When I first saw the trailer for Green Lantern: First Flight a few months ago, the geek in me had a field day. Even though I came late to the party as far as comic books went, I always thought Green Lantern from the DC Universe was one of the cooler heroes. Not only could he fly and control this weird green energy from his ring, but he was an intergalactic cop trying to keep the Earth (and the rest of his sector) from aliens and other baddies.
DC and Warner Brothers have put together another great animated film in their series that has included the recent Wonder Woman and Justice league: The New Frontier movies as well as Superman | Doomsday and Batman: Gotham Knight. Green Lantern: First Flight focuses on a slightly revamped origin story for Hal Jordan becoming the Green Lantern.
Hal Jordan is a test pilot, flying in a simulator when the film opens. Abin Sur, the Green Lantern who was keeping our sector safe, had been badly hurt and crashed on Earth, sending his ring to find someone worthy. The ring finds Jordan and takes him, simulator and all, to land near Sur's downed spacecraft. Sur lives just long enough to tell him that someone would come to find him and see that Jordan puts on the ring.
Later, a group of Lanterns, including Sinestro, Boodikka, and Kilowog, come to find Abin Sur and whomever the ring had gone to. They take Jordan to Oa to meet the Guardians of the Universe, who guard the main power source (or Lantern) of the Green Lantern Corps. Representatives of the Corps, as Green Lanterns, patrol the universe in an attempt to keep order against the chaos. When Jordan is found to be your typical impetuous, undisciplined Earthling, he's put under the supervision of senior Lantern, Sinestro.
From there we discover Sinestro has plans of his own for a new order of the universe - one more able to use the power he'd been given and not be as restrained as the Guardians had been. Hal Jordan finds himself squarely in the middle of this battle between Sinestro and the Green Lantern Corps and must choose sides. It really mirrored the movie Training Day with Sinestro as Denzel Washington's Alonzo and Hal Jordan as Ethan Hawke's Jake. Corrupt cop takes new cop under his wing to try and corrupt the new kid to his way of thinking to ensure that the trainer's ideals and way of life aren't threatened.
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