Let me start by saying the overwhelming feeling I had when leaving the theater was: Geoff made sure they did Hal justice. Don’t get me wrong the film has its flaws, but how could it not? It has an hour and forty five minutes to introduce us to the characters and witness Hal’s transformation from a carefree playboy pilot into one of the greatest Green Lanterns of all time.

It was interesting to see Hal’s Green Lantern “skin” created and the pain that went along with the process. I know a lot of people were apprehensive about the CG costume. I personally was not one of those people and I think that it worked out nicely. It was very exciting to see the power flow through the suit in a way that the comics just can’t illustrate.

I thought that everything was brought to life beautifully. OA, Abin Sur, Tamar Re, Sinestro, Parallax, Hector Hammond all looked great, and Kilowog took my breath away. I have heard a lot of complaints abut Ryan Reynolds portraying a superhero, but I have to say he brought Hal to life with the perfect balance of sexy/comedy that the role required.

My only one true compliant is how easy it was for Hal to defeat Parallax, which I know had to do with time constraints, but it was disheartening to see him bring one of his greatest foes (a foe that had killed so many members of the corps, and had the guardians worried) down so very easily and without any backup.

There were amazing moments that made a giant smile break across my face, moments that only a Green Lantern fan would appreciate:

Seeing Ryan Remolds wearing the bomber jacket and sun glasses, made me feel like Hal had walked straight off a page in the comic book.

I saw flashes of panels from Rebirth as I watched Hal interact with his brothers at his nephew’s birthday party, after having crashed a plane.

I turned and looked at my boyfriend (known to Comi Girl readers as the cameraman) with a big smile every time Kilowog called Hal a Poozer.

Be warned this last one is a spoiler: Seeing Sinestro put on the yellow ring for the first time and being overtaken by the power of fear, left me excited for the next installment of this franchise like nothing else could.

I think the best way to summarize this film is this way: You may not leave the movie blown away, but you will leave satisfied.

It seems like DC just keeps setting the bar higher and higher with each animated movie’s release. The animation was very crisp, the colors although dark really popped on the screen. The voice acting was good, although John Dimaggio’s Joker was a little weak. I believe Kevin Conroy should always be the voice of Batman, but I have to admit that Bruce Greenwood was a good choice for the role.

This is definitely the darkest of the DC animated movies to date. I actually cringed when the Joker was beating Jason to death, which is how the film opens, before jumping ahead five years. I was really looking forward to Nightwing being in the film, but his role is pretty small, and wasn’t taken seriously at all. I think the only reason he shows up is to show the audience the stark difference between him and Jason.

Ghosts from the past show up here and there to fill in some of the blanks for those who are not familiar with the story, all of which are brought on by the places Red Hood chooses for his encounters with Batman.

I really enjoyed the movie and am happy to add it to my DC Animated collection, although I did have to try to explain all the different Robins to the Cameraman, which is really fun especially since Bruce isn’t back from the “dead” yet.

DC Showcase Jonah Hex: The short was written by Joe R. Lansdale, and was based on a story appearing in the comic written by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti. It features the voices of Thomas Jane (Every time Jonah spoke I found myself thinking about Hung), and Linda Hamilton. The short gave a good glimpse into the character.

I absolutely LOVED this movie. Dwayne McDuffie did an amazing job with the script. You don’t need to know anything about the Multiverse or the Crime Syndicate to enjoy the movie. It is full of action and comedy. Barry and Hal played off each other perfectly. Wonder Woman and her invisible plane are given a new, humorous explanation. There isn’t a second when you are not either laughing or sitting on the edge of your seat.

The voice cast was pretty good. Mark Harmon as Superman and James Woods as Owlman were great choices. My only complaint was William Baldwin as Batman; something about it just didn’t work for me (part of that is probably the fact that I think Kevin Conroy is Batman). As always the animation was spectacular. You know you are watching a film…not a Saturday morning cartoon.

The ten minute short: DC Showcase The Spectre was an added bonus. The story is set in the seventies. The animation, voice acting, and music worked together perfectly. The animation was smooth, and Steve Niles’ story was a perfect introduction to people who are not familiar with the character, and entertaining to those who are.

What else can I say? DC did another amazing job and has me anxiously waiting for the summer premiere of Under The Red Hood!

Marylou: Earth’s heroes see Hulk more as a liability than an ally, so they decide it is in everyone’s best interest to banish the Hulk to an inhabited planet where he can no longer cause any harm. Of course things don’t go as planned, and Hulk crash lands on Sakaar. There finds himself enslaved and forced to battle in a gladiator setting with a group of fellow slaves. Will he earn his freedom, if he does will he become the savior the inhabitants of Sakarr believe him to be?

I have to admit that I really did not enjoy this movie. I kept hoping it would get better, but it never did. The colors where dull, the voice acting was lifeless, and the Hulk sounded more like a leading man than the grunting monster you expect him to be.

After talking to Dimetrius, I understand the story better, had I read the comics I might not have had such a harsh opinion of the plot, but the animation quality was still subpar. It felt more like I was watching a Saturday morning cartoon than a feature film, and that was very disappointing. I am extremely happy that I decide to rent, not purchase this movie.

Dimetrius: As someone who read the Planet Hulk series I enjoyed the Planet Hulk movie.  There were parts that were omitted which I understood why,  such as the supporting characters back-stories.  The main thing I did not like was that there was no explanation of the merging of Banner and the Hulk.  This is a major plotline and I was disappointed that it was not included in some way.

The characters stayed pretty true to the comic books.  Meik, Korg, Lavin Skee, Elloe and Hiroim all were just as they were in the comics. The only complaint is that I was expecting Hiroim to look a lot older; he looks almost like a teenager in the movie.

Another big problem I had was Silver Surfer was not included and replaced by, get this, Beta Ray Bill. It was explained in the special features that there was a licensing problem with Silver Surfer and he could not be included. That is fine but to replace him with Beta Ray Bill and the explanation that he followed Korg’s ship was lame! I love Silver Surfer and his inclusion to the Planet hulk comic book was awesome. That would probably be my biggest disappointment.

The voice acting was also very well done.  I especially liked the action scenes.  The character designs were also well done and the animation. Even though it was a PG-13 film it seemed almost like a regular cartoon. My 10 year old son loved it.  I love the Hulk as a character and the Planet Hulk story was one of the better Hulk stories I’ve read.

If you have read the series, I would  say it definitely has the spirit of the story and is a very close adaptation. As a fan of the series, I did enjoy it and there are a ton of special features you will also enjoy.

Overview:

Lex Luthor has won over the public and is now the President of The United States of America. He has also managed to convince some members of the Superhero community that he is a changed man. Caption Atom, Black Lightning, Star Fire, Power Girl, and Katana believe in him and even agree to work for him.

Superman, knowing Luthor better than anyone, refuses to believe that Lex is a changed man. When a kryptonite meteor the size of a small country threatens earth Luthor arranges a meeting with Superman. Of course the meeting turns out to be nothing more than a trap. Batman comes to Superman’s rescue and they find themselves being hunted down by both villains and members of the superhero community.

Review:

I absolutely loved this movie. It was very colorful, cartoony, and a bit cheesy. I know those things don’t necessarily sound good, but it is an animated comic book movie and the tone was perfect.

The voice acting really made the movie. Tim Daily and Clancy Brown reprise their roles as Superman and Lex Luthor from the animated series and they both did an amazing job. Allison Mack (Smallville’s Chloe) also did a good job as Power Girl. I have to admit I have a bit of a crush not on Batman or Kevin Conroy but on the two of them together. Does that even make any sense? There is just something about Kevin Conroy as the voice of Batman that makes me happy and a bit hyper. He brings something to the character nobody else can, and I LOVE that they used him in this movie.

I have enjoyed all of the DC animated movies (except for Superman Doomsday) but the last three (Wonder Woman, Green Lantern: First Flight, and Superman/Batman Public Enemies) have been on a whole new level. I honestly cannot pick a favorite.

The next movie looks promising too (although I don’t know how I feel about Billy Baldwin as Batman). “Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths” is an original story by Dwayne McDuffie featuring the Crime Syndicate that will be released in the spring.