Green Lantern: Emerald Knights
F**F
The Green Lantern Universe & Mythology At Its Finest
"Green Lantern: Emerald Knights" is the latest in the DC Universe direct-to-BluRay series. The format is much different than that presented in "Green Lantern: First Flight" so be prepared if you are not a traditional Green Lantern fan immersed in the mythology of the Green Lantern universe. "Emerald Knights" is sort of a prequel to "First Flight" in that the conflicts and storyline in the latter have not yet happened. Most notably, Sinestro is a good guy which will be quite a change to recent Justice League (Unlimited) TV fans.We begin with the re-emergence of an old villain, Krona, about to emerge from the anti-matter universe with his scourge of Shadow Demons, who can ravage entire worlds and slice through even Green Lantern protective force fields. This is the story arc that we return to several times throughout the movie, but it accounts for only about 1/3rd of the length of the movie. Gore and violence are not shown but there are deaths and dismemberments that show up in the film unlike earlier TV cartoons where the villains are usually just knocked out cold, so parents should consider this Blu-Ray probably not suitable for children under-10 years of age.Interspersed throughout the film are 5 stories from the Green Lantern universe mythology and history. "The First Lantern" is the creation of the Green Lantern Corps and focuses on the first 4 Green Lanterns and how they adapted and changed the use of the power ring. "Kilowog" explores how drill sergeant Kilowog came to be what he is known today by going back to his own Paris Island-like trials. "Mogo Doesn't Socialize" is the story of the most unique Green Lantern I've ever seen and which seemed to be more humorous than anything at the time but whose importance becomes clearer at the end of the film. "Laira" deals with Laira Omoto, a combination of Green Lantern-Jedi Knight. Finally, "Abin Sur" deals with Attrocitus (great name !) and his ability to forecast the future in a story involving both Sinestro, Abin Sur, and the possible destruction of the Green Lantern Corps.All of these mini-stories reflect back on storylines from the comic books or specific arc storylines that regular readers of the Green Lantern comics will probably value a lot more than casual DC comics fans who came on board recently via Justice League or Justice League Unlimited. So while there won't be the same level of enthusiasm and satisfaction or understanding at the importance of seeing these characters in their mini-storylines, even newcomers will be able to enjoy them without knowing the mythology or their place in the Green Lantern universe. There are plenty of Green Lanterns showcased from throughout the various storylines over the decades: Hal Jordan, Sinestro, Arisia, Tomar Re, Boodikka, and Ch'p (the squirrel-looking Green Lantern).The artwork is the same as that in "First Flight" (good) but new actors and actresses provide the voices (disappointing). Let's hope that they don't change the voices with each subsequent release. I would have preferred to have the originals from "First Flight" reprise their characters - many were famous actors and actresses dating back to the 1960's -- but as other reviewers have stated, the new additions were not bad. Hopefully, they return in subsequent movies as continuity is valued by DC Universe fans.The additions on the Blu-Ray are a bit disappointing. There are a few segments with the Green Lantern/DC comics head honchos who go into the making of "Emerald Knights" and the developments in the comic book. "Batman: The Brave And The Bold: Revenge Of The Reach" episode was a nice addition as I somehow missed it on TV. But giving us 90 seconds of the 2-part "Siege Of Starro" episode was a total waste. Would it kill them to give us both episodes ? No movie trailer from the upcoming "Green Lantern" movie was very surprising. How about some of the original Green Lantern cartoons from the 1960's or 1970's; I know there aren't many and they wouldn't look particularly great on a Blu-Ray, but that's the kind of addition that current and past fans wouldn't mind seeing. And how about some upconverted Green Lantern-themed episodes from Justice League or Justice League Unlimited with John Stewart and/or Kyle Rayner? These are years removed from first-run status so you are not giving away the store by including them for free on a Blu-Ray. Come on DC Comics, it's a good way to reward your loyal fans and also introduce new fans who might not have seen your earlier TV series !If you are interested, there's behind-the-scenes looks at "Batman: Year One" and "All-Star Superman" also included.Bottom line: "Green Lantern: Emerald Knights" is well-worth the purchase price, but with a little more effort to include quality freebies it could have been both an even better value for fans of the series as well as creating more goodwill by DC Comics among their fan base to keep purchasing their direct-to-video franchises. But there's enough action, quality storytelling, and Green Lantern mythology to please both the decades-long subscribing comic book fans as well as the new generation of DC Comics cartoon fans who joined up recently from the various TV shows.Enjoy it, I know I did even when I had to Google a few items to satisfy my curiosity regarding the Green Lantern mythology.
J**D
Prepare for a cosmic odyssey!
Not meant to be done as a sequal to Green Lantern: First Flight, the Emerald Knights animated movie is an anthology of several different members of the GL Corps with an overall plot bringing the ring-slingers together. No relation to the similarly titled story arc from the comics, this does adapt some stories from the DC Universe. Bruce Timm is back to produce with several different writers like Geoff Jones and Dave Gibbons to do the various story segments. A dying Green Lantern member reports to the Guardians of the Universe(no relation to Marvel's team)that the exiled Guardian, Krona, has returned as a giant anti-matter being the size of Unicron, and is leading an army of shadow creatures out of the sun of GL homeworld Oa to conquer to consume the universe. Corp newbie Arisia joins the other Lanterns in conference with the Guardians about their plans to ready for Krona, and resident hero Hal Jordan tells her the story of the First Lantern. This story was given a New 52 retcon, but here the First Lantern is one of the first four beings given the rings from the Guardians that are sent out to fight an invading armada, and the First named Avra is the original Lantern to use a ring to create energy constructs. The next story is of fan favorite's Kilowog when he first went through the Corps boot camp and rose to become the GL drill sergeant. Following that we learn of the origin of Laira, a literal warrior princess who after becoming a Green Lantern returns to her home planet to find it has turned into a military empire guilty of intergalactic war crimes, and she has to fight her father for control of their world. Then, Hal tells Arisia why "Mogo doesn't socialize" in a tale of Bolphunga the Unrelenting(brilliantly voiced by Rowdy Piper!)is a space warrior searching for the greatest fighters in the galaxy, and his last prey is the legendary Green Lantern known as Mogo, which if you didn't know who he was before seeing this movie would totally spoil it. After a quick attack by some of Krona's shadow forces, Arisia recovers as Sinestro(who is still a Green Lantern in this story)tells her of Abin Sur, the one who originally bore the ring that would later go to Hal Jordan. The final act is a stunning space battle between the remaining members of the Corps against Krona who since he's made of anti-matter, the GL's just chuck the entire planet of Oa at him to extinguish him with an equal amount of matter.This makes for a great intro to the Green Lantern Corps., and a must see before embarking checking out Green Lantern: The Animated Series. It also makes for a way better movie than the what the Green Lantern live-action movie sorely lacked. There is some exceptionally stellar animation for this production, especially in the space battles. Plus, it's great to finally have Nathan Fillion in his first official time as Hal Jordan. Emerald Knights should be a permanent keeper for anyone who enjoys a great cosmic odyssey!
K**W
Tales of the Corps
Green Lantern Emerald Knights has some great voice work to include Nathan Fillion (Hal Jordan) and Kelly Hu (Laira). Vivid colors really make the animation pop.Virtually the whole Corps is used in this one as they square off against Krona and his invading army of Anti-Matter demons. But the Krona story is also used as a framing sequence for five other stories as Hal kills time by telling newbie Arisia stories of the Corps to include:*The First Lantern (the Guardian's scribe)*Kilowog's Drill Instructor* Laira's homecoming (a violent confrontation with her brother and father)*Mogo (comic relief story as a big bully learns there’s always somebody bigger)*Abin Sur & Sinestro team up. (I love tales of when Sinestro was the one of the best good guys)And through these stories Arisia (and the viewers) learn the history of the Green Lantern Corps, their mission, and their dedication to the cause.For the parents out there, there is violence and death in this movie.Pros: Engaging stories, solid animation, and great voice work.Cons: Four of the six stories involve stopping invasions in some form or another, and thus feel a bit repetitive.
J**N
Green lantern
I got it in the mail today and I am going to enjoy this for a very long time thanks and it came on time and my experience on here was very good
A**R
love the movie
love it & watch it
N**O
Top
Top
J**Z
Entrega rápida
Recibido antes de lo que creía. Compré la edición alemana y viene en CASTELLANO, por si a alguien le interesa saberlo.
C**N
Un bon film d'animation green lantern
Ce film d'animation est intéressant dans le sens où l'on apprend pas mal de chose sur l'univers green lantern. En effet ce n'est pas un film avec une grosse histoire centrale avec des personnages évoluant autours. Green lantern emerald knights est basé sur une histoire en fond ;avec un ennemi pas si puissant que ça finalement, et est composé de plusieurs petites histoires décrivant les personnages que l'on découvre sur la trame de fond.Je trouve en tout cas l'animation très réussi, ainsi que les doublages.Un conseil; regardez ce film mais regardez également Green lantern First Flight si vous voulez un film d'animation green lantern plus complet.
P**Y
Better than the big budget film.
If you're a long term Green Lantern fan this is a very entertaining production which manages to closely follow some of the elements from the comics. If you're a new fan coming from the recent big budget film, this with its companion disc "First Flight" is way better than the film and would serve as a great intro into the comics. The Blue-Ray version didn't cost that much more than the standard DVD but even so the barely perceptible improvements in picture and sound really didn't justify the extra cost of either the disc or a Blue-ray player. Go with the standard DVD version and spend the savings on some of the comics - like the excellent Green Lantern - Rebirth.
Trustpilot
1 month ago
1 month ago