"And just like that, A Feast for Crows has a release date," Lucy said through the phone, her voice bright with satisfaction. "July 15th. It's set."
I had the phone on the bed with the loudspeaker on as I pulled a shirt over my head and buttoned it up.
"I'm surprised you actually finished it on time," Lucy added.
I grabbed my jacket from the closet. "Hey, only Percy Jackson is delayed. This one's been on schedule the whole time."
"Good," Lucy said. "Because now we can market the book alongside the series launch. You know what that means, Danny."
"Yes, yes," I muttered, looking myself over in the mirror and adjusting my collar.
"It means Raj can give Netflix the green light that you'll be part of the marketing and press tour."
I smoothed down my jacket. "That's all fine, but if you want me to go on a talk show, make it the Graham Norton one, please. Or Conan. You know what? Anything other than The Tonight Show or Jimmy Kimmel. And definitely not that loser James Corden."
Lucy sighed. "I'll make sure that happens, but Danny, you can't really avoid The Tonight Show."
I grimaced. "We can talk later."
"Fine. But—"
I ended the call before she could finish.
Pocketing my phone, I walked out of the bedroom, ready to leave for the screening of The Green Lanterns.
The movie originally had its final box office projected near the same numbers as Aquaman. But the test screenings changed everything. People didn't just want to see it once. They wanted to return and rewatch it, mainly because of how good it looked. The story was great, yes, but people absolutely raved about the CGI. They compared it to Avatar, no less. The marketing team had taken full advantage of that reaction, and now the hype and interest in the movie were through the roof.
I walked into the living room to find Margot sitting on the couch, legs tucked under her, watching some reality show I didn't recognize.
She was free for a week. After that, she had a fashion shoot in Europe, then a movie shoot the month after. She was going to be busy.
"You wanna come?" I asked, grabbing my keys from the counter.
She didn't even look up. "I'd rather watch it at the premiere."
"Why?"
"Because," Margot said, finally glancing at me with a smirk, "the people you watch it with won't shut up. They cheer for the smallest things. 'Oh, a shadow moved!' Cheers. 'Oh, someone blinked!' More cheers."
I grinned. "That's the fun of it."
"Well, not for me."
I walked over, leaned down, and gave her a kiss. "Your loss."
She smiled against my lips. "Have fun with your nerds."
"They're our nerds," I said as I straightened up.
"Sure they are."
I grabbed my jacket and headed for the door. "See you later."
"Drive carefully. Remember what the doctor said. Your eyes need to—"
"I know," I said as I exited the house.
Half an hour later, thankfully with less traffic than expected, I arrived at the theater.
The car pulled up to the curb, and I stepped out. Graves was already there, waiting.
As we walked toward the theater doors, fans who had been waiting inside spotted me through the glass. A roar went up.
"DANIEL!"
"ADLER! ADLER! ADLER!"
Someone was dressed as Green Lantern, full costume, glowing ring prop and everything. Another person wore a homemade Sinestro outfit that actually looked pretty damn good. And a Tomar-Re one too.
I waved, grinning, and they screamed louder.
Graves leaned in as we walked. "So, no speech or anything from you this time, right? Like last time?"
I shook my head. "No, no. I'm not in the mood for that. Maybe after. Maybe."
Graves nodded, seemingly relieved.
It took almost until the beginning of the movie for John, Matt, and Jessica, Matt's girlfriend of almost a year now, thankfully, to arrive.
They slid into the seats next to me just as the lights started to dim.
I glanced at them. "Where were you?"
John sighed. "Don't ask."
I looked at Matt, then at Jessica, whose face was painted green. Bright, vibrant green.
She noticed me staring and shrugged sheepishly. "I was going to cosplay as Jade, but let's just say there were complications."
I grinned. "Well, there's still Comic-Con, you know."
"Yeah," she said, settling into her seat with a laugh.
The lights went fully dark.
The room fell silent.
Then,
"YEAH!"
"LET'S GO!"
Cheers erupted throughout the theater. I heard Matt and Jess screaming louder than anyone else. Both of them were huge Green Lantern fans.
The screen flickered to life.
More whooping and cheering filled the room as the DC Studios logo appeared, this time with an animated Green Lantern flying through it, leaving a bright green trail.
The screen went dark for a moment. Then upbeat, heroic music began playing, "I Am Hal Jordan" from the OST.
The beginning of the movie mirrored the trailer we'd released a month ago, where Hal recounted his years in the Corps.
The screen faded in. The cockpit of an F-35 fighter jet. HAL JORDAN, wearing aviator sunglasses and a cocky grin, pulled a barrel roll.
"Alright, let me catch you up real quick," Hal said in voiceover.
Cheers erupted from the audience.
Hal walked out of a hangar at Ferris Aircraft, leather jacket billowing, wind in his hair. He gave a two finger salute to someone off screen.
"My name is Hal Jordan. I'm a test pilot from Coast City."
Quick montage. Hal flying jets, pushing limits, laughing in the cockpit, living life.
"And for the last ten years…"
Hal appeared in his classic Green Lantern suit, flying through space with a blazing green trail behind him, a big grin on his face.
The audience cheered louder.
"…I've been the one and only Green Lantern of Sector 2814."
The flashback showed a younger Hal in his twenties, kneeling beside a dying Abin Sur, whose ship had crashed in the desert. The green ring floated between them.
"The ring… chose you," Abin Sur said weakly.
The ring slid onto Hal's finger. Green energy exploded around him. His eyes went wide.
"The ring chose me after the previous owner passed. To be a Green Lantern."
Someone in the audience whooped.
Cut back to the present. Hal flew through space, glowing bright green against the stars.
"And I'm DAMN good at it."
Massive applause.
The montage began. Bright, heroic music swelled. Hal created a massive green construct, a giant hand catching a falling spacecraft. Hal gave a thumbs up as he hovered in space, grinning.
Then it showed Hal with Carol.
More scenes followed of Hal saving planets across the galaxy, entire civilizations cheering his name.
Then things got serious.
Sinestro's betrayal was shown. In the DCU, like in the comics, Sinestro and Hal had been friends. Sinestro had been Hal's mentor.
The fight between them was brutal. Green and yellow energy tore through space. Sinestro was shown being defeated and imprisoned.
Then things got worse for Hal.
Carol transformed into Star Sapphire, violet energy consuming her as she screamed. Hal tried desperately to reach her, but she flew away into space. He floated alone, hand still outstretched, completely defeated.
More scenes of Hal saving people followed. This time the bravado was still there, yet you could see something was missing.
The theater went silent.
Hal sat alone in an alien bar. Neon lights, strange creatures around him. He twirled his ring absently.
"So yeah… ten years of this."
Hal stood, downed his drink in one gulp. The ring glowed bright green.
"I'm the best there is at what I do."
Hal slipped the ring back on with a grin, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"Problem is… it's not fun anymore."
Flash. Hal flying through space at incredible speed, green trails blazing behind him. Completely alone in the vastness.
Beat. The music faded. Silence.
"And when I stop moving…"
Hal floated motionless in the void of space, tiny against the infinite cosmos.
"When it's quiet…"
The moment was interrupted by the ring flaring to life as Hal shot forward through space.
"This is Green Lantern Tomar-Re, Sector 2813! I need backup immediately! The Qward fleet is…" The voice from the ring cut out, distorted.
Hal's expression shifted instantly. "It's Hal. Tomar, I'm coming."
"I can't hold them for long!" Tomar's voice was strained, desperate.
Jessica turned to me and whispered urgently, "This better not be what I think it is."
I glanced at her. "What do you think it is?"
Jessica leaned closer. "I may have read some leaks."
I stayed silent as the scene played out.
The scene cut to a planet being besieged by Qwardians, dark ships swarming the atmosphere like locusts, energy blasts raining down on cities below. Explosions. Chaos everywhere.
Hal stopped mid flight as he saw them. Anti Green Lanterns. The Qwardians' twisted creations.
Hal sighed. "Oh, these guys again."
The audience laughed.
And then the fight began.
The music swelled dramatically. Hal dove into the Qward fleet, green energy blazing around him. He created a massive fighter jet construct, weaving through enemy ships, firing green energy blasts. Ships exploded in brilliant flashes of light.
Hal grinned. "Alright, let's dance."
He created a giant baseball bat construct, swinging it like a home run hitter, sending Anti Lanterns flying into the vacuum of space.
Cheers erupted from the audience.
He shifted tactics. Now a massive green tank, firing energy rounds that tore through enemy formations. Then a buzzsaw, slicing through enemy constructs like paper. Then dual fighter jet wings, barrel rolling through explosions with perfect precision.
The CGI was flawless. Every construct was sharp, detailed, glowing with vibrant green energy. The audience was absolutely loving it.
The scene ended with Hal arriving just in time. He blasted through the last wave of Anti Lanterns and landed beside Tomar-Re, who was crouched behind rubble, breathing hard, his uniform scorched and torn.
"You alright?" Hal asked, concern breaking through his usual cocky demeanor.
Tomar looked hurt, burns across his chest, one arm hanging limp. "I took care of the fleet and the Anti Lanterns up here. But they're planetside. And more are coming."
A hologram of Guardian Ganthet appeared in front of them, blue skinned and stern.
"Lanterns, hold your position. Reinforcements are en route."
Hal argued immediately. "We can handle it."
"You will hold, Jordan," Ganthet said firmly.
But Hal didn't listen. He convinced Tomar to go save the civilians while he held off the Anti Lanterns.
The scene shifted. Hal and Tomar split up.
Hal fought off waves of Anti Green Lanterns, creating massive fists, shields, chainsaws, and swords. The OST was perfect, driving and heroic. The action sequence was flawless.
Cheers rang out from the audience.
And then the scene happened.
Hal returned to find Tomar overwhelmed by Anti Lanterns. Hal quickly joined in, blasting them back with torrents of green energy.
But Tomar was caught in a blast as he tried to shield some civilians.
The explosion was massive, violet and black energy tearing through the street.
Tomar was thrown backward, crashing into rubble.
Hal saw it. His eyes went wide. "TOMAR!"
He obliterated the rest of the Anti Lanterns in seconds and rushed to Tomar's side.
"No, no, no," someone in the audience whispered. Others were realizing what was happening.
Hal knelt beside Tomar, who was barely breathing. His uniform was torn, green energy flickering weakly around him.
"Hal… the civilians… in the southern district…" Tomar whispered.
"They're safe. All of them."
Tomar smiled, a faint, pained smile. "Good… that's… good…"
"Oh hell no," someone said loudly. More reactions followed.
"You little shit," I heard Matt say beside me.
I whispered back, "Look, someone big had to die for the plot."
On screen:
Tomar's ring began to glow brighter.
"No. No, come on. You're fine. Backup is on the way."
"Hal… promise me…"
"What?"
"The ring… will choose… make sure… they're ready…"
"Tomar, you're not…"
"Promise… me…"
Hal's voice broke. "I promise."
Tomar-Re smiled. Then went still.
His eyes closed.
The green glow of his uniform faded completely.
Hal stared, frozen.
The ring floated off Tomar-Re's finger, hovering in the air for a moment.
"Tomar-Re of Xudar. Deceased."
The audience was silent.
Hal looked shattered, his face a mixture of grief, rage, and guilt all at once.
The ring floated upward, glowing brightly, and then shot off into space.
Backup arrived. Boodikka, Kilowog, and other Lanterns landed around Hal. They saw Tomar's body. Their expressions fell.
Kilowog knelt beside Tomar.
The camera followed the ring as it streaked across the stars. The OST swelled, emotional, powerful, haunting.
The title appeared on screen in bold green letters:
THE GREEN LANTERNS
Matt leaned over as the title card faded. "Pretty sure I saw a guy cosplaying as him. He's gonna jump you when this is over."
Jess, Graves, John, and Matt all laughed.
I set a mental reminder to leave quickly after the screening.
The next scene, of course, I knew would take their minds off Tomar's death.
It was John Stewart's introduction.
Oh yeah. This was going to be good.
The sound of rain hammering a car roof filled the theater as the scene opened with Gotham being shown, still flooded, water now at manageable levels.
A military convoy moved through the city. Inside, John Stewart sat with the rest of his squad.
Cheers erupted as John appeared on screen.
He was quiet, watching the destruction pass through the window. Submerged cars, collapsed buildings, debris everywhere.
"Never thought I'd be deployed in my own country," one soldier said.
"Gotham's always been a war zone. This just made it official," another replied.
"Oh shit," people around me whispered as they realized this was Gotham right after Batman Pt. 3.
On screen, John said nothing.
"Hey, Stewart, you're from Detroit, right? This remind you of home?"
John looked over. "Detroit's got problems. But we never had a psycho flood half the city."
"At least Batman's back. Saw him on the news last night, still pulling people out of collapsed buildings."
"And Superman too," the first soldier added. "But Batman's no hero. He's a killer."
The other soldier shot back. "No, he's not. He's innocent."
John tuned out the argument.
They arrived at a large stadium and walked out, where they were met by Lieutenant Tasker.
"Alright, cut the chatter. This is the Seaside Coliseum. Biggest refugee center in the city. Some anarchist group has been stirring up trouble. Our job is to maintain order and assess structural integrity."
"Stewart."
"Sir?" John responded.
"You did architecture before re enlisting, right?"
"Yes, sir. I have my degree."
"Good. You're on structural assessment. Rodriguez goes with you. I want a full report on that building's stability."
The scene continued with them going inside the Coliseum.
Chaos surrounded them.
Thousands of displaced Gotham citizens filled the space. Families, elderly people, children. Tents everywhere. The Coliseum itself showed visible damage.
John followed his orders, examining the structure. He spotted a critical weakness in one of the main support columns, but before he could call it in, he heard a commotion.
I could see that everyone in the theater was sitting on the edge of their seats, hoping the hero they were expecting would show up.
On screen, as John headed back, he saw a group of masked protesters, maybe twenty of them, wearing the red Anarky symbol, a circle A.
Their leader, wearing an Anarky mask that covered his whole face, held a megaphone.
"They left us to drown! Batman and the so called heroes saved the rich while WE struggled and drowned! The government doesn't care about the poor of Gotham!"
The crowd was split.
Some cheered, raising fists.
Others looked scared, parents pulling children away.
"We're not leaving until they give us REAL aid! REAL answers! No more lies!"
The crowd was getting agitated.
John rejoined Tasker, who was calling in the situation.
"Requesting authorization to remove them," Tasker said into his radio.
"Lieutenant, you are green lit. Maintain order by any means necessary," the voice on the radio responded.
"Copy that," Tasker said.
The scene continued as Tasker commanded the squad to restore order.
Tasker was heavy handed. John protested. They got into a shouting match.
Tasker ordered the squad to take aim, scaring many in the crowd.
The Anarky group used this to cause more panic and chaos.
A bottle flew from the crowd. It shattered near Tasker's feet.
Tasker spoke into his radio. "Tear gas. NOW."
Two soldiers pulled out tear gas canisters.
The canisters flew through the air.
CRACK. HISSSSS.
Tear gas billowed out.
The crowd ERUPTED into chaos.
SCREAMING. SHOVING. RUNNING.
People stampeded toward the exits.
The building GROANED.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
The scene continued as John broke rank, essentially mutinying against Tasker as he worked to bring the situation under control.
People started to listen to him. But the Anarky leaders still tried to cause trouble, shouting, stirring people up, trying to get the soldiers to shoot at them.
John watched tensely as Tasker raised his weapon and took aim at the leader.
Then something hit all the guns in the soldiers' hands.
The shot was perfect.
Shadows moved across the ceiling, barely visible. A dark shape shifted between support beams. The camera caught glimpses. Cape. Silhouette. Movement too quick to fully track.
"What was that?" one soldier asked. He looked at his gun to see a batarang embedded in the barrel.
The theater ERUPTED in cheers as, from above, Batman dropped down, grabbed the leader of Anarky mid shout, and slammed him to the ground, capturing him in one fluid motion.
"FUCK YEAH!"
The scene continued as John essentially ordered the others to safely evacuate the civilians.
Batman fought off the remaining Anarky members in the background, quick, brutal, efficient.
When one of the building's support beams cracked and began to fall toward John, Batman pulled him back at the last second.
John looked up, breathing hard. "Thanks."
Batman spoke. "No. Thank you. You did a good job."
The soldiers moved in and arrested the Anarky members as John turned to say something else to Batman.
But he was gone.
Laughter erupted in the theater when it happened.
Classic Batman.
Tasker, furious, stormed over to John.
"You're done, Stewart. Court martial. You hear me? DONE."
John said nothing. He just stared at where Batman had been.
There was big applause in the hall as the scene ended.
The scene shifted to show John being discharged, walking out of a military office.
A cover of "The Times They Are A Changin'" played.
John walked out, duffel bag over his shoulder.
"Come gather 'round people, wherever you roam…"
John walked through a city.
A mural on a wall showed a Superman symbol.
Cheers erupted from the audience.
John passed it. Didn't look.
"And admit that the waters around you have grown…"
There were news segments on screens and people on phones, all showing how another age of heroes was upon the world. Superman sightings. Wonder Woman.
More cheers.
And now Batman and Flash as well.
Even louder cheers.
News headlines flashed on screen:
"NEW AGE OF HEROES?" with photos of Batman and Superman
"WONDER WOMAN SIGHTING IN EUROPE?"
"METAHUMANS: THREAT OR SALVATION?"
John stared at a newsstand.
"For the times they are a changin'…"
"The order is rapidly fadin'…"
Drums began to build underneath the guitar.
A montage showed John continuing his life, going back to school, getting a job at Ferris Aircraft.
He was shown working, drafting blueprints, reviewing structural designs, collaborating with engineers.
And then finally, walking into an office as the music ended.
The scene continued with Carol Ferris being shown, to some cheers. I heard someone nearby say, "Wait, she's back?"
The scene had Carol make John the lead on a major project. She mentioned how the world was changing and that Ferris planned to lead in aerospace. It was subtly implied that Carol was reverse engineering some alien tech.
Abigail Spencer really acted well here, showing how Carol had a haunting look in her eyes when she mentioned her long absence and return.
The scene ended with John being basically forced to buy all his coworkers a drink.
"First round's on Stewart!" someone shouted.
John sighed, but smiled.
The scene shifted to space as the ring flew toward Earth.
There were some cheers and whoops.
John walked home from the bar, slightly buzzed.
He passed a street performer playing guitar and dropped a few dollars into the case.
"Thanks, man. Have a good night," the street performer said.
"You too," John said.
He kept walking.
Then,
SCREAMING.
"HELP! SOMEONE HELP!" a woman's voice cried out.
John's head snapped up.
Every instinct from his Marine training fired.
He ran toward the sound.
A woman getting out of her car was cornered by three muggers.
John intervened.
"Hey! Back off!"
The muggers turned.
"Mind your business, man."
"Let her go," John said, stepping forward.
The fight broke out.
John fought them off, military training kicking in. He landed solid hits, quick and efficient.
But more came. Five total now.
One of them stabbed John in the side.
John gasped, stumbling back, clutching the wound.
They were about to finish him when,
The ring arrived.
WHOOOOSH.
It blasted them all away with a wave of green energy.
Huge cheers erupted from the audience.
John looked shocked, clutching his side, blood dripping from it.
The GREEN RING hovered in front of him, glowing.
John thought he was hallucinating.
The ring slammed onto his finger.
"John Stewart of Earth."
"WHAT THE HELL?!" John yelled.
He tried to pull it off. It wouldn't budge.
"WHAT IS THIS?! GET IT OFF!"
"You have the ability to overcome great fear."
Green energy lifted him off the ground.
He was floating.
"NO NO NO PUT ME DOWN!" John panicked.
Random constructs flickered around him as his panic created them subconsciously. Shields, weapons, a wall.
"You have been chosen. Welcome to the Green Lantern Corps."
The ring pulled him upward.
"WAIT! STOP!"
Green light created a protective aura around him.
Then,
WHOOSH.
He was launched into the sky like a rocket.
Accelerating.
Faster.
FASTER.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" John screamed at the top of his lungs.
Everyone in the audience was laughing.
The scene ended with John landing hard on Oa, green energy dissipating around him as he crashed onto the glowing surface of the planet.
He groaned, rolling over, clutching his still bleeding side.
He looked up.
Kilowog and two other Lanterns were walking toward him, silhouetted against the massive Green Lantern Central Battery in the distance.
John's vision blurred.
"What… the fuck…" he muttered.
Then he lost consciousness.
The screen cut to black.
That was about the first 22 minutes of the movie. Finally, it was time for Sinestro to show up.
On screen, Hal was being debriefed by the Guardians about his investigation into Qward. Hal wanted to speak with Sinestro, which the Guardians reluctantly accepted.
The Guardians also told Hal that Tomar-Re's ring had chosen a human, and they assigned Hal to train him.
Hal was about to object when he stopped himself and flew off.
Hal and Sinestro's meeting scene was next, with Hal visiting Sinestro in the prison on Oa.
"Still trying to save the universe alone, Hal?" Sinestro asked as Hal entered the cell.
There were some cheers when Sinestro was revealed on screen.
"Better than your way," Hal said.
"Is it? You look tired. More than usual. The Guardians drain you dry, and for what?"
"The Qwardians killed Tomar-Re. What do you know about it?"
There was a look of hurt on Sinestro's face, which he quickly schooled. The scene continued with Sinestro claiming innocence.
"I'm in prison, Hal. What could I possibly accomplish from here?"
Hal left, unsettled.
Sinestro smiled at the guard near him, as if a great plot was already in motion.
The movie continued with Hal meeting John.
People immediately took to their dynamic. John was told where he was and what the Green Lantern Corps was.
John immediately recognized the Green Lanterns due to Alan Scott from the Justice Society, and he was accepting of the situation.
But Hal and John's personalities clashed immediately.
Hal taught instinctively. "Stop thinking. Just DO it!"
John needed methodology. "I need to understand HOW it works."
There were constant issues because their styles clashed completely.
But they had to deal with it as they went on a mission together.
A distress call came in. A cargo ship under attack.
Hal said, "Stay back. Observe. Learn."
Hal rushed in solo and started winning easily.
A second wave of attackers appeared.
Hal got overwhelmed.
John said, "Screw this," disobeyed orders, and jumped in.
They fought back to back, barely winning.
The aftermath had Hal angry at John for disobeying orders.
It ended with Kilowog telling off Hal, and a flashback showed Hal teaching the way Sinestro had taught him.
The end of Act One was well received. The jokes felt right, and it didn't get boring. The script had some issues with that at first, but they'd been fixed.
The movie continued with Hal and John being sent to investigate more Qwardian activity.
They arrived on a desert planet and had to go undercover in civilian clothes.
They disagreed on their approach. John's was more planned. Hal's was, "We confront them directly and force answers."
They discovered a meeting between former Green Lanterns and Qwardian agents.
Rogue Lanterns who had joined Sinestro last time, and more traitors Hal did not know about.
They mentioned "the Yellow Battery" and "Sinestro's vision."
Hal and John were discovered.
A fight broke out, funny due to how much John and Hal could not agree on what to do. But Hal was impressed when John's tactical planning saved them both.
They escaped with critical intel.
Applause and cheers erupted during a funny scene where John created a massive green tank construct and used it in a way that impressed Hal.
The entire sequence had the audience laughing and cheering.
There was a brief bonding moment between them as they sat and drank in a bar. They learned about each other, and John was impressed with Hal. Hal was impressed with John.
Dialogue got some cheers when John asked where Hal was when Earth had trouble.
Hal shrugged, taking a swig. "Well, it has that Kryptonian now, and that bat guy too. Pretty sure he's some kind of demon or something."
"Right," John said skeptically.
"Hey, this is coming from a decade of experience, rookie. He is some kind of bat demon. And that woman with the rope, how could I forget?"
"Wonder Woman," John said.
"Yeah, that," Hal said. "You know she's into some weird stuff…"
Hal tried to make a joke, but John did not laugh. Hal called John a stick in the mud.
The audience laughed.
"So you just ignored Earth completely?" John asked.
"Hey, I was busy! The sector's a big place."
They returned to Oa, where Hal and John presented their findings. But the Guardians did not like their theory that more Green Lanterns had switched sides.
Hal was angry and confronted Sinestro again.
"This won't work. Whatever you're planning—"
"I'm planning to save the universe, Hal. Just as I always have. The Guardians are too weak. You know this. You've felt it."
"You can't stop what's already begun. And when you see what I accomplish, you'll understand I was right all along."
The movie was reaching the end of the second act as Sinestro's spies infiltrated the prison.
Then the big scene happened. The prison break.
Oa was besieged, to their surprise and horror, by an army of Yellow Lanterns. Hundreds of them.
The audience gasped.
"Oh my god."
"LOOK AT THAT."
The scene was visually spectacular, CGI and art direction combining perfectly. Yellow energy clashed against green across Oa's glowing surface. Many gasped in awe at the sheer scale and beauty of it.
A massive battle erupted as Hal made his way to the prison to confront Sinestro, now freed and wielding his new and improved ring. They engaged in battle.
John fought alongside other Lanterns to fend off the attack.
John saw Hal being overwhelmed and went to help.
Sinestro took note of John and attacked him. Surprisingly, John held his own.
Hal jumped in, but due to Hal and John's disagreements, Sinestro was able to escape.
Before leaving, Sinestro delivered a parting exchange, telling Hal how he planned to show him that order and peace could be brought through fear.
The scene ended with Hal and John arguing. Hal blamed John for Sinestro's escape, saying he had him.
John shot back, "You would have died."
John then brought up Tomar-Re and how Hal was at fault for what happened.
Hal left without a word.
Act Three began with Sinestro back on Qward with his new Sinestro Corps.
He told them the plan, to show the power of fear, how much stronger it was than will, and how through fear they would bring peace and order. Then he sent them out.
Back on Oa, John doubted joining and considered leaving, even giving up the ring.
Hal stood where Tomar-Re was buried. He had a heart to heart with Kilowog, then met John again. They mended their relationship.
John asked where Sinestro could be.
Hal had a horrifying realization, remembering how Sinestro had once asked him to do the same thing to Earth that he had done to his own planet.
"He's on Earth."
The scene shifted to Sinestro flying down into Coast City.
Act Three now began in earnest, showing how the Lanterns were spread too thin. All sectors were being attacked by the Sinestro Corps.
A plan was made.
Hal would go to Earth and confront Sinestro, while the remaining Lanterns would go to Qward itself to destroy the Yellow Battery.
Hal recommended John to lead. "If anyone can find a way to destroy that Battery, it's you." He made a joke about John's planning.
Parting words were exchanged.
"Don't die on me, rook."
"Right back at you, hotshot."
Hal held out his fist for a bump, which John had not reciprocated before. This time, he did.
The audience cheered.
The ending was intercut between scenes of Hal and Sinestro on Earth and John leading a small team to Qward.
Hal confronted Sinestro over Coast City.
Sinestro hovered, arms spread wide. "Hal, you could have brought order and peace to Earth like I did to Korugar. I will show you this way is better."
Hal disagreed.
And the battle between them began.
The scene shifted to John and the team battling the Qwardians as they made their way to the Battery. They were at a disadvantage, their rings draining to sixty percent, but John's leadership and tactical decisions helped them survive.
John was able to identify a weakness, a point where they could strike and destroy the Battery.
The scene shifted back and forth between Hal and Sinestro's battle and John leading the team through Qward. Sinestro began gaining the upper hand against Hal.
Everyone was completely captivated by how good the CGI and action scenes were. This movie also had more jokes than the others, which helped keep the tone balanced.
The movie reached a critical moment when John destroyed the Battery after making a sacrifice play, barely escaping the explosion. He then quickly left as Kilowog urged him to go help Hal.
On Earth, Hal was losing badly.
"You'll never win…" Hal gasped, bloodied.
"I already have," Sinestro said.
Then his ring flickered.
He realized what had happened.
"No… NO!"
Hal grinned despite his injuries. "The rook came through."
Across the universe, Sinestro Corps rings failed. Their power drained rapidly.
Green Lanterns were able to capture the depowered Yellow Lanterns.
Sinestro became enraged and continued to fight, claiming his ring still had enough power.
The biggest reaction of the night came when John arrived back on Earth and teamed up with Hal to fight Sinestro.
Perfect teamwork.
Hal's creativity. John's tactics.
There was a scene very similar to the Iron Man versus Captain America and Bucky fight from Civil War, where Cap and Bucky attack in perfect sync. Here, the same kind of choreography played out as Hal and John overwhelmed Sinestro.
I was sure people were going to notice when Civil War came out in two months. Pretty sure Marvel was going to notice too.
The scene played out beautifully.
Hal created a massive green hammer construct and swung down. Sinestro blocked with a yellow shield.
John followed immediately. Green chains wrapped around Sinestro's legs, pulling him off balance.
Hal spun mid air, creating dual batons, striking Sinestro across the face.
John created a massive fist construct from below. Uppercut. WHAM. Sinestro was sent flying upward.
Hal was already there, waiting, slamming him back down with a green anvil.
Sinestro hit the ground hard.
John landed beside Hal.
Hal created a blade. John formed a shield wall, trapping Sinestro.
Sinestro blasted out with yellow energy, but Hal redirected it with a mirror construct while John tackled him from the side.
They alternated strikes, Hal high, John low, perfectly coordinated.
Sinestro tried to counter, but every move was anticipated.
Hal feinted left. John struck right.
John created a platform. Hal launched off it, driving Sinestro into the ground with a massive green piledriver.
The audience was going WILD.
"YEAH!"
"LET'S GO!"
The beating continued until Sinestro was pinned, defeated, his ring barely flickering.
I wondered how people would react when Civil War came out.
It ended with Sinestro defeated by John and Hal, restrained by green energy constructs.
Hal looked at John, breathing hard. "Not bad, rook. Not bad."
John grinned. "Not bad for an old man either."
"Hey," Hal said, offended.
The ending of the movie had Hal and Sinestro in prison once more.
This time, not on Oa.
"Were we ever friends?" Hal asked Sinestro as he prepared to leave.
Sinestro looked at him sadly. "That is the tragedy, Hal. We will always be friends."
Hal left and witnessed John being sworn in as the official Green Lantern of Sector 2814.
John was surprised by this.
Hal explained how they were going to share it. He was going after the rest of the Yellow Lanterns. John would look after Earth and the sector now.
"Maybe focus a bit more on Earth," Hal added with a grin. "That bat demon could go rogue any day now."
They shook hands.
Scenes showed Hal returning to Earth and going to Ferris Aircraft. Hal and Carol came face to face. They talked.
The movie ended with John narrating, just like Hal did in the beginning.
"My name is John Stewart. And for the last…" he paused, "…few months, I have been the one and only Green Lantern of Earth."
The movie ended with John flying over Earth.
Credits began.
Big cheers. A standing ovation.
"That was fucking awesome," John said beside me.
Matt nodded enthusiastically. "The CGI was insane, holy shit."
"Better than I expected," Jess added, still clapping.
Of course, the cheers died down as the mid credits scene was about to begin.
This was taken directly from Justice League.
On screen, John was flying down toward Central City as the AI in his ring notified him that a disturbance was nearby.
Big cheers erupted when they saw the STAR Labs building.
John saw a bright commotion ahead, lightning flashing everywhere.
More cheers.
On screen, John landed and saw the Flash attacking some humans. John called out, asking him to stop.
"Hey! Speedy!"
Flash looked shocked when he saw John. "Green Lantern?" he said in confusion. "From…"
John asked again, "Put down the civilians and surrender."
Flash gestured wildly. "You don't understand."
One of the humans shifted into a half White Martian form.
Flash pointed. "See?!"
John looked at the Martian. "Oh."
The scene ended.
On screen, it read:
JOHN STEWART WILL RETURN IN JUSTICE LEAGUE
Big applause and cheers erupted.
"Is there more?" Graves asked.
The others looked at me too. So did some people near me.
I nodded.
"Adler says there's more!" someone shouted as people stayed seated through the credits.
Then the scene began.
On screen:
Hal finished arresting one of the Sinestro Corps members. He took the Lantern's yellow ring, holding it up to examine it.
For a split second, he saw something inside.
A massive, terrifying entity. Fear incarnate.
The audience reaction was immediate and massive.
"FUCKING PARALLAX!"
"OH SHIT!"
Hal flew away, visibly unnerved, looking back at the ring in his hand.
The scene ended.
Big applause.
"So, Parallax?" John asked, turning to me.
I grinned. "Big plans, my friend. Very big plans."