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Sunday
01Nov2009

Martin Campbell on "Daunting" 'Green Lantern' VFX

DateSunday, November 1, 2009 at 4:36PM
The question of why a Green Lantern movie might cost between $150 and $175 million - the number most commonly thrown around - could be answered pretty simply: Effects, and lots of them. Now director Martin Campbell is discussing the CGI buffet, in an Empire interview sourced by The Coventry Telegraph.

Ryan Reynolds is playing Hal Jordan/Green Lantern in the film, which was originally set to go into production in Australia, but while now shoot in and around New Orleans, one of the hottest and most surprisingly versatile filming locations in the US. That move might end up saving the production money, but Campbell assures us it's still going to be jam-packed with effects.

"It's daunting," the director says. "Just the process, something like 1,300 visual effects shots, it's mind-blowing, quite honestly."

The reason there are more kinds of effects and why the film relies on them so much is because Green Lantern gets his particular brand of hero Juju from his magical ring. "It's energized by a battery on the planet of Oa, which taps into the willpower of everyone in the universe," Campbell says. "From that ring you can form constructs. So if you got into a fight, you could form a giant fist. Or a fighter plane."

Another issue for the effects team is our hero's constant day trips to another planet. So in addition to the earthbound effects, this film, like Thor, will have to create some kind of otherworldly environment that will be used from time to time.

Green Lantern is one of the best DC Comics characters, so I'm glad he's getting a movie. It's still a tough sell for non-fans, although Ryan Reynolds will help make a few converts on opening weekend. Campbell's a sound pick to direct, as well, but I'm always skeptical of movies that have to rely so much on effects, just because they're supposed to be complements to the story. If you have an uneven balance with too many effects, and then those effects don't do the trick, you don't really have anywhere else to turn.

Of course, it's hard to imagine a Green Lantern movie without them, so that just kind of comes with the territory.

AuthorColin Boyd | | in , , , | Print ArticlePrint Article | | Comment1 Comment |

Reader Comments (1)

Anyone that knows about Green Lantern would know why the budget needs to be so high.

Monday, November 2, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterEl Doucheo Bago

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