Green Lantern Over at DC Comics they have to be pulling out their hair in bunches. Marvel successfully self-financed several of their second-tier heroes to Blockbuster status, and seen Spider Man and the X-Men achieve serious success with other studios while DC has managed to only turn Batman and Superman into successful films, while Superman is currently languishing after a sub-par last effort. Warner Brothers owns the film rights to the DC collection, and with "Green Lantern", we see their first foray into the deeper parts of the catalog. With a rumored budget of $200 million (plus an additional $100 million with the summer's largest marketing campaign), and the Harry Potter franchise drawing to a close in a few weeks, Warner was desperate for a new tentpole franchise to be a summer staple and hopefully that Ryan Reynolds and the Green Lantern would provide just that. While time will ultimately tell how the flick performs and the stage is certainly set for a sequel, unfortunately, the flick just falls a little flat. But, on with the review.Green Lantern is one of the trippier super heroes out there. He achieves his power, which basically is to create green energy manifestations out of anything he can imagine through sheer power of will, through a ring and a lantern that are imbued with the green power of will through the Guardians of the Universe on a distant planet called Oa. The universe is divided into 3600 sections, and earth, located in section 2814, has long been under the protection of a particularly powerful Green Lantern. When this lantern falls to a foe long thought dead, the ring seeks out a replacement.. someone said to be without fear. This happens to be Hal Jordan, the first human ever selected to be a Green Lantern, a brash and cocky test pilot whose life is apparently in shambles despite his baller apartment and line of hot chicks dying to fall into bed with him. Poor Hal. But alas, origin story ensues, with Hal rising to the occasion and fighting for the forces of good. He travels to Oa to receive his training and meet the other members of the Green Lantern Corps, where it is revealed that a grave threat to the safety of the Universe and Lantern Corps has returned. Like I said, pretty nonsensical, even for super heroes, but it's actually kind of cool in the way that whoever actually thought it up was particularly crazy. I respect that.
So this movie has been getting absolutely shredded by the critics. I'm not sure how much of that is fair, but some of it surely is. It feels rushed and thrown together in parts. Some parts are good, some even very good, but others fall flat and overall the flick comes off as very uneven and the last half hour is very, very rushed. Martin Campbell directs, (best known for Goldeneye AND Casino Royale) and he does a fine job. The primary problems here are with the script, as some parts simply do not work. Ryan Reynolds stars as Hal Jordan/the titular Green Lantern, and he's perfectly likable and charming, good even in spots. I'm surprised the flick didn't get more positive reviews simply because of how likable Reynolds is. Blake Lively stars as Carol Ferris, his love interest/co-worker/boss, and the flick is at its best when Lively and Reynolds are together. They clearly have chemistry, and she's downright good at being in movies, which is surprising to me because it seems odd that someone who was in "Gossip Girl" would actually be good at acting. Let me also state for the record that I've had a huge crush on her since "Accepted". Marc Strong is "Sinestro", the leader of the Lantern Corps.. and he's pretty darn good as well. But for me, the treat of the movie was Peter Saarsgard. He's been on my "main man" list for a while, and he absolutely crushes his part in this flick... and longtime acquaintance of Ferris and Hal who happens to be a scientist and come into contact with the evil power rising in the galaxy. Saarsgard is actually really good, and one of the shames of the flick is that he's just sort of allowed to lapse away in favor of bigger, badder bad guys. I rather enjoyed his little storyline. Tim Robbins plays a Senator/Peter's dad and seems criminally underused as well.
Therein lies the main problem. The flick is too concerned about jumping from place to place.. from Oa, to Earth, to various places Hal is going, to various government offices and stuff without much warning or very much explanation. Some parts work very well.. as I said, pretty much everything with Saarsgard is gold. Reynolds and Lively are good together and their scenes work. I like the stuff on Oa (I'm a sucker for a good training sequence and Strong has charisma). But.. there's just too much expository dialogue and cheesiness going on. In the post Dark Knight/X-Men 2/Iron Man universe, this feels more in line with a "Men in Black" or other clownish late 90's movie. The CGI (of which 75% of the movie consists of) at times looks great and other times looks like a PS3 game... that is to say, not so great.
So even though there's quite a bit to like about this movie and it is in no way "bad", I simply can't give it a ringing endorsement. The plot moves in spurts and there's just way, way, way too much cheese. For instance, Thor is similarly nonsensical.. but it never comes across as cheesy. Here, nothing resembles an actual reality.. and that takes away from the gravitas of the happenings.
I'm going to give it a 6/10.. even though Reynolds is very likable and the actors did basically everything they could. Sorry, Green Lantern, I just Can't give you a ringing endorsement.
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