Green Lantern 3D

In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, an elite force called the Green Lantern Corps has existed for centuries to protect peace and justice. Each warrior wears a ring that grants him the ability to create anything his mind can imagine, but when an enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, all hopes rest in the hands of their newest recruit and the first human ever selected—Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds).

I've never been a connoisseur of comic books and my exposure to them has come from feature films. My expectations for Green Lantern were quite low given its poor reviews during its theatrical run so it was a big surprise that I actually liked it. Granted, it's no Iron Man or The Dark Knight, although I enjoyed it as much as Thor. Reynolds does a decent job playing the cocky hero, but its biggest shortcoming is the lackluster screenplay that adds too many subplots and drags throughout the second act.

My biggest gripe is its poorly implemented 3D conversion, which doesn't add anything to the entertainment value of the film and the studios need to realize they are turning-off their target audience to the technology by these sub-par efforts. The additional depth and dimension are miniscule compared to a native 3D production and the price premium isn't warranted for what's delivered. Fortunately, the 2D video is much better and boasts bright colors, adequate shadow detail, and above-average clarity.

While the 3D doesn't impress, the DTS-HD MA 5.1 track certainly delivers the goods. Dynamics and low frequency effects are outstanding, the surround speakers create a 360 degree sound field with plenty of discrete effects, and the dialog is always intelligible.

The Blu-ray 3D set includes the feature film in both 3D and 2D, a DVD, and Ultraviolet Digital Copy for your computer and allow you to stream the film from the cloud to computers, tablets, and smartphones. Other supplements include 8 Focus Points, two featurettes, five deleted scenes, a "Justice League" Digital Comic, and preview to "Green Lantern: The Animated Series."

If expectations are kept in check, Green Lantern delivers a fun evening of entertainment and is definitely worth a rental. If you're desperate for 3D material I don't think you'll want to spring for the poor 3D conversion presented here, but the soundtrack is definitely worth a rental.

Ratings

Picture:4/5
3D-Ness: 3/5
Sound: 4.5/5
Extras: 3/5
Interactivity: 2/5

Disc Specs

Studio: Warner (2011)
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Audio Format: DTS-HD MA 5.1
Length: 114 Min
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Director: Martin Campbell
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Tim Robbins

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