GREEN LANTERN - FIRST FLIGHT review!!!

So strange the timing on all this GREEN LANTERN news. Because in the midst of all of this, I got an early screener of GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT - which is the DC Animated straight to DVD/BLU-RAY title coming out later this month.

Here, they've managed to retell the Hal Jordan GREEN LANTERN origin story as a trampoline to a science fiction buddy cop film noir type of thing that just kicks a lot of ass.

Written by long time Superhero Animation God, Alan Burnett - and directed by Lauren Montgomery (SUPERMAN VS DOOMSDAY and the recent WONDER WOMAN film).

My only complaint is that Hal Jordan comes across a bit like a TOP GUN test pilot, rather than the Hal I grew up with, but that's a minor pinnance - as the Universe spanning science fiction tale told around the Green Lantern Corp... well, give we've heard that this live action film is going to be a massive Science Fiction version... well, it's a bit mind-altering watching this animated version and not trying to imagine it in Live Action. Which would really be mind blowing.

The basic story is that Hal Jordan becomes GL the way we all know. Then Sinestro and his fellow Corps members show up and take him to OA, where the Guardians doubt his abilities. Sinestro takes an interest in the hot shot braggart type from Earth and asks to take him under his wing to bring Abin Sur's murderer to justice.

Thus begins Hal's first mission. The results are rather fantastic. What we end up with is an Animated Sci Fi version of TRAINING DAY that gets pretty darn intense. By the time you get to the end, there's been MASSIVE casualties of many characters and I found myself completely sold on the viabilitiy of a greater Green Lantern universe.

The animation is killer on the Blu Ray. And the extras are pretty great. My fave is the Duck Dodgers / Green Lantern episode that is just awesome. Seriously. Also they have Bruce Timm's pick of fave GL episodes of Justice League Unlimited including ONCE AND FUTURE THING - Part 1 & 2 - which rules. Along with HEARTS AND MINDS Part 1 & 2 - and THE RETURN! The various GREEN LANTERN making of - and character exploration docs are all superior and really have me being a bit of a GL geek. I took down my Showcase first appearance of Hal Jordan Green Lantern and re-read it. And I have my Hal Jordan power battery sitting next to my desk, where I can charge my ring. Because - yeah. I geek on the Lantern and am hoping for great things from this Live Action film coming up. GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT has set the bar pretty high for them.

You'll really dig this film if you love Green Lantern - and if you're a kid that has grown up seeing GREEN LANTERN in his various Animated forms as a portion of a larger team, it's fantastic to see a full on Green Lantern Corp story - it's pretty damn awesome!