The main inspiration for this blog arose a few weeks ago now when I was forced to endure the horrendous film that is Green Lantern. Now, I’m sure I’m probably going to offend some of you out there by saying this, but I think Green Lantern is possibly one of the worst films I’ve seen.
Why? Because it’s so flawed in terms of its fundamental concept, the plotting of the movie and its final presentation that the writer in me was literally screaming at the TV in frustration!
For a start, when your ‘power’ is the power of ‘will’ (basically, ‘stuff’), how on earth is the antithesis of ‘will’ supposed to be ‘fear’? Also, even if the antithesis of your power is ‘fear’, why is it that there is nothing to actually make fear ‘fear’. Simply being a different colour just doesn’t cut it!
With me so far? Unless you’ve seen the film, I’m guessing probably not, though this in itself is part of my point. If you can’t explain something back to yourself, then how as a writer do you expect to be able to explain your story to your audience?
Naturally, as is the case with so many Hollywood blockbusters these days, plot comes a very poor second (if that) to action, explosions, and special effects. Ok, so maybe I’ve got a bit of a chip on my shoulder about this one, but the point still stands: things such as plot and concept are important!
So, I hear you ask, what has Gandalf got to do with all of this? Well, as I hope some of you at least will agree, it is my belief that The Lord of the Rings is one of the greatest works of literature ever to have been produced. Period. If J.R.R.Tolkien hadn’t put pen to paper and crafted his epic masterpiece I genuinely believe this world would be a worse place. As a work of literature then, for me at least, it stands at the pinnacle of what we can achieve.
But while Gandalf et al serve as a source of inspiration, and indeed are an aspiration for what I want to achieve as a writer, I’m not quite sure how much I can actually learn from Tolkien’s masterpiece. For one, I am perhaps never going to invent my own language – nor indeed am I going to achieve the same level of prose as the eminent professor. I am, after all, M.J.Ryder, not J.R.R.Tolkien. We are two separate and very different writers. While The Lord of the Rings serves me as an aspiration, I am going to be slightly controversial here and suggest in some respects Green Lantern has taught me a lot more about writing!
It is often said that the best lessons we learn in life are made from our mistakes. Under this umbrella I would also add, the mistakes of others.
As a writer you should always strive to absorb as much as you can, and in the process, learn from the works of others. In the modern 21st century world, visual media is just as important as written media. After all, Green Lantern also had a writer – probably a team of writers (though I use the word ‘writers’ in the very loosest sense!)
My point then is this – while Green Lantern was without doubt, for me, one of the worst films I’ve watched in quite a long time, this is not to say I haven’t gained something from it. In this respect Green Lantern can stand beside Gandalf and friends, not as an equal, but as a powerful lesson for us all.
Until next time,
Mike
