(Somebody Please) Shine a Light
In this time where comic-book movies have become perhaps the most popular form of blockbuster films, clearly there is a way to make a great comic book movie, and a way to make a bad one. Iron Man, Batman Begins, Superman Returns, and X2: X-Men United all were less concerned for comic canon, than for putting their characters in real world scenarios where we can see the stories develop. Each of these films tackled themes larger than the superhero genre would initially suggest, and create interesting heroes and villains that revolutionized the genre. On the other hand the superhero craze has produced Ghost Rider, Fantastic Four, and (shudders) Howard the Duck. These movies all were too heavy on canon, too flimsy on characters, and overall just dull and uninteresting movies. Green Lantern ends up in-between these two extremes as a movie that makes few mistakes, but also seems to take few risks. At times the movie wants to play with camp conventions, the Green Lantern suit and a lot of the action in the film certainly suggest this. And yet the movie also wants us to believe it is essentially a story about will overcoming fear, a juvenile yet noble message that would suggest this was a movie intended for people between the ages of 6-14. Essentially I believe this movie plays out like a very well funded, full-length Saturday morning cartoon special. There are times when I merely wish the film would take a stand one way or the other and try to carve a place for itself in the annals of comic-book movies.
Green Lantern is a movie about an alien police force that patrols different sectors of the universe. A no-good, hot-shot pilot named Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) is recruited to become the first human to ever be in the corps. Jordan is recruited by one of the corps most legendary members, Abin Sur (Temuera Morrison). Apparently Sur has been mortally wounded by Parallax, an enormous being that feeds on the fear of its prey. You see the Lanterns are powered by the will of every being in the universe, and the natural enemy of will is fear. Essentially think the light and dark side of the force. There also a doctor named (Peter Sarsgaard) who eventually becomes possessed by Parallax and starts trying to wreck havoc on Earth, and thus it’s up to Hal to stop Parallax from destroying Earth.
Green Lantern’s main strength lies, shockingly; in it’s special effects. In particular Oa, the home of the Green Lanterns, is spectacular. The world actually feels large and deep, an entire planet made up of strange alien beings charged with defending the universe. The Parallax force is also fairly impressive, in all it’s octopi-esque glory. The special effect that isn’t very impressive, though, is the Green Lantern suit itself. On alien life forms it seems pretty impressive, but on Reynolds it looks extraordinarily campy. Other than the suit, though, the movie does deliver with the effects but often not enough with the story. The characters especially fall flat throughout the movie.
The only character whom the writers of Green Lantern seemed interesting in developing was Hal Jordan, despite some supporting talent available in the film. Tim Robbins and Sarsgaard are both extremely talented actors, and yet they are relegated to obligatory filler roles in the plot. There was a chance to make a truly misunderstood villain out of Sarsgaard, but instead his character becomes a typical nerd taking revenge on all of those who have picked on him. Sarsgaard also becomes completely inconsequential once Parallax shows up, basically meaning the only reason his character existed was for the plot to be interesting until Parallax shows up. The one actor worth noting is Mark Strong, who actually creates some intrigue with his portrayal of Sinestro, who is one of the head Green Lanterns. Strong makes Sinestro into an almost Anakin Skywalker-esque complicated figure, but the plot moves from his last desperate gambit to stop Parallax before we see it fulfilled.
All in all I would like to say Green Lantern is a good idea gone awry. But really Green Lantern seems it was never really a good idea; but instead a mediocre superhero movie which will soon be forgotten in a time where the genre has so much more to offer. This summer there have been several superhero movies released, and this is the weakest. Green Lantern receives 5/10.
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