Over the past decade, the throne of the summer box office has no doubt been commandeered by the comic book genre. And as the till has risen from one premiere to the next, so has the eagerness of Hollywood studios to green light (pun unavoidable) feature films showcasing a deeper roster of characters. But along with that expansion also comes higher expectations from its core audience. Ever since the dawn of CGI, comic book fans have been clamoring for an FX heavy, live-action version of popular comic book hero The Green Lantern, but what would have been mind blowing as short as 5-10 years ago has already been rendered obsolete, thanks to films like The Dark Knight and Watchmen adding the caveat that character building and story now matter just as much as action and effects. Audiences have become spoiled and are now accustomed to expect at least a yeoman’s effort at a more sophisticated super hero film. Too bad for Green Lantern, its writers and director seem to long for the days of lowered expectations.Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds, The Proposal, X-Men Origins: Wolverine) is a test fighter pilot growing up in his beloved father’s shadow. Witnessing his father’s death as a child, Jordan suppresses all inklings of fear and takes unnecessary chances with his life trying to prove his dominance over the emotion. One day after such an episode, he is suddenly transported to a crash site where a dying alien named Abin Sur (Temuera Morrison, Star Wars: Episode II, Episode III) tells him that he has been chosen to take his place among The Green Lantern Corps, a galactic protection agency that harnesses the green energy of will power from all living things in the universe. The alien bequeaths Jordan his power ring, which is capable of forming whatever constructs its wearer can imagine. Jordan must now learn to wield the ring and control his emotions as the greatest known enemy to The Corps, Parallax, continues its approach toward Earth, feeding on the yellow energy of fear.
Much like Marvel Studios recent attempt with Thor, Green Lantern is the most ambitious property of DC Comics that has been adapted into a feature film thus far. Plotlines involving characters that take the already fantastical notion of a super hero, and then expand the story away from Earth, become much more difficult to retain a sense of realism. Especially when the entire basis for Green Lantern’s abilities is that of the abstract idea of will power. This is the type of concept that usually attracts heavy reimagining in order to make the film more appealing to a broader audience. The writers certainly embodied the Lantern’s moniker of “no fear” by keeping to the source material on that issue. However, where they and director Martin Campbell (Edge of Darkness, Casino Royale) cower and hide, is by resigning to unnecessary humor and light heartedness which contributes nothing more than a transparent attempt to convey that the film is not taking itself too seriously.
The casting of Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan was heavily criticized during production of the film for that exact reason. Fans assumed that Green Lantern was going to be turned into Van Wilder with a power ring. While consummately perfect for another comic book property Reynolds is currently working on (Deadpool, 2014) fans of Green Lantern were filled with yellow energy on the thought that they’d get the same treatment for the more reserved Hal Jordan. And to some extent, they were right. This has become #1 on the “things not to do” list for making a modern comic book film. The hard-core fan base of this genre, which has proven to be a make or break factor, want these characters taken as seriously as possible. This is not to say humor should be banned, in fact, it’s absolutely necessary when dealing with such implausible components. However, when it’s used as filler and kills valuable screen time in a story that is already too big for its tights, it comes off as lazy. No one expects a story with emerald cops who patrol the galaxy with power rings and recite a cheesy oath to be as heavy as Christopher Nolan’s Batman, but at the very least it should have emulated more of an Empire Strikes Back quality and less of Attack of the Clones.
Reynolds’ performance is not without its merit though. Some moments of levity that were not so obviously contrived worked very well, and the role of a super hero is certainly agreeable with both his physical and emotional attributes. Reynolds has already proven that he is undoubtedly capable of a subdued comedic performance in films like Adventureland and The Nines. And he does get to exemplify Hal Jordan as the stoic man suppressing his fear for much of the film, but sadly the writers always felt the need to insert cheap laughs where they were not needed.
The only other notable performance in this film is that of Mark Strong (Kick Ass, Sherlock Holmes) as The Green Lantern Corps’ leader Sinestro. Even though his screen time was much too short and his character development was lodged in fast forward mode, Strong embodies the exact demeanor and arrogance needed for the character and gives fans a strong incentive to see Sinestro’s story arc come to fruition in a possible sequel.
The supporting cast in Green Lantern is about as useful as a power ring against an evil Big Bird. Jordan’s love interest Carol Ferris (Blake Lively, Gossip Girl, The Town) has almost zero chemistry with Reynolds’ character, but to be fair the backstory of Hal Jordan was never something that set the comic world on fire either. Jordan’s personal life does not have the interest or complexity of Bruce Wayne or Peter Parker. Instead of trying to crowbar in already flimsy material, there should had been more of a focus on the relationship and rivalry between Jordan and Sinestro, of which the script barely scratched the surface.
Peter Sarsgaard (Knight and Day, Jarhead) plays Hector Hammond who serves as the main human antagonist in the film. Sarsgaard is a fine actor, and he is actually very good in this role, but the character is so completely uninteresting and stereotypical that he serves no real purpose other than to make Green Lantern use his powers. The script wastes more time trying to convey some sort of childhood rivalry that existed between Jordan and Hammond for Carol’s heart but never holds any merit since the underlying layers of their history are so unthawed.
Tim Robbins (The Shawshank Redemption) is in this film for no other reason than name recognition. The role of Senator Hammond, the disapproving father of Hector, is a complete waste of time for one of the finest actors alive, as he tries to provide some kind of fuel for Hector’s tired and cliché resentment of society.
Where Green Lantern definitely does not disappoint is in the special effect area. Action sequences are very entertaining. The continuing evolution in CGI brings the universe and powers of Green Lantern to life in a way that no other process could. The computer generated suit looks fantastic and beats out any real-world material that could have been woven together, plus since Green Lantern’s power comes from pure energy it even makes more sense that his costume exemplifies that trait. The Corps’ home world of Oa is also very awe inspiring, which include The Guardians, who first harnessed the power of the lanterns and created The Corps.
Green Lantern gets credit for taking a stab at some very expansive source material but sells itself short with a truncated script that is more reminiscent of a feature-length cartoon. Ten years ago this film could have gotten away on face-melting special effects alone, but as the genre has upped the ante with the depth of its characters and stories, this CliffsNotes version of the property does very little to exemplify humans as the highly imaginative beings in the story who are worthy of Green Lantern’s light.
Story: 7.0
Acting: 6.5
Writing: 6.5
Captivation: 7.0
Replay Value: 7.5
Total = 6.9 out of 10
