The World's Finest Reviews Green Lantern: Beware My Power

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Green Lantern: Beware My Power
Studio: Warner Bros. Animation
Runtime: 87 minutes
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: 4K UltraHD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, Digital – July 26, 2022
Soundtrack: Gardner Recordings – October 28, 2022

Synopsis: In Green Lantern: Beware My Power, recently discharged Marine sniper John Stewart is at a crossroads in his life, one which is only complicated by receiving an extraterrestrial ring which grants him the powers of the Green Lantern of Earth. Unfortunately, the ring doesn’t come with instructions – but it does come with baggage, like a horde of interplanetary killers bent on eliminating every Green Lantern in the universe. Now, with the aid of the light-hearted Green Arrow, Adam Strange and Hawkgirl, this reluctant soldier must journey into the heart of a galactic Rann/Thanagar war and somehow succeed where all other Green Lanterns have failed.

SAG Award-winning actor Aldis Hodge takes the title role as John Stewart/Green Lantern, closely supported by Jimmi Simpson as Green Arrow. The voice cast includes Ike Amadi as Martian Manhunter, Brian Bloom as Adam Strange, Jamie Gray Hyder as Hawkgirl, Mara Junot as Lyssa Drak & Banth Dar, Jason J. Lewis as Ganthet & Captain Kantus, Keesha Sharp as Vixen, Simon Templeman as Sardath & Console Voice, Rick D. Wasserman as Sinestro, Sunil Malhotra as Power Ring and Rannian Commander, and additional voices provided by Nolan North.

Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, DC and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, the PG-13 rated Green Lantern: Beware My Power is directed by Jeff Wamester from a script co-written by John Semper and Ernie Altbacker. Jim Krieg is producer, supervising producer is Butch Lukic, and Sam Register is Executive Producer.

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Green Lantern: Beware My Power Animated Feature Review
By James Harvey

Discover the origins of John Stewart, arguably the most popular Green Lantern in pop culture, as he finally headlines his own animated feature with the highly-anticipated Green Lantern: Beware My Power. Following the film’s strong start and solid hook, both Stewart and the audience find themselves on a messy trip across the galaxy that likely doesn’t go the way either would expect (or maybe want). While the movie can’t quite right itself before the end credits roll, there’s a wealth of great material in here for fans to enjoy, it still ultimately ends up being a journey worth taking.

A recently discharged Marine sniper, John Stewart is lost and unsure of his next step, but quickly finds himself in possession of an extraterrestrial ring which grants him the powers of the Green Lantern. Stewart seeks out help to remove the ring from his hand, but quickly finds himself meeting the Justice League and getting caught in the sights of interplanetary killers bent on eliminating every Green Lantern in the universe. And to make matters worse? Stewart’s answers can only be found in the heart of the galactic Rann/Thanagar war!

Please note this review will be very, very light on spoilers. Green Lantern: Beware My Power features a surprise or two that are better left as just that, but there will be some plot-specific material covered.

Wasting no time, Green Lantern: Beware My Power puts the ring on Stewart’s finger and shoots him into space within the first ten minutes, give or take, taking the audience on a heckuva bumpy ride along the way. Stewart’s journey is, for the most part, an entertaining and thrilling adventure, but it starts the swerve off the track after a while before ending up in a final destination that might not be to everyone’s liking.

In a nutshell, the story seems to pull further and further away from Stewart as the adventure he finds himself in starts to grow increasingly complicated. At what at first seems to be a simple team adventure between Stewart, Green Arrow, Adam Strange and Shayera Hol, our heroes find themselves dodging Sinestro and his crew of Lantern killers while also falling deep into the origins of the currently raging Rann/Thanagar War. All of this is further complicated by a twist halfway through the movie which adds yet another layer to this increasingly encumbered tale. While everything does come crashing together in an admittedly impressive bit of action, it ends up taking away much needed screentime from the film’s hero, John Stewart.

There’s just a shade too much story for this 87-minute movie to handle, but the cast and crew behind it still put in some substantial work. Jeff Wamester’s directing is unquestionably impressive from start to finish. Here he’s skillfully able to pull in close for those claustrophobic moments where Stewart finds himself struggling with his past, and then switches things up completely to deliver some truly epic, beautifully constructed frames of cosmic carnage. Wamester shows impressive growth and range, and it’ll be interesting to see how he handles his next animated project with DC Comics.

Also putting in some truly first-rate work is the voice cast behind Green Lantern: Beware My Power. Aldis Hodge slips nicely into the role of John Stewart, bringing an air of heft and believability to the role. Jimmi Simpson is pitch-perfect as Green Arrow, evening elicits some of the movie’s biggest laughs with his bigger-than-expected role. Jamie Gray Hyder also deserves a nod for her suitably savage take on Shayera Hol (even if the script goes a little overboard with Hol’s bloodthirsty nature). All three of these performers work great off each other, too, making the growing bond between their respective characters totally believable. Brian Bloom’s devastated take on Adam Strange is also of particular note, as is Nolan North’s performance in the film. Wes Gleason once again shows a firm hand here in his voice direction work.

Green Lantern: Beware My Power also easily has the most consistent and polished animation among the “in-continuity” titles of the DC Universe Movie line to date. While it does slip on occasion – jerky or too-quick character movements can be occasionally glaring and mouth animations don’t line up with dialogue from time to time – the animated feature overall looks pretty stellar. The character designs, across the board, are fantastic, especially when it comes to the film’s heroes.

The film’s only real shortcoming is how the story, after a focused start, begins to unravel as certain reveals are made and plot complications arise. As Stewart and his small band of heroes find themselves uncovering a conspiracy behind the origins of the Rann/Thanagar war, the movie seems to pull away from our star, making him seem like just another member of the growing cast for most of the film’s remaining runtime. The focus does pull back to him during some key climactic moments, some of them perfect for establishing who Stewart is and his destined future as one of the best Green Lanterns ever, but Green Lantern: Beware My Power‘s admittedly gripping finale loses some of its power when the focus falls more on the fisticuffs than the characters throwing them. The occasionally clunky dialogue also makes the film’s attempts to address some bigger ideas come across as a little clumsy.

One of Green Lantern: Beware My Power‘s biggest surprises also ends up going down a disappointingly predictable path that fans of the Green Lantern mythos will likely have issues with. The script, co-written by John Semper and Ernie Altbacker, is definitely an intriguing one, but it over-complicates itself with more and more characters and twists when a more straight-forward adventure would’ve given the viewer much more needed to connect with Stewart.

The score to Green Lantern: Beware My Power is also of definite note. Kevin Riepl’s peppers his work very deliberately throughout the movie, which palpably adds to the overall sense of mystery and danger that Stewart and his team of heroes find themselves in.

Green Lantern: Beware My Power reaches some incredible heights at times, but it’s just not a consistently engaging experience. There are moments when the pacing drags, or characters behave a little off, or a creative choice falls a little flat, but at the same time there are moments when the movie truly soars, be it with interesting character beats or some truly impressive set pieces. Plus, Hodge, Simpson and Hyder (as Stewart, Ollie and Shayera, respectively) truly work well together, and it’d be a shame if this trio isn’t seen again in a future DC Universe Movie title.

Green Lantern: Beware My Power is an enjoyable movie, no question about it, but it’s held back by an unwieldy third act and a disappointing reveal. There’s a lot to like here, but this film will likely test the patience of some long-time Lantern fans. It’s a worthwhile rental, at least, for those still on the fence. While it’s likely not the Green Lantern movie many expect, it’s still one worth giving a shot, especially for fans of John Stewart. Recommended, but with reservations.