{"id":1100,"date":"2011-08-09T09:55:19","date_gmt":"2011-08-09T09:55:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/?p=1100"},"modified":"2011-08-09T09:55:37","modified_gmt":"2011-08-09T09:55:37","slug":"green-lantern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/action\/green-lantern\/","title":{"rendered":"Green Lantern **"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>You can hear the fanboys\/girls buzzing away with anticipation at yet another comic-book adaptation bursting onto the big screen this week \u2013 with more ticket-hiking 3D promises. Indeed, Hal Jordan aka Green Lantern is probably one of the most down-to-Earth (pardon the pun) and human of the majority of superheroes in the DC world, so instantly feels like a winning lead character for the uninitiated. As for this film, think X-Men: First Class<\/a><\/em>, in terms of \u201chow it all began\u201d, as Martin Campbell<\/a>\u2019s Green Lantern<\/em><\/a> is how Hal \u2018became\u2019 part of the green-glowing intergalactic police force.<\/p>\n

In the film, Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds<\/a>) is a cocky, maverick test pilot trying to break free from his deceased pilot dad\u2019s shadow, and risking everything to constantly deal with his demons. One day, an intergalactic peacekeeper called a Green Lantern, who is badly wounded fighting a sinister, fear-hungry enemy called Parallax, crash-lands on Earth and changes Hal\u2019s life forever. His ring chooses Hal as its replacement owner when he dies, a great honour to have bestowed on anyone, and Hal is the first human ever selected. Powered by the lantern, the ring allows its owner the ability to create anything the mind can imagine to defend the Universe and the immortal Guardians who rule over the Central Battery, the green source of energy. Hal must now conquer his fears and rise to the challenge of defeating Parallax and save humankind from extinction.<\/p>\n

The central theme of the film is good verses evil, in the shape of will verses fear: Overcome your fear with a strong will, and you can achieve anything. It\u2019s an interesting notion that\u2019s highly appealing, if it didn\u2019t start grating from the constant nauseating reminders from well-intentioned characters at every opportune moment.<\/p>\n

Naturally, green is the colour of life, therefore \u2018hope\u2019 or \u2018will\u2019, and hence the film\u2019s suggestive environmental slant about saving planets. In fact, the Green Lanterns\u2019 enemy, Parallax looks and is reminiscent of one big, insipid yellow virus cloud consuming fear \u2013 and souls \u2013 like an alien Dementor. Indeed, Campbell\u2019s vision seems to be an amusing mish-mash homage to the likes of Harry Potter<\/a><\/em>, Top Gun<\/a><\/em>, LOTR<\/a>, Superman<\/a><\/em> and even Ghostbusters<\/a><\/em>, to the point were Parallax\u2019s clouds form downtown and people start praying \u2013 you can almost hear the 1984 music marking the arrival of the 2011 Zeul.<\/p>\n

The odd beginning of Green Lantern<\/em>, set in a US Air Force base, is necessary to paint Hal the risk-taker, and harks back to when Top Gun<\/em>‘s Maverick does his air stunts and hangs his wingman \u2013 or woman in this case, co-pilot, childhood friend and love interest Carol Ferris (Blake Lively<\/a>) \u2013 out to dry. Heck, it even has a bar with a jukebox, as well as a picture of his Pa on the wall so Hal can feel at home.<\/p>\n

The subject of Reynolds playing Hal Jordan is a mixed bag. On the one hand, here\u2019s a actor normally associated with average \u2018Mr Nice Guy\u2019 parts, so we do instantly relate to his cheeky charm and flaws in this. These qualities \u2013 plus his infamous toned physique that’s fully \u2018on show\u2019 at times \u2013 work to his advantage, and will certainly get the average female punter interested. On the downside, because of his average-guy stance, Reynolds still feels a tad misplaced as a credible superhero \u2013 even though he gives it his all and has fun in the process. His laughs come down to what we usually expect from a Reynolds’ performance, not necessarily because he gets under Hal\u2019s skin and makes him funny. It\u2019s almost as if Reynolds is not taking his responsibility of being the first actor to play Green Lantern completely seriously. Just as well, perhaps, as this film can’t be taken too seriously either.<\/p>\n

Lively aside who\u2019s merely pretty, ballsy eye candy, Campbell\u2019s cast is impressive, and includes Mark Strong<\/a> and Peter Sarsgaard<\/a>. Strong is the leader of the Green Lantern Corps and Hal\u2019s adversary, Thaal Sinestro, who doesn\u2019t believe the human has it in him to be a worthy Green Lantern \u2013 especially taking the place of his former mentor, the fallen Lantern Abin Sur (Temuera Morrison<\/a>). As ever, Strong commands the screen and matches Reynolds\u2019 flippant, defensive reactions with a steely purpose. As the only actor in heavy prosthetic gear, Strong looks magnificent, including his eyes \u2013 plus those of Reynolds when in Green Lantern mode.<\/p>\n

Sarsgaard seems the relish playing a multi-faceted character, Hal\u2019s jealous, reclusive childhood friend, Hector Hammond, who through forever disappointing his powerful senator father (Tim Robbins<\/a>), turns into a fear-filled villain after a brush with Parallax\u2019s bodily fluids from working as a xenobiologist \u2013 biologist of extra-terrestrial life \u2013 on Abin Sur\u2019s remains. Sarsgaard as Hector never fully changes or adopts a silly superhuman name, and like \u2018average\u2019 Reynolds, is thrilling to watch as an unlikely super-villain choice.<\/p>\n

As for fans of the comic book, other Green Lanterns on the Corps\u2019 home planet of Oa, Xudarian Tomar-Re and Kilowog, are present in this adaptation. In scenes with Strong, these CG characters do look blatantly animated and lacking, which is disappointing, even though they are brilliantly brought to life by the voices of Geoffrey Rush<\/a> and Michael Clarke Duncan<\/a>, respectively.<\/p>\n

But in terms of effects and design, the latter is down to the production designer\u2019s reliance on a film researcher and self-confessed comic-book expert, and is said to faithfully recreate every detail and enhance the imagery for the big screen. Oa is a spectacular vista to behold, with its dazzling green light and shapes, but some of the 3D conversion and viewing experience detracts from the detail, which is a shame. Another issue is what seem to be large chunks missing from the final cut, or badly edited sequences \u2013 when Hal visits his nephew on his birthday, for example, and gives him his present. Although Hal with the ability of the ring can zip around easily from place to place, the plot does too, creating mysterious black holes in places, and rendering the big climax between Hal, Hector and Parallax, then Hal verses the Parallax very disjointed and rushed, like a galactic anti-climax.<\/p>\n

And if you think it\u2019s a 3D film, it is, but only in the sense of all the others trumpeted this year, with a bit of fly-out action moments, but mostly depth-of-field enhancements. In terms of the intricate production design, you may get more out of Green Lantern<\/em> seeing it in 2D.<\/p>\n

Overall, you want to like Green Lantern<\/em> \u2013 and you partly do because of a couple of leads who are not normally associated with comic-book stories, Reynolds and Sarsgaard, bringing their own personalities to the roles. That said it\u2019s all a bit daft and sentimental at times. Indeed, through drumming home Hal\u2019s ordinariness through what we know of Reynolds \u2013 who’s far from ‘ordinary’ in the physical sense, we never quite get the elation of that transforming moment to Green Lantern status. The film also needs a jump-start or a new Central Battery sometimes that Reynolds alone simply cannot provide. And if you\u2019re not a fan of the comic series, one fantasy world looks the same as any another, so without a greater purpose and an impressive head-to-head confrontation, Green Lantern<\/em> is left a little wanting. Still, like most films of late that force you to watch the credits, a promise of a sequel in one brief clip of further clarity may reignite your will for a revisit.<\/p>\n

2\/5 stars<\/strong><\/p>\n

By @FilmGazer<\/p>\n

(Follow on Twitter<\/a>)<\/p>\n

<\/object><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You can hear the fanboys\/girls buzzing away with anticipation at yet another comic-book adaptation bursting onto the big screen this week \u2013 with more ticket-hiking 3D promises. Indeed, Hal Jordan aka Green Lantern is probably one of the most down-to-Earth (pardon the pun) and human of the majority of superheroes in the DC world, so … <\/p>\n

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