Generic 'Green Lantern' lacks punch and power
I wasn't much of a Green Lantern fan back in the '60s when I read a lot of comic books, both from the DC and Marvel brands.
How powerful can a superhero be if he can be crippled by the color<I> yellow?</I> I mean, a box of crayons might kill him.
DC's Green Lantern, aka Hal Jordan, struck me as a generic, second-tier superhero, the guy I'd read about only after I'd pored over the adventures of Superman, Batman, the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man.
I had high hopes when 007 director Martin "Casino Royale" Campbell directed "Green Lantern" starring a ripped Ryan Reynolds as test pilot Hal Jordan, chosen by a mystical ring to protect the universe from evil.
Campbell's "Green Lantern" packs in plenty of cool CGI-effects, brutal fights (a hypodermic needle in the face!), spectacular explosions, and a classic clash between good and evil. (The yellow weakness device, thankfully, no longer applies.)
But this is no "Casino Royale."
Like Hal Jordan, "Green Lantern" comes off as a generic, second-tier superhero movie that brings nothing new to the genre.
The opening of "Green Lantern" feels like rewarmed "Top Gun" with its supersonic jet fighters zipping through their maneuvers, with another maverick rebel pilot.
The ending conjures up memories of "Ghostbusters," and in between, we get purloined snatches of "Harry Potter," "Star Trek" and "Superman - The Movie."
Somewhere in the universe, an evil, amoeba-like entity called Parallax (voiced by Clancy Brown) escapes from being imprisoned by the Guardians, rulers of the universe and the leaders of the Green Lantern Corps.
Parallax mortally wounds one of the 3,600 Green Lanterns, Abin Sur (Temuera Morrison). Sur makes his way to earth, where his glowing green ring chooses a clueless Hal as his potential successor.
Meanwhile, Hal is busy suffering from flashbacks of his legendary fighter pilot dad dying in a horrific plane crash when Hal was a boy.
Now, Hal has grown up to be an immature, irresponsible, constantly tardy jet pilot who, despite being unreliable, can still find work flying zillion-dollar machines of mass destruction.
Hal used to have a thing going with fellow pilot Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), daughter of their aviation company boss (Jay O. Sanders). She's moved on.
And Hal moves on to the Guardians' world to participate in Lantern training, first under a gruff alien drill sergeant named Kilowog (Michael Clarke Duncan), then by a satanic, Vulcan-looking Lantern named Sinestro (Mark Strong).
We've pretty much seen all this before in other superhero origin movies, except for the ring that grants Hal the godlike powers to fly and to temporarily create physical matter by merely willing it into existence.
"Green Lantern" was written by four screenwriters, none of whom wanted to commit to the story's obvious spiritual metaphors.
Parallax is clearly a demon from hell, and the Guardians are clearly identified as the creators of the universe.
When Green Lantern is about to die, the only thing saving him is his lack of fear (read: faith), bolstered by reciting the Guardian's oath:
"In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil's might beware my power: Green Lantern's light!"
It's not exactly the Lord's Prayer, but it does the job.
Campbell's movie might have been better served had the camp factor been cranked up and the actors instructed to follow suit, instead of treating this cartoon story as a serious, straight drama.
Peter Sarsgaard gets it.
As Dr. Hector Hammond, son of a powerful senator (Tim Robbins) and one of Carol's rejected suitors, Sarsgaard emanates diabolical camp, especially after Hammond's cranium expands and he can suddenly read minds and move objects at will.
"Green Lantern" offers one clever tweak to the superhero conventions: Carol instantly recognizes the masked Green Lantern as her former lover.
"I've seen you<I> naked!</I>" she shouts to her miffed superhero companion. "Why wouldn't I recognize you?"
<b>“Green Lantern”</b>
★ ★
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Tim Robbins, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong
Directed by: Martin Campbell
Other: A Warner Bros. release. Rated PG-13 for violence. 105 minutes.