Green Lantern: Emerald Knights – Review

Green Lantern: Emerald Knights deals with the Green Lantern Corps dealing with and preparing for an attack by an ancient enemy, Krona. The ending battle with Krona was pretty fulfilling, since it entails an army of Green Lanterns using their rings in unison to battle a titan-sized cosmic figure. There is plenty of action in this movie, and rather than focus on one character the film is actually an anthology of five stories featuring other members of the Green Lantern Corps. The story I enjoyed the most was that of Laira, voiced by Kelly Hu, she is a favorite of mine.

One of the big problems I had with Green Lantern: First Flight was that the ring was usually used as some kind of green laser blaster, but in Emerald Knights there are some truly creative uses of the ring in the action scenes.  It was also nice to see Hal get his training. Now with the live action movie coming out soon this would be a good movie to watch to introduce the GL to those who may not know him. This way when they see the live action they will be better prepared to appreciate the special effects. It was nice to have some back story, but I felt that the flashback over dominated the movie. Minor changes that should not be a problem to live with.

Say what you will about the DC Comics animated movies, DC always does a great job with the voice acting and this film is no different.  Further with the story relating to Krona it links perfectly with the War of the Green Lanterns story arc in the comic books at the moment. Switching gears, let me talk a bit about the blu-ray itself. The animation is CLEAR, very fluid and the extras are actually worth diving into. Of course there is the highly anticipated Batman: Year One Sneak Peek. Running at nearly eleven minutes, we get to hear from the voice actors as well as Bruce Timm. Timm wanted it to be a true adaptation and it will be translated almost word for word.  There is also a really cool featurette that takes a deeper look into the history and origin of Laira Omoto, a humanoid marital artist, and her family feud with the Golden Dragon!

Obviously with the big Green Lantern moive coming out soon there was a push to release this. It didn’t feel rushed though, and I hope it sells a ton of DVD’s and we will be treated to even more stories. It may not be the best animated film on the planet but it does one thing right:  It will get new fans excited about the film whilst remaining loyal to the Lantern fan base. With a new motion picture release coming out, that is exactly what you want a film like this to do. Not to give too much away, but the film is broken down into an anthology format. Hal Jordan is explaining to his new recruit while they’re hanging out on the Planet Oa, recharging their rings for a battle against Krona. The way the film plays out is definitely worth your time and money.