While Hal Jordan is central, he is not all there is when it comes to the Corps. This release highlights a series of engaging and interesting stories of the Green Lantern Corps to great effect.
What They Say:
An anthology of 6 tales that show Hal Jordan and the Green Lanterns policing the galaxy a la “Gotham Knights.”
The Review:
Audio:
The language presentation for this release certainly isn’t what’s listed on the packaging as the English language track gets a DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix that does a fair job in conveying both the very solid forward soundstage mix but also some decent ambient sounds and directionality thrown to the rear speakers. The French, German and Italian mixes get a lower grade Dolby Digital 5.1 mix while the two Spanish language mixes are done in Dolby Digital stereo as is the commentary track. In listening to this in English, it’s a very clean and easy to understand mix where the dialogue doesn’t drop too low to be heard nor does it get overly loud all of a sudden, giving is a very even mix that works well. We didn’t have any problems with dropouts or distortions during regular playback.
Video:
Green Lantern: Emerald Knights is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.78:1 in 1080p using the AVC codec. The feature runs for a few minutes under ninety minutes and has a very good look to it. With the animation production handled by a couple of different production studios, including very popular anime producer Studio 4c, the film has a very good look to it with lots of bright, solid colors and a wonderful feeling of space to it with deep, rich blacks. The green color is obviously overpowering here but it’s mixed in so well with so many different aspects of the worlds that they deal with and the races that it doesn’t dominate in a way where it feels like it’s too much. The transfer itself is really quite striking at times as it presents the source material in the best light possible with clean, smooth colors with no real noise to it, no shimmering or aliasing and nothing in the way of visible, distracting artifacting during normal playback.
Packaging:
This release comes with a cardboard slipcover over it that replicates what’s inside on the standard sized Blu-ray case. The front cover has a great illustration shot of Hal Jordan in the center that’s much more solid than all the other Lantern shots ringing around him but with the mixture of greens, black and white, it all ties together beautifully while making sure that Hal very much is the center, even though he’s the least used character overall in the feature. The logo has a good look to it, retaining the comic book title elements and adding the sub logo easily. The back cover is a very text heavy piece with a premise summary along the top that highlights some of the big name creators from the past in the comics and the characters that populate this show. A few shots from the show are included here but it’s a small part overall, not really used to sell the show. The discs extras are listed very clearly and take up more space here than the summary itself does but it is good to see such a clean listing. The rest of the cover is given over to the usual production credits and various warnings and the like, and the technical information is scattered all over it, making it hard to see what the discs real features are, be it the DVD or the Blu-ray versions. Only the Blu-ray specs are included here, but with it listing Dolby Digital audio, it’s easy to see why someone would be confused. No show related inserts are included nor is there a reversible cover.
Menu:
The menu design for this is very, very simple with the main menu being a static image using Hal Jordan from the front cover by himself with the Battery itself behind him. It’s got lots of green, blacks and white to it, but it feels pretty dull overall and definitely doesn’t set the mood for what’s to come. The bottom of the screen has the navigation strip which doubles as the pop-up menu as well and it’s quick and easy to navigate, though I would have preferred if the language menu actually listed what the tracks were encoded with rather than just the language name. Everything loads quickly and easily and navigation is smooth and problem free while being fairly intuitive and easy to use.
Extras:
When it comes to the DC Universe releases, I must admit that I thoroughly enjoy the extras on them since they typically provide very lengthy video interviews about the show and the general mythology surrounding that particular release. With extensive pieces that bring in the original creators when available, it’s a chance for those like myself who don’t make the convention circuit to be able to hear them opine easily about the work, the DC Comics universe itself in general as well as those behind this production to talk about the whole thing. This one kicks off with a thirty minute piece called “Only the Bravest” which covers a lot about what it takes to be in these kinds of positions, what bravery means and some extended time with a psychologist talking about the research that’s been done on bravery. It takes a bit longer here than usual to get to talking about the characters and the iconic comic moments over the years, but it’s all being juxtaposed against some of the greats. What I really liked was the up front assessment that Hal Jordan is the same inside his suit and out, unlike other characters that end up adopting strongly different personalities in order to hide themselves in a way.
The release does include a commentary track by Geoff Johns and Dan DiDio, but I’ve long fell out of commentary tracks so we passed on listening to that. There are a pair of sneak peeks, which run about ten minutes each. The first is for a feature that already came out with All-Star Superman, while the other is a look at that Batman: Year One feature that’s in the works which is definitely interesting, though minimal on a real look at things which is how they usually do these. The usual extras are here with the Bruce Timm’s picks of animated adventures from other series, which is why we get an excerpt from Batman: Brave and the Bold and a full episode that’s done in high definition, which is a real perk. Sadly, there are no chapter marks in it so navigating it is a real pain. There’s a brief three minute piece that details Abin Sur over the years in comics and how he came to the screen. It has a good variety of comic images from the years that shows that many interpretations he’s been through. The same is also done for Laira, who has had a more recent introduction back in 1993. Also included is the first issue of the 3rd volume of the Green Lantern comics, which even on a 70” TV is a real pain to watch, so I’m not sure it has much value.
The extra that I wanted to sink my teeth into is the eighteen minute piece here, “Why Green Lantern Matters,” which sits down with Geoff Johns as its focus along with others as he talks about what his plans were in rebuilding the series with the third volume and what he’s accomplished in the years since then as it’s progressed. So much has been central to the Green Lantern mythos in the DC Universe overall for awhile now and it’s because of what he did. This piece brings in some good talent, such as Dan Didio, Grant Morrison, , and they talk about the overall impact of it all. This is the kind of extra I love as it shows off a ton of artwork and the enthusiasm of all involved in a great way. It’s the kind of extra that should make you want to go get a bunch of issues right away and get reading.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
After the fairly disappointing All-Star Superman release, which wasn’t one that I thought would be able to properly capture the beauty of the original comic book series, I was pretty interested in a show focusing on the Green Lantern Corps, though a bit leery in that it was doing a variety of short stories within it. The shorts that the DC Universe line has done with some of their releases have been good, but there’s still that edge of Batman: Gotham Knights to it in which the show doesn’t feel like it might connect well together. Thankfully, Green Lantern: Emerald Knights hits just about every note perfectly and has me even more enthused for the CG TV series that’s in the works.
The framework for the feature is pretty good, though of course it’s going to feel a bit rushed overall since it’s done as bookends and bridging pieces between the stories. The focus is on a newer recruit name Arisia who hasn’t had the full on training yet, or the boot camp by Kilowog, at a time when Oa is now facing its greatest threat in seemingly forever. One of their renegade Lantern’s from ages past, Krona, has found a way back to life by operating in the Antimatter Universe and is now reaching out with his Shadow Demons from within the sun that Oa orbits. The Guardians intend to move everything offworld to protect their works while the Lantern’s try to figure out what to do. It’s a decent story and it shows the Corps working together on a large scale, and I rather loved how epic it gets at the end with a mass Krona striding across the surface of the sun and the Lantern’s going for a big scale plan in order to stop him. It’s a good story, but because of the structure, it doesn’t quite have the full impact it should, but that’s just nitpicking to be honest.
While this plays out, Hal takes to mentoring the new recruit a bit by telling her various tales of Lanterns past so she knows more of what’s involved. As she was just a sixteen year old student on her homeworld a week or two ago, this is pretty intense stuff for her. Hal handles the role well, telling the stories right with a bit of humor to it so she doesn’t freak out. The various tales are definitely interesting, such as the tale of how the Guardian’s came about with their plan and how the first four rings chose their bearers, which included the scribe of Oa, a young creature named Avra who was the farthest thing from a fighter. Naturally, we see how he handles things under pressure, and an examination of how willpower figures into what they have to do, but we also see the first uses of the rings and exploration of that. The first time Avra creates a construct, something the other three more warrior like ones hadn’t done, it opens a whole realm of possibility for them all that they find very exciting. Framing it against the backdrop of a universe mired in chaos that the Guardian’s want to bring balance to works beautifully. It has such a large scale to it with the forces that are moving about causing destruction that it has a great David and Goliath aspect but where David has some pretty strong powers.
The one story that was weak for me was that of Kilowog’s time there when he went through boot camp himself. The type of training isn’t a surprise as he and other recruits are brought to a difficult world where they have to survive without their rings, but Kilowog as a character never really feels like he comes off right here. He’s well animated, could be a bit bulkier, but he lacks the gravitas both in the past and in the present to seem like someone that other Lanterns would fear or give deference to. It’s all in the voice acting and as much as I really like Henry Rollins, he’s just not the right fit for it. There needs to be some gravel in his voice.
The stories that go beyond that are quite intriguing, such as Laira who returns to her homeworld on a mission to discover that her father has gone quietly mad and is intending to destroy everyone that could threaten their world in order to make sure it’s secure. The reasoning on some level does make sense considering what he’s been through, and the world itself. Laira is a great
character and Kelly Hu captures her well as she deals with seeing what her father has gone through while she’s become a powerful woman who must do what’s right for her people, even if it’s the worst thing she can do as a daughter. The choreography for the fight that they have is really well done and I absolutely loved the flashback sequence that showed how she was chosen to be a Green Lantern.
One story that absolutely made me giddy though was the one involving Bolphunga, a powerful warrior who is traveling the universe to find others to fight so he can prove his strength. He has an encounter with one strong creature who tells him of the most powerful of all Green Lanterns, Mogo, and that he would be the one opponent he cannot stop. Mogo has long, long been a favorite of mine because of what he represents as a being and the way that the Corps really does look at the vastness of space and the sheer amount of variety to it all. Roddy Piper plays Bolphunga perfectly here and gives him the right kind of menace and confidence and then puts him through the ringer.
The use of more recent characters and storylines is also definitely appreciated here, as we get a look at how Sinestro and Abin Sur were friends as well prior to Abin’s death on Earth. Stories of Abin Sur show a very intriguing character because of his motivations and style, particularly in how he pushes himself by nearly letting his ring run dry on him so he has to be more creative. His story has him and Sinestro dealing with Atrocitus before he became a Red Lantern when he broke out of the facility that he was being held prisoner in. Atrocitus is someone I only have a passing knowledge of from the comics at the moment, being out of date as I am, but seeing the three of them go through a story together really is a great way of showing a side of Sinestro that needs to be seen.
In terms of style, the show hews closely to Green Lantern: First Flight and that works in its favor so that while the two may not be directly related, it’s easy enough to pair them up and enjoy without any great shift in style or design. The animation throughout it looks really great and seeing the anime studios that worked on it and the Korean animation companies that do a lot with anime producers as well shows through. There is a certainly fluidity to the animation that stands out as well as the way that they know to take the quiet time to breathe, to show off the vastness of space and to let the backgrounds and the scene itself to sell it rather than just more and more action. The action is spot on and properly epic when needed and definitely personal as well with some of the fights. This one struck a perfect balance, which can be hard when you consider its nature as a series of short stories.
In Summary:
Green Lantern: Emerald Knights really did just about everything right here. It has great stories, solid pacing, a good layout for the stories, interesting characters, wonderful animation that feels rich and detailed but still fluid and smooth and it did it all while seeming effortless. The only disappointment I came away with is that I adored hearing Nathan Fillion as Hal Jordan and just wanted a real full length story with him in the role. He has the right nuance and approach to handle the character at this point where Hal’s not the young rookie anymore but not the worn down protector either. The mixture of seriousness, humor and a seemingly eternal smile spoke volumes. Green Lantern: Emerald Knights is definitely one of the best of the best of the DC Universe series and one that you can easily rewatch to catch more of each time.
Features:
English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Language, French Dolby Digital 5.1 Language, German Dolby Digital 5.1 Language, Italian Dolby Digital 5.1 Language, Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0 Language, English Subtitles, Sneak Peeks, Commentary, Interviews, Bruce Timm’s Picks
Content Grade: A
Audio Grade: B+
Video Grade: A
Packaging Grade: B+
Menu Grade: B
Extras Grade: B+
Released By: Warner Home Video
Release Date: June 7th, 2011
MSRP: $24.98
Running Time: 83 Minutes
Video Encoding: 1080p AVC
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Review Equipment:
Sony KDS-R70XBR2 70″ LCoS 1080P HDTV, Sony PlayStation3 Blu-ray player via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
