As a subcategory of the horror genre, the exorcism film does not have the best reputation. For every The Exorcist, there are a dozen Posessed’s and Beyond the Door’s. Yet, when done well, there is rarely something as profoundly [...]
If your favorite color is green, this is the movie for you.
It's true, the emerald hues are possibly the only thing Green Lantern has going for it. The film offers scene after scene of landscapes with aliens encased in their green lantern suits, and if you blur your eyes, they almost look like the grassy meadow you could have been enjoying instead of wasting two hours in a theater with Martin Campbell's newest film.
Green Lantern follows Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds), an ultra-talented pilot who discovers a dying alien and inherits a lantern, a ring, and the superpowers that come with them. The powers induct him into a universe-wide army of "lanterns" that fight against various forms of evil with the power of "will"--to materialize their every whim and imagining.
The "arrogant ass receives his calling and transforms into a benevolent superhero" is certainly not a new arc (see: Thor), but rarely has it been done so indelicately. Some of this is due to Reynold's particular skill in creating horribly unlikeable characters. Where his phoniness worked in Waiting, here every word he speaks seems heavily laced with dishonesty and a wormy sleaziness. This is not a guy you would trust with your daughter, much less with the fate of humanity. This quality isn't necessarily a bad fit for the initial character of Hal, but Reynolds indicates a severe lack of range as Hal's character supposedly stops with the narcissism and starts with the altruism.
The romance in the film, between Hal and the wannabe firecracker Carol (Blake Lively) also falls short. Lively is an ill-conceived choice for the role (for any role, really). She brings even less to the table than Reynolds, who at least garners some distaste. Lively's only act is insistence, and she plays out every line with the same desperate facial expression and whine in her voice. Their romance is supposed to follow an off again/on again formula with a woman who just can't quite let go of the bad boy with a heart o' gold that broke her own heart years ago. Throughout the film, we see Hal repeatedly demonstrate childish tendencies, like interrupting a dance to storm out of a bar with only a terse, "Thanks for the dance," to notify her of his departure. And yet, the allegedly intelligent, allegedly brave and aggressive Carol let's it all slip, like an insecure mother, only reprimanding Hal when he puts himself in danger.
This sense of danger is rarely present in the film. In a galaxy far away, a demonic presence named Paralax feeds off of fear and destroys complete civilizations. Evil! Yet, for reasons of either budget or plot, we are not given the opportunity to witness Paralax's true destructive power. The closest we get is seeing Hector (Peter Skaarsgard), a doctor who examines the fallen green lantern and becomes infected with Paralax's essence, as he becomes increasingly powerful. Skaarsgard, ever a treat, is noteworthy in the villain role, delivering a performance that is increasingly intriguing in comparison with the other story lines. He plays the doctor with a self satisfied simper, and his Hector, while ineffectual, is at least identifiable--which is more than we can say for the rest of the cast.
A weakness even greater than the plot is that of the CGI characters, making up probably 70% of the cast. The various aliens of bizarre inspiration (a green lantern bumble bee?) may have seemed like a good way to illustrate the vastness of the lanterns' power, but on screen they appear thin and badly realized. It is difficult to care about undeveloped characters that are not vaguely humanoid. Informing us that Paralax wiped out a nation of kittens or puppies would elicit far more interest and sympathy from the audience than learning of the unexplained civilizations he destroyed.
It's true, the emerald hues are possibly the only thing Green Lantern has going for it. The film offers scene after scene of landscapes with aliens encased in their green lantern suits, and if you blur your eyes, they almost look like the grassy meadow you could have been enjoying instead of wasting two hours in a theater with Martin Campbell's newest film.
Green Lantern follows Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds), an ultra-talented pilot who discovers a dying alien and inherits a lantern, a ring, and the superpowers that come with them. The powers induct him into a universe-wide army of "lanterns" that fight against various forms of evil with the power of "will"--to materialize their every whim and imagining.
The "arrogant ass receives his calling and transforms into a benevolent superhero" is certainly not a new arc (see: Thor), but rarely has it been done so indelicately. Some of this is due to Reynold's particular skill in creating horribly unlikeable characters. Where his phoniness worked in Waiting, here every word he speaks seems heavily laced with dishonesty and a wormy sleaziness. This is not a guy you would trust with your daughter, much less with the fate of humanity. This quality isn't necessarily a bad fit for the initial character of Hal, but Reynolds indicates a severe lack of range as Hal's character supposedly stops with the narcissism and starts with the altruism.
The romance in the film, between Hal and the wannabe firecracker Carol (Blake Lively) also falls short. Lively is an ill-conceived choice for the role (for any role, really). She brings even less to the table than Reynolds, who at least garners some distaste. Lively's only act is insistence, and she plays out every line with the same desperate facial expression and whine in her voice. Their romance is supposed to follow an off again/on again formula with a woman who just can't quite let go of the bad boy with a heart o' gold that broke her own heart years ago. Throughout the film, we see Hal repeatedly demonstrate childish tendencies, like interrupting a dance to storm out of a bar with only a terse, "Thanks for the dance," to notify her of his departure. And yet, the allegedly intelligent, allegedly brave and aggressive Carol let's it all slip, like an insecure mother, only reprimanding Hal when he puts himself in danger.
This sense of danger is rarely present in the film. In a galaxy far away, a demonic presence named Paralax feeds off of fear and destroys complete civilizations. Evil! Yet, for reasons of either budget or plot, we are not given the opportunity to witness Paralax's true destructive power. The closest we get is seeing Hector (Peter Skaarsgard), a doctor who examines the fallen green lantern and becomes infected with Paralax's essence, as he becomes increasingly powerful. Skaarsgard, ever a treat, is noteworthy in the villain role, delivering a performance that is increasingly intriguing in comparison with the other story lines. He plays the doctor with a self satisfied simper, and his Hector, while ineffectual, is at least identifiable--which is more than we can say for the rest of the cast.
A weakness even greater than the plot is that of the CGI characters, making up probably 70% of the cast. The various aliens of bizarre inspiration (a green lantern bumble bee?) may have seemed like a good way to illustrate the vastness of the lanterns' power, but on screen they appear thin and badly realized. It is difficult to care about undeveloped characters that are not vaguely humanoid. Informing us that Paralax wiped out a nation of kittens or puppies would elicit far more interest and sympathy from the audience than learning of the unexplained civilizations he destroyed.
In the end, the movie mostly makes a strong point about willpower. As Hal struggles to find the will to commit to a woman, to overcome his daddy issues, and imagine a universe free of evil, the real question is: do you have the will to stay through the whole thing? Because I almost didn't. For people who like: The Lost World: Jurassic Park II, Ghost Rider
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