Green Lantern (C or 2/4 stars)
'Green Lantern' (directed by Martin Campbell, of the Zorro films & Casino Royale) is a real mixed bag of a superhero movie; with neat-o effects, but sub-standard everything else. Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) is a cocky shot test pilot with talent, and an ego the size of his plane. A day after being fired for accidentally destroying an expensive fighter plane during a war game, Hal stumbles upon something quite strange: a dying purple alien (Temeura Morrison) who gives him a 'green lantern' ring that bestows him with cosmic, otherworldly powers. After putting the mystical green ring on & pledging allegiance to the lantern, Hal finds himself transported to another world where he learns that he's now a member of the Green Lantern Corps: an intergalactic squadron who've sworn to use their powers to keep peace within the universe and fight against the forces of evil & "Fear".
In addition to getting a swift crash course on how to use his 'Will'power & gaining some knowledge from Sinestro (Mark Strong), the leader of the Green Lanterns, Hal learns that a malevolent and ancient enemy, Parallax, has been released/unhinged, & is rampaging through the galaxy, hurling towards Earth for its ultimate attack. After learning his powers quickly, summoning the courage to overcome his fears, wearing a slick new green costume, & getting encouragement from a fellow pilot & his ex, Carol Ferris (Blake Lively) ... Hal returns to Earth to confront the Parallax's agent, Dr. Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard). The fate of the Green Lanterns (on the planet Oa) & the fate of Earth lie in the hands of Hal. Can he overcome his handicap (Lanterns think humans are weak) & become the unlikeliest of Green Lantern heroes? Silly comic book mayhem ensues as Hal & Dr. Hammond hopscotch around classic comic book character cliches.
One of Green Lantern's major problems comes from the fact that 4 (!) screenwriters tried to make sense of the hokey, but incredibly dense Green Lantern mythology. And what they did, in the process, was mute/numb/disengage any real interest in what may be an intriguing comic book yarn. There isn't anything in this film that I haven't seen before (or at least, seen a variation of) in other comic book movies. It's like an assembly of pieces from other existing stories. That's sad. Or, it's sad that that's how this film comes across (thanks to the writing). Another thing, I never felt rewarded for trying to keep up with what was going on; so I let my brain rest, let the nonsensical narrative wash over me, & just watched the visuals. On the other hand, not everything is bad in 'Green Lantern' (I mentioned a mixed bag above). Yes, the dialogue sucks, & some of the CGI looks cartoonish. But on the whole, I was impressed by several things ...
I quite enjoyed the aliens that make up the Lantern Corp.. The art design on the planet Oa is wonderful; however fake it looked. I appreciated some of the make-up design; particularly on the Dr. Hammond character. You could barely tell it was Peter Sarsgaard under all of it. There are a couple of 'get your blood pumping' action set pieces (my favorite involving an out-of-control helicopter). I was wowed by the special effect creation that was Parallax. That storm cloud (with a face) was one. scary. creature. And I was bug-eyed watching him attack an entire city. I also was happy to experience some self-deprecating humor in the script; usually at the expense of Ryan Reynolds' Hal. The film doesn't take itself too seriously, either. Thank God.
But as mentioned, this movie really doesn't work. Its overall effect is paper light (think back to The Dark Knight & how weighty it felt). The story takes a while to 'get going'. And then when it gets there (so to speak), I realized that we were already nearing the end/climax. It's baaaad when that happens {haha}. Ryan Reynolds is ripped. He's got as nice face. And he seems like a good guy. But a leading man, he really isn't. I always see him as more of the good-natured supporting character, or the light comedy co-Lead, etc. -- he just didn't work for me. Blake Lively also didn't work, in so much that, she's given extremely little to do & she has minimal chemistry with Reynolds. And while Peter Sarsgaard is solid as scene-chewing Hector; his character (as a villain) gets anemic treatment, as well. Apart from some dazzling special effects, 'Green Lantern' just wound up being a shrug-worthy entry in the 2011 summer superhero catalogue.
In addition to getting a swift crash course on how to use his 'Will'power & gaining some knowledge from Sinestro (Mark Strong), the leader of the Green Lanterns, Hal learns that a malevolent and ancient enemy, Parallax, has been released/unhinged, & is rampaging through the galaxy, hurling towards Earth for its ultimate attack. After learning his powers quickly, summoning the courage to overcome his fears, wearing a slick new green costume, & getting encouragement from a fellow pilot & his ex, Carol Ferris (Blake Lively) ... Hal returns to Earth to confront the Parallax's agent, Dr. Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard). The fate of the Green Lanterns (on the planet Oa) & the fate of Earth lie in the hands of Hal. Can he overcome his handicap (Lanterns think humans are weak) & become the unlikeliest of Green Lantern heroes? Silly comic book mayhem ensues as Hal & Dr. Hammond hopscotch around classic comic book character cliches.
One of Green Lantern's major problems comes from the fact that 4 (!) screenwriters tried to make sense of the hokey, but incredibly dense Green Lantern mythology. And what they did, in the process, was mute/numb/disengage any real interest in what may be an intriguing comic book yarn. There isn't anything in this film that I haven't seen before (or at least, seen a variation of) in other comic book movies. It's like an assembly of pieces from other existing stories. That's sad. Or, it's sad that that's how this film comes across (thanks to the writing). Another thing, I never felt rewarded for trying to keep up with what was going on; so I let my brain rest, let the nonsensical narrative wash over me, & just watched the visuals. On the other hand, not everything is bad in 'Green Lantern' (I mentioned a mixed bag above). Yes, the dialogue sucks, & some of the CGI looks cartoonish. But on the whole, I was impressed by several things ...
I quite enjoyed the aliens that make up the Lantern Corp.. The art design on the planet Oa is wonderful; however fake it looked. I appreciated some of the make-up design; particularly on the Dr. Hammond character. You could barely tell it was Peter Sarsgaard under all of it. There are a couple of 'get your blood pumping' action set pieces (my favorite involving an out-of-control helicopter). I was wowed by the special effect creation that was Parallax. That storm cloud (with a face) was one. scary. creature. And I was bug-eyed watching him attack an entire city. I also was happy to experience some self-deprecating humor in the script; usually at the expense of Ryan Reynolds' Hal. The film doesn't take itself too seriously, either. Thank God.
But as mentioned, this movie really doesn't work. Its overall effect is paper light (think back to The Dark Knight & how weighty it felt). The story takes a while to 'get going'. And then when it gets there (so to speak), I realized that we were already nearing the end/climax. It's baaaad when that happens {haha}. Ryan Reynolds is ripped. He's got as nice face. And he seems like a good guy. But a leading man, he really isn't. I always see him as more of the good-natured supporting character, or the light comedy co-Lead, etc. -- he just didn't work for me. Blake Lively also didn't work, in so much that, she's given extremely little to do & she has minimal chemistry with Reynolds. And while Peter Sarsgaard is solid as scene-chewing Hector; his character (as a villain) gets anemic treatment, as well. Apart from some dazzling special effects, 'Green Lantern' just wound up being a shrug-worthy entry in the 2011 summer superhero catalogue.