Script falters despite large writing staff
Rating: D-
Between the two rivaling comic book industries, Marvel possesses a better variety of superheroes who can be made movie icons. DC Comics has only two: Batman and Superman. Secondary to those two include Wonder Woman, The Flash and, indeed, The Green Lantern. It's understandable that DC wants to keep up with Marvel, but not every skintight-suited superhero deserves his or her own movie.
As mindless summer blockbusters go, "Green Lantern" is like the "Fantastic Four" (2005) and the "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" (2009) of the summer. While a dream come true for comic book geeks, the film is a nightmare that fails to live up to cinematic comic book standards. Even with the witty and charismatic Ryan Reynolds taking the lead, "Green Lantern" is noisy, senseless, pointless and an unfathomable clutter of overblown effects. Oh, did I forget to mention boring and tedious?
The story begins by unveiling the mythology behind the Green Lantern Corps, a gathering of cosmic cops who use willpower channeled through their magic rings. In their opposition is Parallax, an intergalactic Osama bin Laden whose power thrives on the fear of his victims. Freed from his prison on planet Ryut, Parallax is now free and declaring war on the Corps. The Green Lantern responsible for imprisoning Parallax becomes wounded and hurries toward the nearest inhabited planet — wouldn't you know — Earth.
The fallen Lantern's ring ends up in the hands of likeable, wise-cracking Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds), a jet pilot who unbelievably acknowledges all of the mind-blowing happenings with a simple shrug. He has a love interest, Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), whose romance with Hal starts off very confusing. His rival is Dr. Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard), who for some unexplained reason is acquainted with both Hal and Carol. He's a scientist who is infatuated with Carol and gains mind powers after examining a dead alien.
Where to begin with the special effects? In the movie, a Green Lantern's power is limited by his own imagination, so you can expect this film to prefer spectacle over story. So much so that with those powers, I would like to "imagine" my $8 back in my wallet.
The biggest letdown of the film was the script, which was written by not two, not three, but four writers. That's right — four writers combined their skills and this tedious, thinly written script packed with superhero clichés and some irrelevant plot points was the best they could conjure. This script constantly has the editors hastening through each scene as if they refuse to reveal the movie's point.
Director Martin Campbell ("Casino Royale") usually displays great skill as an action director, but the excitement in the film is almost completely absent since all the action scenes are computer generated. There's also nothing to take seriously since the script forces Hal to materialize goofy weapons like giant Hot Wheels toy cars and "Looney Tunes"-styled springs. However, the exhilaration does pick up during the climactic battle between Hal and the giant California smog that is Parallax, the only thing standing between this movie and a failing grade.
Performance-wise, Reynolds serves as the main source of humor, though exhibits none of the charm that helped him rise in the comedic world. Lively really has nothing to do except act as Hal's cheerleader and the damsel in distress at some point. As for Sarsgaard and Tim Robbins ("The Shawshank Redemption"), well, it's difficult to comprehend how a 40-year-old actor and a 52-year-old actor can possibly play son and father.
With all of this, I can justifiably say that "Green Lantern" is the worst attempt by both Warner Bros. and DC to create a superhero film since "Batman & Robin" (1997). While Hal Jordan's worst fear is fear itself, the only thing that I fear is the possibility of a sequel.