Although DC’s big-screen movie treatments tend to run the gamut between terrific and disappointing, their animated original movies have been almost without exception solid. With all their experience in the field, it’s no wonder they seem to have refined their process to the point where they can churn out a consistently strong quality for their animated ventures. It’s this high production standard that occasionally makes up for an underdeveloped story.
In this case, you’ve actually got a series of episodic tales, each featuring one or two of the more popular Green Lanterns, and then you also have an overarching plot that allows these shorter stories to be told. Ultimately these shorts steal a lot of time and tension away from the major conflict of the movie, and considering it involves Krona’s invasion into our universe and his attempt to destroy Oa, you’d expect greater stakes than what you ultimately end up getting. Even the resolution seems simplistic to the point where you wonder why the Guardians (or anyone who’s watched Star Trek) didn’t think of it themselves.
But as to the mini-features that make up the bulk of the movie, they each stand up well in their own right and offer a tempting idea of what a Green Lantern TV series would look like. In a lot of ways, the format strongly resembles the Star Wars: The Clone Wars show in that the movie focuses on Hal Jordan and his new apprentice Arisia, while mainly using them as a vehicle to introduce and delve into their fellow Corpsmen.
Some of these “episodes” work better than others, but all of them expand the GL mythos or flesh out well-known characters in some way. For example, you have the opening tale of the first Green Lanterns, which very appropriately sets up the reason for the Corps’ being, the spectacular potential of the power rings, and the personal virtues that make worthy Lanterns. And then you also have Kilowog’s origin story, a fun and moving glimpse into the alien before he becomes the trash-talking drill sergeant we know and love today.
Even the stories that execute fairly predictably have plenty going on to keep your interest. You know exactly how one diehard warrior’s quest to defeat Mogo will pan out, but it’s no less fun to watch him rage and stumble about looking for the opponent right beneath his feet. Laira’s obligation to take down her own family on behalf of the Corps involves one foregone duel after another, but the drama and fight sequences that come out of them do much to keep you invested.
Probably the weakest of these stories features Abin Sur and Sinestro’s showdown with Atrocitus. Even though you have three of the most volatile characters in GL continuity mixing it up, the action feels abridged in favor of too much chatting, whether it’s Abin and Sinestro debating destiny versus determinism, or Atrocitus’ grim prophecies of the future (which feels like a shameless plug for a future Sinestro Corps animated movie).
By now, DC has plenty of know-how in gathering a tremendous voice-cast, who all sell their characters very convincingly, with the possible exception of Elisabeth Moss, who makes for a rather flat Arisia. Even when the dialogue gets corny or cliché, the voice-actors deliver them with enthusiastic gusto or subtle intensity as needed to make them work on screen. And it hardly even needs to be said that the animation is of very high standard; the Lanterns’ flight and energy attacks look fluid and quite beautiful, easily convincing you how powerful they are.
While certainly not a ground-breaker, Emerald Knights stands as an admirable middleweight in DC’s growing canon of animated films.
Grade: B
- Minhquan Nguyen
Some Musings: - When alien warrior Vud gets all four of his arms cut off, I couldn’t help thinking, It’s just a flesh wound!
Filed under: DC Comics, Reviews Tagged: | Abin Sur, Arisia, DC, DC Animation, DC Comics, Elisabeth Moss, GLC, Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps, Green Lantern: Emerald Knights, Green Lantern: Emerald Knights review, Guardians of the universe, Hal Jordan, Henry Rollins, Jason Isaacs, Kelly Hu, Kilowog, Krona, Laira, Mogo, Nathan Fillion, Sinestro
I just saw the ‘All-Star Superman’ animated movie, and I thought: ‘How can DC top THAT?’. I look forward DC starting a Green Lantern animated franchise than a real life movie franchise…
I tend to agree. I think that with animation, you can pretty much portray whatever your heart desires visually at so much less cost than all the special effects you’d have to bring to a film. I also think given the time limitations of a film, and your obligations to appeal to a mass audience, you’re less likely to execute the kind of stories that really appeal to the comics-reading demographic who make up the bulk of the real fans of these characters.
‘Just a flesh wound’?
One thing it seems, is that in terms of animated adaptations. movie or series, DC has taken a quiet advantage in the market, in that you never doubt that it’s going to be good when you see it’s a DC comics adaptation. Not necessarily great, but good.
“Just a flesh wound” is a reference to an infamous scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
And yes, DC has become very dependable in their animation department. I’m really looking forward to their DC Nation bloc on Cartoon Network this coming fall.