Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action violence
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong, Tim Robbins, Jay O. Sanders, Taika Waititi, Angela Bassett
Director: Martin Campbell
Now... call me a-little-too-philosophical-for-my-own-good here, but it seems to me that if one possesses the ability to materialize literally anything that the mind can dream up for protection (shields, swords, Gatling-inspired firepower, giant fists, pillars, catapults, fighter jets, a racetrack...yeah, that's right...a racetrack), and that power to materialize came solely from a ring, then the so-called "prerequisite" of fearlessness would... you know... come with the ring.
Or let us consider the concept of will. It's explained that will is the driving force behind a Green Lantern's ability to materialize the exact right defense to avert a split-second attack. But is that really willpower? Isn't it more quick thinking? Good reflexes? A knack for mentally adapting on a dime? I mean, the ring is what gives them the actual power, right? And if the only limit to your power is your own will, couldn't you just will your adversary to either die or blow up?
I know there are answers to the above queries, just as I know there is some comic book fanboy out there right now ready to take me to task for being a "hater." (Do these people not understand the concept of film criticism?) It may be unfair of me, but I do find it odd that some comic book adaptations manage to sidestep such questions while others simply cannot.
When the best Green Lantern in all Creation finds himself the victim of an attack, he crash lands on earth, implores his ring to choose a new bearer. The candidate selected is Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds), a cocky but skilled military fighter pilot, as evidenced in a nifty aerial dogfight early on. The ring is handed over before the Lantern's death. Hal is whisked away to the world inhabited by all Green Lanterns, a landscape teeming with eclectic aliens inviting memories of the cantina scene in "Star Wars." He is put through rigorous training, although the lead Lantern Sinestro (Mark Strong) doubts his ability and questions the ring's wisdom in choosing a human for the task.
Meanwhile, the government locates the downed spacecraft, and employs the services of a brilliant but underachieving scientist named Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard). While examining the remains, Hector is exposed to a virulent strain of DNA which instills in him the power to read minds while forcing his head into a monstrous shape. The DNA belongs to a muddy blob of an alien hurtling closer to earth on a mission to devour Creation itself. Hal is our planet's only hope but fear stands in his way. His former fellow fighter pilot, Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), helpfully imparts to him the crucial difference between innate fearlessness and acquired courage.
The movie is decent for its first half-hour. Ryan Reynolds makes an effortlessly engaging hero. And I always appreciate a film's attempt at introducing themes. But the philosophy behind those themes feels confused here, and the thematic progression gets mired in backstory exposition. (We learn that Lanterns can, in fact, feel fear, but they didn't realize they could feel fear, then devise a plan to fight fear with fear, only to learn it's better to overcome fear than harness fear... yeah, it's all pretty murky like that. Although I'm sure the aforementioned fanboy would be thrilled to explain it to you.)
The screenplay's thirst for the exegesis of its own lore leaves little room for development in other critical areas. The result is a climactic fight scene that feels oddly rushed and characters we'd like to like but have little to go on. Blake Lively, God bless her, does everything she can to make Carol interesting but the character is so woefully underwritten there's little she can do. Peter Sarsgaard has the most fun, playing a social misfit with a giddy, almost infantile fascination with non-terrestrial science and maintains that giddiness even after that science alters his physical presence in the most gruesome ways.
Like the latest "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie, "Green Lantern" is watchable but ultimately forgettable. In its own world, there is no limit to where Lanterns can trek. But in the realm of comic book movie adaptations, this one stays noticeably close to ground level.
* * out of * * * * stars
