Movie Review: Green Lantern
"Green Lantern" is one of the worst superhero movies I've ever seen. There are almost no redeeming qualities, and it is a painful, if sometimes unintentionally comical viewing experience. The dialogue is abysmal, the visual effects subpar, the performances weak, and the story limp.
Green Lantern is another one of those superheroes I really didn't know much about going in. The opening of the film tries to compact an entire series' worth of comic book lore into a three-minute jumble of exposition. Basically, it's explained that there are a a couple thousand protectors of the universe called the Green Lantern Corps. They wear green rings that are powered by green lanterns, which give the wearer the power to create anything that they can imagine (sword, machine gun, giant fist, etc.). The Lanterns are kind of like Jedi, using the Force (green energy) as a weapon against the Dark Side (the yellow lanterns of fear). The Lanterns are ruled by a council of elder aliens who sit atop large pillars. Whether they sit there constantly or just during meetings is unclear.
Ryan Reynolds plays Hal Jordan, the cocky pilot who has been "chosen" by the ring to be the next Green Lantern. The whole story operates under an inherently silly premise, and one which clearly is more easily visualized in comic book form, so I can sympathize to an extent with the hurdle the filmmakers had to cross to try and make it seem legitimate. However, they approached it the wrong way, relying too heavily on Ryan Reynolds' jokey persona to poke fun at how asinine everything around him is. "I pledge allegiance to a lantern, that was given to me by a dying purple alien", he stutters. And later, "I always knew I'd be a green supercop, defending the universe". Give me a break- stop being so self-aware!
Ryan Reynolds may have the body type for the Green Lantern, but he was probably not the perfect casting choice for this movie, or even a decent casting choice. Reynolds is one of those guys you tend to like in spit of yourself; yes, he seems like an egotistical douche, but in the right set of circumstances, he can be charming. Needless to say, this movie does not have the right set of circumstances. He's even more of an ass than usual in this film, awkwardly infusing humor at every possible moment, and cheesing up the melodrama in the more dramatic scenes.
Hal Jordan, throughout the film, is still traumatized by the premature death of his father, who was also a pilot. And Hal's character arc is, I shit you not, that he's simply too much of a coward to be a Green Lantern, which culminates in his ex-girlfriend Carol (Blake Lively), giving him a speech on courage, a la The Wizard of Oz. I don't want to spoil anything, but it turns out he was really brave enough the whole time. With newfound courage in tow, Reynolds makes a quick stop at the planet Oa (where the council is) and tries to school the billion year old space elders on the importance of not giving in to fear, a lesson he learned earlier that day.
The main villain of "Green Lantern" is actually a giant space blob that feeds on fear, called Parallax. It's a shapeless blob that has a disembodied head floating amongst the goop. I would talk about what a lame, uninteresting villian it is, but I'm too distracted by the fact that it's a direct rip-off of Hexxus, the villain from FernGully: The Last Rainforest. Martin Campbell, you've come a long way from "Casino Royale".
Green Lantern is another one of those superheroes I really didn't know much about going in. The opening of the film tries to compact an entire series' worth of comic book lore into a three-minute jumble of exposition. Basically, it's explained that there are a a couple thousand protectors of the universe called the Green Lantern Corps. They wear green rings that are powered by green lanterns, which give the wearer the power to create anything that they can imagine (sword, machine gun, giant fist, etc.). The Lanterns are kind of like Jedi, using the Force (green energy) as a weapon against the Dark Side (the yellow lanterns of fear). The Lanterns are ruled by a council of elder aliens who sit atop large pillars. Whether they sit there constantly or just during meetings is unclear.
Ryan Reynolds plays Hal Jordan, the cocky pilot who has been "chosen" by the ring to be the next Green Lantern. The whole story operates under an inherently silly premise, and one which clearly is more easily visualized in comic book form, so I can sympathize to an extent with the hurdle the filmmakers had to cross to try and make it seem legitimate. However, they approached it the wrong way, relying too heavily on Ryan Reynolds' jokey persona to poke fun at how asinine everything around him is. "I pledge allegiance to a lantern, that was given to me by a dying purple alien", he stutters. And later, "I always knew I'd be a green supercop, defending the universe". Give me a break- stop being so self-aware!
Ryan Reynolds may have the body type for the Green Lantern, but he was probably not the perfect casting choice for this movie, or even a decent casting choice. Reynolds is one of those guys you tend to like in spit of yourself; yes, he seems like an egotistical douche, but in the right set of circumstances, he can be charming. Needless to say, this movie does not have the right set of circumstances. He's even more of an ass than usual in this film, awkwardly infusing humor at every possible moment, and cheesing up the melodrama in the more dramatic scenes.
Hal Jordan, throughout the film, is still traumatized by the premature death of his father, who was also a pilot. And Hal's character arc is, I shit you not, that he's simply too much of a coward to be a Green Lantern, which culminates in his ex-girlfriend Carol (Blake Lively), giving him a speech on courage, a la The Wizard of Oz. I don't want to spoil anything, but it turns out he was really brave enough the whole time. With newfound courage in tow, Reynolds makes a quick stop at the planet Oa (where the council is) and tries to school the billion year old space elders on the importance of not giving in to fear, a lesson he learned earlier that day.
The main villain of "Green Lantern" is actually a giant space blob that feeds on fear, called Parallax. It's a shapeless blob that has a disembodied head floating amongst the goop. I would talk about what a lame, uninteresting villian it is, but I'm too distracted by the fact that it's a direct rip-off of Hexxus, the villain from FernGully: The Last Rainforest. Martin Campbell, you've come a long way from "Casino Royale".
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