This summer film season has been so far dominated by two comic book films (Both being from Marvel), and Mark Campbell is trying to continue that trend, with his adaption of the popular DC comic book Green Lantern. But can an otherwise unknown character transition well onto the big screen, or does DC only have Superman and Batman to rely on in the box office?
Green Lantern follows cocky test pilot Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds), who by a twist of fate, encounters an alien named Abin Sur, who crash landed on Earth after being attacked by an alien named Parallax. Abin Sur most seek a replacement before he dies, and the ring choices Hal for him. Hal doesn't realize the power of the ring, and calls over his friend Tom, to help him figure it out.
Meanwhile, we are introduced to a geeky antisocial scientist named Hector Hammond, who is called over by the government to examine the body of Abin Sur that Hal left behind. While examining Abin, Hector is exposed to the fear power that Parallax used against Abin during his final battle.
After saying the oath and putting on the ring, Hal is brought to a planet named Oa, where he meets the rest of the Green Lantern Corps. After speaking to Tomar-Re (Jeffrey Rush) and Kilowog (Michael C. Duncan), Hal finally confronts Sinestro (Mark Strong), who mocks him and convinces him that he's not cut out for the job of a Green Lantern.
Hal then tries to prove his capability, along with balancing his relationship with Ferris Air CEO and childhood sweetheart Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), a deranged Hector Hammond, and a nearing Parallax. Hal most learn to control his fear, put it past him, and focus on his enemies and protecting his home planet.
While the premise of Green Lantern might sound brilliant, the main problem with the film was the way it was executed. The pacing of the film was odd and unbalanced, and it felt like someone left the film on fast forward. We were jumping all over the place, from Hammond, to Ferris, to Oa, to Parallax, to Hal, etc. The movie tried to do so much at once, that you barely got knowledge on each sub-plot (Other than Hal's of course).
What was most disappointing about the film, was the characters on Oa. Both Oa and the characters on it where much more interesting than that of Earth, yet we only saw them for five minutes. Sinestro, who is practically with Hal every second in the comics, is hardly even established in the movie (And he's supposed to be much more significant later on). The characters were so great on Oa that it was sad to see them go, and return to the much more dull characters and plot on Earth.
Reynolds really held the film together as Hal, but really didn't give off as much comedy as was needed. He displayed the character as exactly what he was supposed to be, a cocky irresponsible test pilot, who is suddenly given the responsibility of being a hero. Blake Lively wasn't nearly as wooden and stiff as people where expecting her to be, and while she started out a bit stiff, she really loosened up toward the end.
The two villains on the film where probably the most disappointing aspects of Green Lantern. Hector Hammond was altered completely from his comic book form, and while Peter Skarsgard did a pretty terrible job portraying him, it doesn't help that his relationship with Hal was hardly even established. Parallax was much more disappointing, suffering from the same alteration as Galactus in
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and being turned into a cloud monster. It would've been much better and realistic if he stayed in his original form, and he felt much more forced into the ending of the film than Hammond. I personally think it would've been better if they used Atrocitus as a villain, rather than Parallax.
The effects are pretty decent, but not as over the top as was hyped in the trailers and advertisements. The suit worked very well in my opinion, and was much more believable than a suit made of cloth. Some characters felt very realistic such as Tomar-Re and Sinestro, but others like Kilowog and the Guardians, felt much more like cartoonish. Oa was amazing, and while it can not compare to the detail put into Thor's Asgard, it was still visually stunning (Too bad we hardly saw it).
While Green Lantern is a watchable film that may appeal to some, it's disappointing for fans of the comics who had high expectations. If we would've seen more of Oa and the Corps., and less of Hammond and Earth, it would've made for a much more interesting and captivating film. Much more character development was needed, but hopefully we can see much more of that in the sequel.
I give Green Lantern 2.5 out of 5 stars:
And here's the Green Lantern trailer:
What did you think of Green Lantern? Will You be seeing it?
