abin Sur used the ring to seek out his successor, an individual who was “utterly honest and born without fear”. Hal Jordan was thus recruited into the Green Lantern Corps. While the Green Lanterns hold little respect for humans, who have never harnessed the power of the ring, Hal could be the key to bringing down a destructive new enemy, Parallax.
Artist of the Silver Age Green Lantern Gil Kane saw Hal Jordan as a high society playboy, taking reference from several movie characters played by Paul Newman. Kane based his concept of his Green Lantern on Newman such that the resemblance in the earliest adventures of the Green Lantern was apparent.
Watch 4 Minutes of Exclusive Wonder Con Footage
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More than just another superhero movie, Green Lantern encompasses an entire sci-fi universe, taking the viewer into a different world completely and presenting itself as a space opera. Based on a relatively simple premise, those new to the alternate worlds of comic books are unlikely to find this a problem. In stark contrast to its first trailer, this new 4 minute release drew outstandingly positive reactions from the crowd.
Winning the award for “Most Anticipated Movie” at the 2010 Los Angeles Scream Awards, there is no doubt that it has garnered global attention. Boosting a star studded cast, expectations are now raised. Will the Green Lantern blow us away, or would it be brushed off as just another cookie cutter superhero movie? It’s all eyes on them now as we eagerly await the movie’s release on July 17th this year.
