The Quirky Humor
One of the things that caught the public so off guard was how utterly hilarious Robert Downey Jr. was. And it's not only the script: all those quips were improv. RDJ is one of the funniest human beings alive, and he can make you laugh with just a twitch of his eye. He has a distinct quirkiness to his humor, The man was nominated for an oscar by doing black face for god's sake! So who do you get to play Hal Jordan? How about Ryan Reynolds, an up and coming potential A-Lister known for a razor ship wit.
How it Failed- It doesn't matter how talented your star is, no one can salvage a truly terrible joke. And let's face it, all of those jokes were terrible. Both movies had a similar kind of humor and wanted to achieve the same end, but the difference is that one was funny and the other wasn't.
From Jerk-Ass to NobleHero
When we first saw Tony Stark, he was a prick. Completely irresponsible, he gives off the vibe that he just doesn't care. But you love him anyway because the man has so much fun with it. He's not nasty or a tool, he just blows of the boring stuff and would probably be awesome to hang out with. And we see him became a selfless hero, one everyone can root for. Hal Jordan is also irresponsible and a bit of a tool, and in the end hopes to win us over as a courageous warrior.
How it Failed: Hal is an asshole. He's irresponsible and you hate him for it. Stark missed a pretentious award ceremony because who really cares? Or being late when it's his own damn jet. Hal missed the most important flight of his life (which...he was supposed to lose?) and then people lost their jobs because of him. And he doesn't care. People suffer and it's just...whatever. With a lightening quick redemption moment, why do we buy it? Stark was tortured in a cave and confronted with his legacy, which transformed him. Hal got a talk from his girlfriend.
By the way, why would the military possibly agree to letting Ferris' own pilots fight against his drones? If he was even slightly smart, he would tell his pilots to lose and impress the investors. Is he just counting on Hal being that much of an asshole? Apparently yes.
Setting Up a Larger World
Iron Man had SHIELD, and all roads now lead to the Avengers. Green Lantern has Amanda Waller, and the script writers has commented on how they want to start up a shared universe.
How it Failed: Waller wasn't a -bad- character, but she didn't give us any reason to care about her either. I won't exactly be excited to see Angela Bassett in the Flash, and don't fully understand why they made such a big deal of Hector seeing her past. Why waste so much time and focus if the character wasn't meant for more? I don't know what "more" would be, since Waller lacks the coolness of Nick Fury or even the witty charm of Agent Coulson. And for the love of Oa, what happened to the John Stewart cameo?
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