Green Lantern, 3D & 2D Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy Combo Pack (2011)

by | Mar 12, 2012 | DVD & Blu-ray Video Reviews

Green Lantern, 3D & 2D Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy Combo Pack (2011)
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong, Tim Robbins, Angela Bassett
Director: Martin Campbell
Studio: Warner Home Video [10/14/11]
Video: 2.40:1 anamorphic/enhanced for 16:9 1080p HD 3D
Audio: English DTS HD-MA 5.1; French, Spanish, Portuguese, Thai Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Thai, Indonesian, Korean, Mandarin
Extras on 2D Blu-ray disc: Extended and theatrical cut; Maximum Movie Mode: Green Lantern’s Light; Focus Points (eight feaurettes); “The Universe According to Green Lantern” featurette; “Ryan Reynolds Becomes the Green Lantern” featurette; deleted scenes; Justice League #1 digital comic; “Green Lantern: The Animated Series” preview; PS3 Arkham City character skin code; “Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters” game preview
Length: 114 minutes theatrical cut (3D & 2D); 123 minutes extended cut (2D only)
Movie Rating: ***½   3D Video Rating: ***½   2D Video Rating: ****   Audio Rating: ****½   D-BOX Rating: ****
Cocky test pilot Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) is gifted superhuman powers when he is selected by “the Ring”.  The Ring is the power source of the Green Lantern Intergalactic Corps, a group of alien beings charged with protecting the Universe from harm.  Jordan receives training for his new role as interstellar peacekeeper from a few Green Lantern veterans.  However, it is not long before the daunting task of saving mankind is thrust upon Jordan as an evil alien life form called Parallax is determined to annihilate Earth and other planets.  I did not catch “Green Lantern” during its theatrical run but I was aware that the movie was not well-received critically.  After watching this Blu-ray combo set, I think the movie is better than some have suggested.  “Green Lantern” is a respectable superhero movie with excellent action sequences and a lead actor in Reynolds that makes the title character enjoyable to watch (much in the same way that Downey Jr. does for the “Iron Man” films).  Fans of the movie shouldn’t hesitate to purchase this Blu-ray combo set and anyone else looking for a fun Saturday night popcorn flick may want to take “Green Lantern” out on a test run as a rental before buying.
The overall high definition video quality of the 2D Blu-ray DVD is very good.  Images are, for the most part, razor sharp and highly-detailed.  Black levels are occasionally murky which then obscures detail, especially in the darker scenes.  Colors are vibrant and warm with fully-saturated hues.  Picture defect mastering is excellent with no major flaws or compression artifacts.  The 3D video quality is not quite as good as the 2D presentation.  Black levels and contrast are a bit stronger with the 3D version.  Brightness was at times insufficient (especially in the space scenes) to prevent some picture detail from being lost with the darkening of the 3D glasses.  3D depth is good, but not fantastic, and there were not any pop-out effects that I experienced.
The overall audio quality is also very good.  The soundtrack actively incorporates all of the discrete channels into its mix.  Dialogue is crisp, properly positioned and always intelligible.  The surround channels are aggressively utilized for sound effects and music score, plus include several split rear effects.  The low frequency effects channel is deep, palpable and can rattle the room during the action sequences.
“Green Lantern” is compatible with the “D-BOX” Motion Code™ System, meaning that if you have the necessary D-BOX equipment, your movie viewing experience will be enhanced by adding both motion and vibration to your chosen seating.  This is a solid D-BOX-enabled Blu-ray disc.  Motion effects and vibration are present throughout the movie.  Up-and-down and side-to-side movements, along with lots of vibration, are used to simulate fighter jet flights, crashes, hand-to-hand combat, gunfire and large explosions.  The D-BOX highlights of the movie for me were the opening fighter jet combat and Hal’s climatic battle with Parallax.  Both sequences packed significant motion with powerful vibration.  [Maybe a better gimmick than the 3D?…Ed.]
—Calvin Harding Jr.

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