Okay...I admit it. If you're not a comic book super geek, or at least a fan of Green Lantern, you're probably not going to get quite the goosebumps from the glowing green suit as my fellow DC fans. There is, however, enough in this flick to make it a definite 'see'--whether it's a 'big screen' or 'rent' may depend upon you, my friend.
Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) is a not so mild-mannered pilot. His devil-may-care attitude usually sees him finding enough trouble for a whole zip code. This may actually be why the ring chose him. The 'ring' in this case is the ring of the Green Lantern. The Green Lantern Corp is a group of 3,600 individuals who are gifted with the power of will and donn the ring. It's more than jewelry; it gives them the ability to create nearly anything with merely the will to imagine it. With the universe divided into 3,600 sectors and a member of the Green Lantern Corp to defend their assigned sector, we find sector 2814 in a wee bit of trouble. This is a concern mainly because that's earth's sector and it's guarded by one of--if not thee, most powerful Green Lantern, Abin Sur. Sur is attacked by one of the banished Guardians, who has been revived and currently poses a very real and frightening threat to the Corp and subsequently the universe. Sur crashes and dies on earth, but not before he completes the search for his replacement. Enter Jordan. From there, Jordan trains on Oa to live up to the requirements of the Corp and promptly squares off against Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard). Hammond had the fortunate misfortune of performing the autopsy on Sur and became infected with the enemy that attacked the deceased Lantern. Yadayadayada the Green Lantern battles sinister forces in sector 2814 while trying to earn his green stripes on Oa and win the heart of his long-time flame Carol Ferris (Blake Lively).
It's good. Very good actually. I'll go with 4.0 Stars with this disclaimer: If you're a comic book fan/Green Lantern fan...well, then you're really going to enjoy this flick. If you're a comic book SUPER NERD and wear your own Green Lantern ring for good measure...well, then I'm sure you'll find enough dissimilarities between the movie and the comic book to make you at least a little malcontent. If, however, you're not a big super hero fan and are just looking for a good, fun summertime movie to enjoy over the span of 205 minutes...well, you'll probably find enough in the movie to rate it as a 3.0 Star experience but may find yourself a little more lost in the comic zone than your comfort zone allows.
Me? I liked it. A big concern for me going in was that they would just plop a green suit on Ryan Reynolds and jump right into the story without explaining much about the Green Lantern Corp or the Guardians on Oa. That didn't happen. We got a great look and explanation of all of the above with great effects and cinematography to match. We learn a lot about Hal...about the Corp...about the enemy and even the Guardians. That set up a nice story for me, as I tend to be someone who hovers above the rank of comic fan but below the super nerd category. For me, it was a good balance.
My only complaint would be with the development of the Green Lantern vs. Hector Hammond dynamic. There just wasn't enough of a rivalry established between the two to create a vested interest in their later battles. Maybe there wasn't a long enough history to delve into there...I'm not sure. But I do know that when the audience has a vested interest in the hero while simultaneously holding a strong dislike for the villian, we become more emotionally invested in what we're watching. We cringe with each blow our hero takes and wreak with discomfort when the villian appears to hold the upper hand. With Hammond, well...he was just a smart, but geeky college prof with a powerful papa. There was no real reason to dislike him, but plenty of reasons to empathize with him, which really watered down the whole Lantern-Hammond showdown. The same is true when Green Lantern squares off against the ultimate enemy, Parralax. That was a pretty good showdown and ways was reminiscent of Superman's protection of the city folk against General Zod and company in Superman II.
That minor complaint aside, see this one BIG--that is, if you fall into category one or two described above. If not, add it to your queue, unless my comic-ese has scared you off and then you might want to enjoy it on a cold night in October (when it comes out on Blu-Ray). Enjoy your weekend...I'm going to try and catch up on my sleep, if you don't mind...don't worry...it was worth it!
True...OUT!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment