Tarantino Praised This Lackluster Ryan Reynolds Action & I Absolutely Agree With Him
Before HBO’s Lanterns take the world by storm in 2026, we need to discuss a movie that's been way too overhated by both critics and fans.
Quentin Tarantino is well-known for his hot movie takes. Some of them I find questionable myself, but this time I actually wholeheartedly agree with him. Way back in 2012, after The Quentin Tarantino Archives posted Tarantino's list of 2011 movies he liked and disliked, the audience was slightly confused by a couple of placements in particular.
Among his controversial picks was Green Lantern in the Others He Liked category. Yes, the same Green Lantern that was absolutely destroyed by both fans and critics alike. The same Green Lantern that is accused of potential fans turning away from the comics as a whole. But if this wasn't spicy enough, Ryan Gosling 's hit Drive was deemed as “Nice Try”. Yikes.
Well, I don't know if I can agree with the latter, but I will always be quick to defend Ryan Reynolds ' Hal Jordan.
Green Lantern: A Look Back at One the Most Hated DC Movies
But before I go into more details, we all need to refresh our memories about the movie itself.
Green Lantern follows the story of Hal Jordan. He is the first human in the Green Lantern Corps, an ancient group of warriors who protect the universe. The movie shows us how Hal gets his powers from dying Abin Sur and eventually has to face off against Parallax, a monster who feeds off of fear.
And sure, it may sound wild, but isn't that exactly what superhero movies should be? Bold, imaginative, and just a little bit ridiculous?
Green Lantern Deserves a Second Chance in the Superhero Universe
I genuinely enjoyed this movie. I did to the point where I actually want to defend it. It's not really an Oscar-worthy type of film, but it never tried to be.
The CGI isn't perfect, and some of the dialogue can sound cheesy. But since when did every superhero movie (or movie in general) need to be a profound commentary on the human condition? Sometimes it's okay for a movie to just be fun.
I think that's exactly the problem with movies like this and the reception they get. The majority wants to have that Oscar-worthy experience, but I think it's way more fun to let go and enjoy the campiness and eccentricity of it all.
Ryan Reynolds himself has poked fun at the movie numerous times, and while that's all in good humor, I think it's contributed to this narrative that Green Lantern is somehow the worst superhero movie ever made. It's not.
What Green Lantern did right was embrace its comic book roots. The movie didn't try to ground itself in gritty realism or make everything darker than it needed to be. Instead, it gave us a colorful cosmic adventure with space police and an ancient evil that literally feeds on fear.
Before Lanterns Come Out, Give This One a Try
Sure, the movie has its flaws. The pacing could've been better, and maybe Parallax could have looked less like an angry space cloud. But at its core, Green Lantern is an extremely fun superhero movie that dared to be different from the increasingly serious tone that was taking over the genre at the time.
It's campy, it's fun, and it deserves a second chance before HBO Lanterns take over the world in 2026. You can find Green Lantern on HBO Max, Spectrum, Fandango at Home, Amazon Video, and Apple TV+.
