There are a couple of decent action sequences, but to get to them you have to sit through dialogue and exposition that not too far into the film becomes just a sea of white noise. Green Lantern Corps, will, fear, rings, Parallax, yellow, guardians, blah, blah, blah... This tale of a dying alien's gift of a powerful ring to a human being is just boring.
The Story
When Hal Jordan (Reynolds) was just a kid he watched the father he idolized die a horrible, fiery death. Still, Hal chose to follow in his test pilot father's footsteps and is now a cocky hot-shot pilot who takes chances in the air when not sharing his bed with a bevy of women. Hal works for his childhood friend's company, although after a stunt in which he nearly loses the company a major contract his employment situation is put in jeopardy. It's only through the unwavering support of Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), daughter of the founder of the company and one of the firm's executives, that Hal continues to draw a paycheck.
Hal's an irresponsible cad who once had a fling with Carol (who still apparently thinks he's the cat's meow). But for some reason he's the one human on the planet who's capable of joining an elite group of intergalactic protectors known as the Green Lantern Corps. Green Lantern Corps member Abin Sur (Temuera Morrison) was fatally wounded in a battle with a floating, pulsing mass of evil energy known as Parallax (voiced by Clancy Brown). Parallax, it should be said now because we wouldn't want to leave out this important plot point, feeds on fear which manifests itself as the color yellow.
Anyway, Abin Sur crash lands on Earth. There, he sends his Green Lantern Corps ring out to find a human worthy of joining the Corps. The ring picks Hal, even though he of course will have to go through a period of feeling totally unworthy of the job. But once he does decide to chant the magical Green Lantern Corps mantra, he shoulders the responsibility of taking on the seemingly insurmountable task of saving our planet from Parallax and from the huge-headed Hector Hammond whose storyline is so uninteresting I almost forgot to include it in this brief synopsis. (Seriously, I typed the last half of the last sentence as a complete afterthought.)
Hal's an irresponsible cad who once had a fling with Carol (who still apparently thinks he's the cat's meow). But for some reason he's the one human on the planet who's capable of joining an elite group of intergalactic protectors known as the Green Lantern Corps. Green Lantern Corps member Abin Sur (Temuera Morrison) was fatally wounded in a battle with a floating, pulsing mass of evil energy known as Parallax (voiced by Clancy Brown). Parallax, it should be said now because we wouldn't want to leave out this important plot point, feeds on fear which manifests itself as the color yellow.
Anyway, Abin Sur crash lands on Earth. There, he sends his Green Lantern Corps ring out to find a human worthy of joining the Corps. The ring picks Hal, even though he of course will have to go through a period of feeling totally unworthy of the job. But once he does decide to chant the magical Green Lantern Corps mantra, he shoulders the responsibility of taking on the seemingly insurmountable task of saving our planet from Parallax and from the huge-headed Hector Hammond whose storyline is so uninteresting I almost forgot to include it in this brief synopsis. (Seriously, I typed the last half of the last sentence as a complete afterthought.)
The Acting
Chris Hemsworth was perfect as Thor and Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy as Erik Lensherr and Charles Xavier were first class in X-Men: First Class. We've seen origin films this summer that work well because the casting is spot-on, the effects are fresh and not recycled, and the stories are engaging and just plain fun. None of that can be said about Green Lantern. Ryan Reynolds is handcuffed by a script that doesn't let him connect with the audience. Blake Lively is fine as Carol, and it's terrific to see a strong female character as one of the leads in a comic book film, but many of her scenes drag down the pacing of the film (not her fault, she's just playing it how it was written). Mark Strong's Sinestro comes and goes but never really does much of anything. And as unimpressed as I was with the character's involvement in the story, Peter Sarsgaard does do a terrific job as Hector Hammond.The Bottom Line
The green ring allows Hal Jordan to conjure up anything he can think of, but what's frustrating is that much of what the filmmakers dream up for Hal to conjure are items that are just silly. Hal saves dozens of lives - including Carol's - by turning a crashing helicopter into a race car and spinning it around on a race track. And because it's just downright ridiculous, one of the film's big action scenes is squandered and what could have been a powerful, dynamic demonstration of Hal's new powers turns into something akin to a childish-looking prank.
Another prime example of an opportunity squandered comes when Hal journeys to the Green Lantern Corps command center on the planet Oa. Hal's powers are brand new, yet we see just a few minutes of him actually doing any training (during which he's treated as though he should have all these skills mastered). Also failing to impress is the actual creature design of the Guardians. I'm not a Green Lantern comic book reader, so if they look exactly as they do in the comics, then I apologize for believing they're knock-offs of the aliens in Mars Attacks!.
Another prime example of an opportunity squandered comes when Hal journeys to the Green Lantern Corps command center on the planet Oa. Hal's powers are brand new, yet we see just a few minutes of him actually doing any training (during which he's treated as though he should have all these skills mastered). Also failing to impress is the actual creature design of the Guardians. I'm not a Green Lantern comic book reader, so if they look exactly as they do in the comics, then I apologize for believing they're knock-offs of the aliens in Mars Attacks!.
Ryan Reynolds in 'Green Lantern'
In the Green Lantern universe green = will and yellow = fear. I'm adding a few new colors to the mix: Red = what you'll see after sitting through this generic big-budget sci-fi action film. Blue = how you'll feel knowing you've forked over your hard-earned cash instead of waiting for it on cable.
GRADE: C
Green Lantern was directed by Martin Campbell and is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action.Theatrical Release: June 17, 2011
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