Warner Premiere
Release date: July 28, 2009
Stars: Christopher Meloni, Victor Garber, Tricia Helfer, Michael Madsen, John Larroquette
Written by Alan Burnett
Directed by Lauren Montgomery
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 77 minutes

Warner Bros. Animation’s fifth direct-to-DVD feature based on DC Comics depicts Hal Jordan’s (Meloni) first deep space adventure upon joining the intergalactic peacekeeping Green Lantern Corps. Respected veteran Lantern Sinestro (Garber) offers to take Jordan under his wing while he gains the trust of his colleagues and superiors.

Longtime Green Lantern fans may not find much nuance or suspense here, but the high-profile voice cast is worth hearing. Meloni conveys Jordan’s cockiness and intensity. Victor Garber is perfectly cast as the polished villain. Fellow Lantern Kilowog, who in previous cartoons had been played for humor, gets the right amount of menace from Michael Madsen.

As powerful as the Lanterns are, it can be difficult to empathize with them. Fortunately, when Jordan is framed for murder, his ring is taken away, giving his strength of character time to shine. I was concerned that 77 minutes wouldn’t be enough for a large-scale space adventure, but I found the movie well-paced.

Video: 1080p High Definition 16×9 1.78:1 I noticed no defects in the picture, an improvement over the previous Wonder Woman Blu-ray release.

Audio: Dolby TrueHD English 5.1, Dolby Digital English 5.1

Special Features: Unlike previous releases, there is no movie-length audio commentary, but there is the usual assortment of backstory features, related short cartoons, and previews of other DC animated films—presented in Standard Definition, Stereo.

–Gerald So