Superhero Showdown! Thor Vs Green Lantern

Summer 2011 is set to be the showcase for the next battle in the fight for box office supremacy between Marvel and DC Comics. Marvel is set to release Thor in May of next year, while DC is ready to release Green Lantern in June. Both are what I would call "second tier" heroes. They've been around just a long as the X-Men, Spider-Man or DC's "Big Three" (Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman). They just haven't quite got the mainstream recognition. Let's take a look at the trailers and get a breakdown of the two combatants, shall we?

THOR:

That was the short version. There's a 5 minute long one out there, but it's not available on YouTube (I guess Marvel hates free publicity). Anyway, this one still gets the main points across. Thor will be the latest installment in Marvel's ongoing, interconnected universe of movies leading up to an Avengers movie somewhere down the line. This one looks like it will take place about the same time as Iron Man 2.

You may remember the star, Chris Hemsworth, as Kirk's dad from the first 5 minutes of Star Trek. No? Well, are you a fan of Australian soap operas? I didn't think so. So then you really have no idea who this guy is. That's not a bad thing, per se. No one knew who Brandon Routh was before he played Superman. Now he's...nevermind. Anyway, he's got great back up in Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins.

I haven't made up my mind yet on how I think this movie will turn out. Obviously, everyone is hoping that it will do just as well as the Iron Man movies and The Incredible Hulk. It could very well be that good, but something about the trailer just seems...cheap, underwhelming. It doesn't feel as epic as it should be. But that's just my opinion. I really don't know the character's origin well enough to know how well (or poorly) they've stuck to it. That fact may work toward their advantage in the long run. If the average movie goer is like me, that is. We'll see when the finished product comes out next summer.

GREEN LANTERN:

This is the story of Hal Jordan, Earth's first Green Lantern. Ryan Reynolds finds himself jumping ship from playing Deadpool in Marvel's X-Men Origins: Wolverine to being DC's latest poster boy. Blake Lively (Gossip Girl, Accecpted) is Carol Ferris, Hal's love interest. Mark Strong, one of Hollywood's favorite bad guys, plays Sinestro. Tim Robbins and Angela Bassett also show up, though I have no clue how big their roles are. Look them up if you're interested.

I've got to be honest. I am disappointed that Reynolds is the Green Lantern. Personally, I think his personality is much better suited to The Flash. However, I only really know the GL from the Justice League series that came on Cartoon Network. For all I know he's got Hal Jordan down to a T. I like that this movie will feature the Green Lantern Corps. I just think that the CGI could look better. Maybe it's just from watching it on this crappy old laptop. If the CGI characters like Kilowog work out, then maybe they can work on a decent Superman villain. Maybe the Man of Steel can be going toe-to-toe with Doomsday in his next film.

WRAP UP:

With these movies still so far out, it's impossible to tell what's going to happen. I really hope for the best from both camps. The more the push to outdo each other, the more outstanding, sci-fi action eye-candy there is for us in the theaters. For now, I'm hoping for the best and planning to be at both on opening night. Chyeah!