I found some sucky Green Lantern movie figures today!! (lol)

[Devilbat]

I may be opening a can of worms here, but I thought I'd share my thoughts on some Green Lantern movie figures I found today at an indoor flea-market:

 

First of all, I understand the movie was widely considered a flop, as were the toys. Now I was never really a Green Lantern fan at all, but over the years, I was somewhat intrigued by the concept behind the character, and I did actually buy a couple of comics here and there. I guess I could never get past those childhood images of the giant boxing glove and fly-swat constructs I'd see in the old Gil Kane-illustrated Green Lantern books of my youth. (lol) It just seemed silly to me. But I guess most comics were back in the '70s. (I suppose I'm dating myself a little with that comment...)

 

Anyway, fast-forward to the release of the movie. I didn't see it when it was out in theaters, but I wanted to. I may not collect every comic out there, but I do love comic-book movies, and I'll admit to being more than a little intrigued with the notion of a Green Lantern movie. After all, I liked Ryan Reynolds pretty well. I liked the look of the costumes, the special-effects looked interesting, and I liked the notion of a character that could create pretty-much anything he or she could imagine with the power of their energy ring. That had potential to be pretty cool to me.

 

Well, I finally got to see it when my wife bought me the Blu-ray for Christmas last year, and...I liked it. I didn't love it, but I liked it. The cinematography was great. I liked the premise, how a revered Green Lantern (played by the awesome Temuera Morrison, no less) crash-lands on earth and, with his dying breath, bequeaths his ring to hot-shot, narcissist pilot Hal Jordan, who has the nerves and potential, but not the conviction to be the hero Earth needs...at least not at first. It is, in my opinion a very enjoyable, likeable movie. Was it the same caliber movie as, say The Dark Knight? Nowhere near in the same ball-park. But it was fun, just a fun, simple, popcorn-flick-of-a-summer comic-book movie. It was kinda like The Greatest American Hero meets Star Trek. And...I have to admit to liking it for some really silly, basic reasons also: I liked all of the glowing green stuff. (lol) There I said it. It kinda reminded me of the look and feel of Batman Forever, with all of the cool green lighting that was meant to evoke The Riddler I guess. And I loved how Jordan's powers, The Guardians, and Oa were all new and mysterious to him. I'm sure I enjoyed it more and had those reactions because I'm pretty-much the average movie-goer that's not read all of the comics and knows the Green Lantern lore inside and out. From the standpoint of the knowledgeable fan, I can see where the movie was rather two-dimentional in its handling of the mythos and the character of Green Lantern in general, but from the standpoint of the casual comic-book fan that knows very little and has read very few Green Lantern books, it was fun and fairly adequate.

 

So naturally, even when I hadn't seen the movie, I was interested in the action figures. I found them to be pretty-cool and eye-catching in stores that summer, but I failed to pull the trigger, as it were, on any of them. There were just too many other things out at the time that demanded my attention. I did however find some on clearance the following spring I think. I picked-up the regular Hal Jordan Green Lantern, Abin Sur (What a cool name...I love saying it in a dramatic British accent.) (lol), and Sinestro. I rather liked them (I'll tell why in a minute...), but ultimately I decided to give them to my nephews. I just had alot of loose stuff like that cluttering my toy building, so I did some liquidating.

 

But anyway, my brother had recently told me about an indoor flea-market in a nearby town about forty-minutes away, so I went there today to check it out and see what I could find. I came across a booth that had pegs just full of Green Lantern movie figures. Some were two bucks apiece, but most were three. I've been on a huge superhero kick lately, so I snagged a bunch of them. I got Abin Sur and Hal Jordan Green Lantern (again), along with the un-masked Hal, Solar Saw Gren Lantern, and Kilowog. (BTW, I loved how Michael Clark Duncan voiced him in the movie, God rest his soul...)

 

As with the first time I bough these, I noticed two things right away; they didn't stand up very well, at least Hal Jordan didn't, and they sported very limited articulation. Now maybe it's because of the original Kenner Star Wars figures I grew up with, or maybe it's because I don't really play with my action figures, but...I don't require them to have alot of articulation. I mean, yeah...I prefer alot, but if I like a given figure enough, and the paint and sculpt are nice, then I can overlook limited articulation.

 

What I like about these so-called "sucky" Green Lantern movie figures: They're very sturdy and really well-made. They're good solid figures. Also, the details in the sculpts are amazing. It seems to be something most collectors have overlooked, or they can't get past the articulation issues to notice, but...for their size and scale, these figures sport amazing sculpting details. One other thing I like about them is how they paid attention to proper scales for the different characters; Kilowog is a good inch-and-a-half taller and much broader than Hal and Abin Sur, as he should be.

 

One last observation; I always did think the Solar Saw Green Lantern was hokey, gimmicky, and just downright lame...one of the myriad of countless variations of the main character that would clog store pegs for years to come. But the more I paid attention to him when I would see him from time to time, I found myself interested. He kinda had a Captain Marvel vibe going on or something. The glitter in the plastic of his sculpt reminded me of that character, like he had even more cosmic power than even what the ring afforded him. But when I opened him earlier this evening, I experienced a "Cool!!" moment; I realized that instead of being molded in glittery black plastic like I previously thought, he's actually cast in a cool transluscent dark gray, which makes him look almost like one of those old Micronaut figures from back in the day, and I'm just a sucker for transluscent action figures. It looks especially cool when you hold him up in the light.

 

Yes, it's a cheesy movie that probably doesn't completely do the character justice, and yes, the toys, in comparison to other lines, are probably overall equally as cheesy. But I can't help it...I enjoy cheesy movies, and any cheesy related toys as long as they have some redeeming qualities, and I think the Green Lantern movie figures do. Feel free to agree, disagree, or even mercelessly taunt me for liking them. (lol)

[Wheeljack35]

My TRU still has them and they have them on clearance for $5.I have been waiting forever for them to lower them to $3 like they did with the Trek figures and I will grab them

[shokker]

bbts has them on clearence as well. i dont know how shipping costs are but i got an iron man for 4usd last week. i wanted to get some lanterns but mattel pushes the sales and i have to go slow.

[Devilbat]

Wow...I'm pleased to see I'm not the only one that likes them! I guess we're just not hard to please. (lol)

[shokker]

Wow...I'm pleased to see I'm not the only one that likes them! I guess we're just not hard to please. (lol)

 

 

lets say for a few bucks they are worth it. i will get the one and the other from bbts if they are still available. specially some different creatures not humans. they are always great to add. with over 300 species who gives what they look like, lol. doesnt bother me.

[Draven79]

They are fine for kids imo. I bought a few on $2 clearance at WM but ended up just giving them to a friends son.

Draven

[Devilbat]

I found the 3-3/4" Tomar-Re at Ollie's today...they've got some of the 3-3/4" figures for $1.99. I like that price alot better than the three-bucks-apiece deal I thought I'd found. (lol)

[Goldbug]

My TRU still has them and they have them on clearance for $5.I have been waiting forever for them to lower them to $3 like they did with the Trek figures and I will grab them

My Walmart still has them at $3 and they are not selling!

[carrowsboy]

I swear that McDonalds puts more effort in their Happy Meal toys than Mattel put into the GL movie figures.

 

What a wasted opportunity.

[KNEEL_b4_ZOD]

I swear that McDonalds puts more effort in their Happy Meal toys than Mattel put into the GL movie figures.

 

What a wasted opportunity.

 

Haha it's fun you say that, because my first thought when I looked at them was, wow those look pretty much exactly like the same quality put into the McDonald's Power Rangers movie Happy Meal Toys from the 90's. They are essentially the exact same in articulation, size, and quality.

[Devilbat]

I'm not sure if that's a compliment to Happy Meal toys or an insult to Mattel. Both? (lol)

 

I guess I like the simplicity of them, and I really love the details and colors in their sculpting. But hey...like I said, I don't play with them. I just want some semi-cool action figures to have on display.

 

The one other issue I have with them besides the inability some of them have to stand up on their own is the fact that many of them come with loose joints right out of the package. Now they're not loose as in you can wave them around in the air and their arms and/or legs flop erratically like that 1978 faded Stormtrooper figure you had as a kid (I'm dating myself again...) (lol), but they're slightly loose, and that bugs me. I expect brand-new figures to have nice, tight joints.

[Wheeljack35]

My TRU still has them and they have them on clearance for $5.I have been waiting forever for them to lower them to $3 like they did with the Trek figures and I will grab them

My Walmart still has them at $3 and they are not selling!

 

If that was here I would of grabbed them