The film is about one of the CIA’s most wanted men, Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington), he seems to have acquired something that some very bad men want. Being on the run and seeing he has no other choice, he walks into the South African US embassy. The CIA aren’t taking this lightly, and send him off for interrogation at a ‘safe house’, one looked after by Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds). Before long, the place gets raided and Weston steps up to the plate in order to do the right thing and get Frost out of there. The pair are on the run, there is no trust between the men and what Frost is holding is of high value. A cat and mouse game follows …

Safe House is an action/thriller, it is fast paced for the most part and it certainly contains a level of seriousness that I didn’t expect. It has some crazy action but they definitely tried something different with it, and instead of having people be invincible to bullets and punches, people got hurt and the action was delivered in a little more of a realistic way than we’re used to. While some of the twists you might see coming, the action aspect isn’t at all predictable and some of it is a little shocking. Some if the set pieces are really well handled, and the chase scenes are nicely done.

On the other side of the fence, this was a pretty decently acted film. Denzel always delivers, he is great here, he’s a mysterious character and he never over sells it. Everything we need to know about him is established, and he plays it spot on. The biggest surprise though was Ryan Reynolds, he’s always been an actor that I do like but I can’t take him seriously. He’s usually the comedic guy, and even in something a little serious, there is always some kind of humor there. But this was all gone in Safe House, this was serious Reynolds and I gotta say the dude has the chops! He was really good, he played it straight, and he gave us a sympathetic and engrossing character. Side plays like Vera Farmiga and Brendan Gleeson are fine, they come in and do their thing. Run of the mill roles, but they filled them just fine.

Safe House on paper isn’t really anything new, the story has been told before. But it has been told in a solid and fresh way here, it is an enjoyable and entertaining film, and much better than I had expected. It strengths shine through, and its weaker parts are apparent but they don’t ruin anything. It perhaps could have been a little tighter with pacing, but they got it right where it counted. A solid directorial effort by Daniel Espinosa, and a decent script by David Guggenheim.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The Film:

Theatrical Cut:

“In brightest day, in blackest night, No evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil’s might, Beware my power… Green Lantern’s light!“

After years of seeing Batman and Superman on the big screen, Warner Bros. has finally given Green Lantern his time to shine. Martin Campbell’s adaptation of the DC Comics superhero has been getting much heat ever since the first trailer came online several months ago, and the casting of Ryan Reynolds as the lead has only made many feel at odds with the film. However, Campbell’s film proves itself to be fun for fans of the genre.

Probably the first thing many are wanting to know is how Ryan Reynolds did as Hal Jordan/Green Lantern. His casting as the lead in Green Lantern wasn’t welcome among many fans. Most were worried that his reputation for being a comedic actor would hurt the film. Well, Reynold does come of as very comedic, but is able to keep that cocky personality Hal Jordan was known for in the comics. However, many will likely still agree that Reynolds wasn’t the best choice for the role. The rest of the cast however, gives solid performances. Peter Sarsgaard was rather campy, but still fun as Dr. Hector Hammond, but the performance that really stole the show in Green Lantern was Mark Strong, who really captured the look and feel of Sinestro.

The special effects are another great part of the film. One of the many problems people have had with the trailers was the look of the Green Lantern costume, but the finished effects look really great. Campbell went into great detail with the look of the suit. You can really see the energy flowing through the Green Lanterns. And the various races of Lanterns look just amazing. The filmmakers did an stellar job of animating the primary villain Parallax, and the planet of Oa.

However, Green Lantern’s biggest weakness has to be within the story. The Green Lantern comics have a vaste universe, but Campbell’s film doesn’t put you into that world deep enough. We do get to see the many various Green Lantern races, but tha’ts only for one scene. What we do get is your typical superhero story where the character tries to impress the girl, but has to deal with issues of becoming a superhero. It seems almost formulaic within the genre. But the film does do a good job of establishing the importance of the power of Will vs. the power of Fear. Especially shown within Hal Jordan’s memories of his father’s death, and overcoming that fear when he battles Parallax.

The Extended Cut:

The Extended Cut of Green Lantern offers a few extra minutes to the movie, but nothing really special. The cut does expand on Hal Jordan’s memories of his father dying, but the scene the feels out of sequence wihtin the film, and slows down the opening. It does offer a little look at the somewhat love-triangle between Hal Jordan, Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), and Hector Hammond. One scene that does stand out is an extended sequence when Hal talks to his nephew, and shows why the ring chose him. Other than that, there’s really nothing added to the film.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video: The film is presented in DTS- HD MA, and doee sound very good.

The video is presented in 1080p HD, and looks absolutely beautiful. Every detail on Green Lantern’s suit, and the various races of the Corps.

The Universe According to Green Lantern: This is a neat feature that focuses on the creation of the character and the vast universe within the Green Lantern comics.

Ryan Reynolds Becomes The Green Lantern: This feature shows how Reynolds trained and prepped for his role as Hal Jordan/Green Lantern.

Other features include a Digital Comic of the first issue of the New 52 of Justice League, Maximum Movie Mode, a preview for Green Lantern: The Animated Series, and a digital and DVD copy of the film.

The Film: Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The Blu-ray: Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

“Absolutely, yeah. I can’t imagine…who else could play Wade Wilson [than Ryan Reynolds]? We’re working on getting it ready, and presenting some things to the studio, cause we’re gonna give it a little bit of a different look. It’s a different kind of movie. If you know Deadpool…it’s true to Deadpool. So you know, it’ll be violent, and outrageous, and funny, and all that. So we’re sort of putting it all together now.”

“Yes, he was treated totally wrong in the Wolverine film and yes we will redeem him. But I’m pretty excited. We have a good script and a good director.”

At least someone is admitting he was mistreated in that film. Thoughts?

They also announced the extras, which will have an extended cut of the film on the 2D Blu-ray only, as we break it all down below for you:

Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack:

Theatrical Film (3D & 2D)

Extended Cut (2D only)

Maximum Movie Mode with Picture in Picture Pods

The Universe According to Green Lantern

Ryan Reynolds Becomes Green Lantern

Justice League #1 Digital Comic

Additional Scenes

Preview of Green Lantern: The Animated Series

BD-Live

Blu-ray Combo Pack:

Extended Cut of the film

Theatrical Film

Maximum Movie Mode with Picture in Picture Pods

The Universe According to Green Lantern

Ryan Reynolds Becomes Green Lantern

Justice League #1 Digital Comic

Additional Scenes

Preview of Green Lantern: The Animated Series

BD-Live

DVD:

Preview of the Justice League #1 Digital Comic

Preview of Green Lantern: The Animated Series

Source: CBM

Here’s the official synopsis from the press release, followed by the trailer:

Set on the rugged western coast of Vancouver Island and narrated by Ryan Reynolds, THE WHALE describes what happens when Luna, a baby orca, gets separated from his family and unexpectedly starts making contact with people along a scenic fjord called Nootka Sound. Because orcas are highly social creatures who spend their lives traveling with their pods, Luna attempts to find a surrogate family among the area residents, much to their delight. But as word spreads about Luna, people become torn between their love for the lonely young whale and fears that human contact might harm him.

Luna’s saga is seen through the eyes of the colorful characters who live and work along the Sound and who fall in love with the whale – including a cook on an old freighter, a fisheries officer conflicted by what he thinks Luna needs and what he is told to do, a grandmother who is arrested for petting Luna, and a Native American elder whose tribe believes Luna is the reincarnation of a chief.

The film also describes how Parfit and Chisholm, who first went to Nootka Sound on assignment for Smithsonian, grow so concerned about Luna’s fate that they get involved in trying to help him, crossing the traditional line between journalist and subject and becoming characters in the very story they are telling. Their efforts to find ways to safely give Luna the attention he seems so determined to get are a major part of the film’s climax.

But MTV was able to catch-up with actor Ryan Reynolds, and gave a brief update on the film. “‘R.I.P.D.’ I’m doing next and then hopefully ‘Deadpool. It’s in development still,” Reynolds said. We heard a while ago (here) that Reynolds was going to choose to do either of those films, but it looks like that’s not the case anymore. “No, not at all, far from it,” he said about that issue.

There were lots of pre-release criticisms centered on the casting of Ryan Reynolds and the look of his outfit. In context of what the film offers and how it’s described, the glowing green aura of the outfit works remarkably well, and as for Reynolds’ casting, he is incredibly wasted, as the main culprit of the film isn’t the villain Parallax, but the thinly written script. For decades of wonderful mythology, the screenplay by Greg Berlanti, Michael Green, Marc Guggenheim, and Michael Goldenberg is sorely undefined. Hal’s characterization of a spoiled kid, who has lived under the greatness of his father, is as deep as Hal gets. Reynolds is given nothing to do. Once his charm shines through, and it does by nature of the talented actor, it’s in the oddest of times, often hurting the film, like when Tomar-Re finds him parading around in his outfit for the first time. Hector Hammond (played awfully by Peter Sarsgaard) is cringe-inducing and campy. Parallax, I guess, is the intergalactic baddie we sort of wanted for the film, but the real villain that fans wanted – Sinestro – will have to wait for the sequel…if we get a sequel.

Green Lantern does excel in everything unrelated to Earth. Oa is wonderfully conceived, as is the other Green Lantern Corps members. The special FX and 3D are superb. If only we got more of Sinestro, Kilowog, and Tomar-Re, maybe the film would have felt unique. Instead, for a film that centers its story around energy, the film has none, playing everything one-note, and within this simple tried and true superhero story line that worked fine before the likes of Iron Man or Batman Begins, it bores. 10 years ago, Green Lantern would be considered one hell of a superhero movie. Now days, it comes after the mentality change of the genre, which has given us stunningly deep, real takes, and while one doesn’t require that realism for a space opera, Green Lantern follows an out-of-date template. It’s watchable because of Mark Strong as Sinestro and the sequences on Oa, and the film is lucky to have those. We simply do not care about the spoiled Hal Jordan and the cliche that the hero gets the girl in the end.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

“In brightest day, in blackest night, No evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil’s might, Beware my power… Green Lantern’s light!“

After years of seeing Batman and Superman on the big screen, Warner Bros. has finally given Green Lantern his time to shine on the big screen. Martin Campbell’s adaptation of the DC Comics superhero has been getting much heat ever since the first trailer came online several months ago, and the casting of Ryan Reynolds as the lead has only made many feel at odds with the film. However, Campbell’s film proves itself to be fun for fans of the genre.

Probably the first thing many are wanting to know is how Ryan Reynolds did as Hal Jordan/Green Lantern. His casting as the lead in Green Lantern wasn’t welcome among many fans. Most were worried that his reputation for being a comedic actor would hurt the film. Well, Reynold does come of as very comedic, but is able to keep that cocky personality Hal Jordan was known for in the comics. However, many will likely still agree that Reynolds wasn’t the best choice for the role. The rest of the cast however, gives a solid performance. Peter Sarsgaard was rather campy, but still fun as Dr. Hector Hammond, but the performance that really stole the show in Green Lantern was Mark Strong, who really captured the look and feel of Sinestro.

The special effects are another great part of the film. One of the many problems people have had with the trailers was the look of the Green Lantern costume, but the finished effects look really great. The filmmakers did an amazing job of animating the primary villain Parallax, and the planet of Oa. However, the 3D effects suffer from the post-conversion process. There are certain scenes, especially those set on Oa and in space that look great in 3D, but the scenes on Earth, not so much. As with many post-conversion films many of the 3D scenes look blurred, and are headache inducing.

Overall, Green Lantern isn’t a great movie, but is still very entertaining. Oh, and you may want to stay during the credits for a great after-the-credits-scene.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Source: IMP Awards

In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, a small but powerful force has existed for centuries. Protectors of peace and justice, they are called the Green Lantern Corps. A brotherhood of warriors sworn to keep intergalactic order, each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him superpowers. But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of their newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan. Hal is a gifted and cocky test pilot, but the Green Lanterns have little respect for humans, who have never harnessed the infinite powers of the ring before. But Hal is clearly the missing piece to the puzzle, and along with his determination and willpower, he has one thing no member of the Corps has ever had: humanity. With the encouragement of fellow pilot and childhood sweetheart Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), if Hal can quickly master his new powers and find the courage to overcome his fears, he may prove to be not only the key to defeating Parallax… he will become the greatest Green Lantern of all.

Green Lantern opens June 17th.

Green Lantern opens on June 17th.

Green Lantern opens on June 17th.