(I am not a comic otaku, but I will reflect on the connections and links to the original material as much as possible. This is to appease any comic book fans who feel I’m ignoring the original canon or how it makes them feel. Can’t make any promises I’ll agree with you, though)
We saw Hal Jordan’s backstory in more detail in Justice League: The New Frontier, extended over the entire film. This time around, we get more into details of the aftermath of his bestowal of the role of Green Lantern, confronting his nemesis Sinestro and becoming a highly respected member of the Green Lantern Corps and a trusted friend of the Guardians. Without further ado, onto synopsis.
We begin with Hal Jordan flying a jet into the blue sky, in actuality doing a simulation and nearly failing while flirting with his employer, Carol Ferris. The scene shifts to a ship crashing in the desert and a mysterious figure in green and black using a ring to summon someone. As we return to Hal’s simulation, we discover that Hal was the one summoned, ripped from the building by a green light that transports him to the injured alien. He tries to help him, but the alien communicates that the ring has chosen him to be the new Green Lantern, one of the protectors of the universe. He mentions that his superiors, the Guardians, will send for him. The ship then explodes and Hal is left alone to contemplate his destiny. He then returns to the base as if nothing happened, hiding his identity as the Green Lantern who brings the ship back with a mask. Hal then tells Carol he has to go for about a week, seeing new sights (no doubt practicing with the ring a bit), cutting the conversation short as he sees three green beams shooting down to earth. He is attacked by one of them, and discovers they are other Green Lanterns who are looking for one Abin Sur, whom Hal succeeded. Since his body was destroyed in the subsequent explosion after Hal got the ring, Sinestro, the leader of the quartet of Lanterns notes that the Guardians still have to decide whether he’s worthy of the ring. The group then takes Hal to the planet Oa. The Guardians explain that the title of Green Lantern involves a responsibility to an entire sector of the universe, one of 3600, not to mention the power that the ring each is given holds. The Guardians are skeptical due to their distrust of humans and their abuse of power, not to mention the many “atrocities” they have committed. But one of them notes that the ring chose him, so he must be worthy in his own way. Sinestro offers to take Hal under his wing to confront an issue in his sector. The Guardians accept and Sinestro puts Hal through a quick session to gain the information from the Central Battery. Sinestro notes that he likes humans and their contempt for authority, noting that the Guardians are less than impressive as the leaders of the Corps. Travelling to Cadmando to find the person who killed Abin Sur, a squid man named Cuch. We’re first exposed to Sinestro’s methods of coercion and cruelty through interrogating the bouncer and later through the owner of the bar where they investigate for Cuch’s whereabouts. Hal defies Sinestro’s orders to not interfere, suggesting he is too cruel, but they are interrupted by Cuch storming in the bar. Sinestro chases Cuch, losing him in the sewers. Hal is knocked into the sewers through the bar and manages to catch Cuch on his own. Sinestro is frustrated that Hal was being too soft in defying him. He insists that he needs to rule through fear in the chaotic and unpredictable galaxy. His goal is to bring ultimate order to the galaxy by eliminating all the crime and evil in the world, even if he must use less than pleasant means to achieve that end. Other Lanterns appear and Sinestro calms, taking Cuch to the nearest substation for interrogation. Boodikka talks to Hal about Sinestro’s position, seeking out Kanjar Ro, who is in possession of information on the only known weakness to the Green Lanterns, the Yellow Element. She tells the story of the Guardians building the Green Battery and their sealing away of the Yellow Element for fear it would be abused. Kanjar Ro found the Yellow Element and Abin Sur went undercover to find it. He was discovered by Cuch and managed to escape and was then found by Hal when he crashed on Earth. Boodikka is impressed that Hal took down Cuch by himself. Sinestro calls a meeting, revealing he has acquired information from Cuch about Kanjar Ro’s whereabouts and that the group will finally discover him and take him down for good. The Guardians inquire about Sinestro’s methods and accuse him of warping the Green Lantern idea of justice. Sinestro agrees to let the Guardians interrogate him when he is captured. The Green Lanterns arrive at the station, Hal made to watch around the outer perimeter while the others split up. It is revealed that Sinestro is working with Kanjar Ro and needs him in order to discover where the Yellow Element is, being developed into some sort of weapon. Hal is ordered to change to a new location, but in transit, he discovers Kanjar Ro’s men and proceeds to stop them, Kanjar Ro escaping. He creates a disturbance to get the Lanterns off his back, managing to escape, but the Lanterns trailing him with Sinestro’s insistence that the masses can be ignored as a sacrifice to stop the evildoers. In the warp tunnel, some of them die, but Hal gets on the ship, sneaking in. He confronts Kanjar Ro, who knocks him out from behind, Sinestro killing Kanjar Ro and making Hal a scapegoat to cover his tracks. Hal is summarily court marshaled (even with Sinestro’s attempt to defend his actions as self defense) and gives up his ring, while Sinestro revives Kanjar Ro’s corpse to discover the location of the Yellow Element at Qward. Hal, Boodikka and Kilowog, through Hal’s intuition, discover that Sinestro is a traitor in the middle of his act of necromancy. Boodikka reveals she has been working with Sinestro from the beginning. But with Kilowog’s help and a little ingenuity with the unstable yellow element staff Kanjar Ro holds, Hal stops Boodikka, albeit accidentally killing her in the process. Sinestro acquires the Yellow Element and changes to his new yellow and black outfit, proceeding to Oa to wage war on the Guardians. He summarily defeats countless Green Lanterns, returning to Oa and proving the Guardians’ trust in him as mistaken. He continues to wreak havoc on Oa, and even manages to power down the Green Battery, almost killing the Green Lanterns. But Hal manages to power it back on, absorbing a vast amount of its power. He manages to destroy the Yellow Battery by pulling two planets together on it (along with hitting it with a giant golf club and baseball bat) and after a tough battle defeats Sinestro, leaving him all but powerless as Kilowog breaks his hand and his ring in the process. Hal Jordan is then reinstated as a Green Lantern and the film ends with his reciting the Green Lantern pledge and then returning to Earth.
The characters are all portrayed well and conform mostly to the backstory of the Green Lantern canon. Many Green Lanterns don’t even get a name drop and are killed off, but I suppose lack of identity is part of a military group as the Green Lantern Corps. The main characters would be Hal Jordan, Sinestro and Kilowog, though Boodikka could be considered important as well, though mostly in relation to Sinestro. Hal develops as a character, full of wisecracks and a somewhat laidback personality at his introduction. But when it comes to a conflict, he takes action and gets the job done, in the many creative ways he does this throughout the film, surprising even senior members. His interactions with the other Lanterns also speak to his honorable personality, accepting consequences, but also staying true to his beliefs in fighting for what’s right. Sinestro is introduced as he is in Green Lantern, a senior member and trusted by the Guardians, but harboring jealousy and fear of the failure of his ideal, resorting to ill means to achieve his end of complete order in the universe under his power. His conflicts with Jordan are balanced somewhat by his initial respect for him, but his overcoming by the Yellow element’s power serves as his eventual downfall. Boodikka is presented as sympathetic to Hal’s plight in the beginning (even thought of as a love interest by me), but in the later part of the film betrays him and her role is served, being killed off, since she is otherwise unimportant to the rest of the plot, though her potential disagreement with Sinestro or her being overwhelmed and destroyed by the Yellow Element would’ve been points of interest. Kilowog is a fun portrayal, similar to his Justice League series counterpart, but rougher looking, less accessible to children, the film overall being more for teens. He’s very strict and as sergeant at arms is expected to be very devoted to the Corps, which he shows through both words and actions. His resistance to Hal is eventually overwhelmed by both Hal’s rescuing him at one point and his courageous attitude to the mission of fighting evil. He even saves Hal from Boodikka as she tries to kill him and later as he nearly falls to his death after defeating Sinestro, not to mention smashes Sinestro’s hand as well, reflecting on his persistent importance to the plot, even as a secondary character to Hal and Sinestro’s conflict. The Guardians would’ve been more important, but their power was admittedly more evident in the past. Now they’re just short little blue dwarves that can use telepathy, telekinesis and the like.
A primary theme is the conflict between Sinestro and Hal on the methods to achieve order in the universe. Hal progressively questions Sinestro’s methods and eventually figures him out. Sinestro’s persistent desire for power motivated him to deceive everyone around him and betray anyone that was not useful to him, Kanjar Ro serving as a good example. Not to mention he cares little even about Boodikka’s death, showing his callousness even more. Hal is able to win over Kilowog as an ally even though initially he distrusts him, not only because he’s not trained, but that he is a human, which apparently many aliens distrust for one reason or another. The Guardians’ problematic way of managing a universe wide protection force is shown to be problematic at least by Sinestro’s logic, though Hal proves that even an individual Green Lantern is meant to fight to the last breath, even when the situation seems hopeless, only cementing our appreciation of Hal Jordan as a character over and against Sinestro.
The film does a good job of introducing a newcomer to Green Lantern history and setting up one of the greatest rivalries in Green Lantern canon as well. While there are differences from the comics, such as Boodikka not being allied with Sinestro and Kanjar Ro not being the source of Sinestro’s association with the Yellow Element. Kanjar Ro was originally more a villain of Hawkman and Hawkgirl, only indirectly conflicting with the Green Lantern Corps. But all this aside, I would agree with another short review I stumbled across that suggests it could serve as the beginning of a new series. Like Wonder Woman, it gives the character’s backstory and sets up a consistent villain and opponent as well as offering potential for new villains, though admittedly Sinestro’s plight is deeper than Ares’ in Wonder Woman, losing his Yellow Battery. My rating would be another 5 out of 5, with a 70-80% recommendation due to unfamiliarity that many would no doubt feel with Hal Jordan as the Green Lantern to those used to John Stewart. Until next time, Namaste and Aloha.
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