In Brightest Exposition: New Green Lantern Trailer is Crash Course in Mythology [Video]

With just a few weeks remaining until the premiere of Green Lantern, Warner Bros. has released a new trailer explicitly designed to familiarize audiences with the deep mythology of the DC Comics superhero comics upon which the film is based. Featuring a narration by Geoffrey Rush as Tomar Re, the trailer also comes with a number of new images and longer, uninterrupted shots of Oa, the Green Lantern Corps, the Guardians and Parallax.

It's hard to remember a trailer more aggressively expository than this latest clip in support of Green Lantern, which is indeed based on a very multi-faceted and perhaps even confusing mythology, even for superhero comics The steady delivery of Geoffrey Rush and Tomar Re combined with the travel brochure style of the trailer makes it easier than ever to explain Green Lantern to someone unfamiliar with the DC Comics, and maybe it's just our imagination, but the digital animation and other visual effects seem more sophisticated here than in previous promotional materials.

In any event, we now have a very helpful video aid to link to when someone asks, "What's the deal with Green Lantern anyway?"

In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, a small but powerful force has existed for centuries. Protectors of peace and justice, they are called the Green Lantern Corps. A brotherhood of warriors sworn to keep intergalactic order, each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him superpowers. But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of their newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan. Hal is a gifted and cocky test pilot, but the Green Lanterns have little respect for humans, who have never harnessed the infinite powers of the ring before. But Hal is clearly the missing piece to the puzzle, and along with his determination and willpower, he has one thing no member of the Corps has ever had: humanity. With the encouragement of fellow pilot and childhood sweetheart Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), if Hal can quickly master his new powers and find the courage to overcome his fears, he may prove to be not only the key to defeating Parallax...he will become the greatest Green Lantern of all.