I went into Green Lantern expecting a solid summer action movie and that’s exactly what I got. Therefore, I don’t get a lot of the hatred directed towards this film. Critics have been giving this long-gestating DC comic book adaptation, a not so great review. The movie opens with a brief rundown of the history of the Green Lantern Corps, the galactic police force at the center of the universe. Afterwards the audience is wisked right into action: on a distant, uncharted planet this films foe, Parallax is unleashed and begins a crusade of terror throughout the universe, feeding on the fear of its victims.
One of the patriarch Lanterns dedicated to stopping Parallax becomes mortally wounded in battle and must flee to the nearest inhabited planet to choose his successor before his death. Landing on Earth, the Lantern's ring, one of the primary sources of a their power, chooses hotshot test pilot Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) as his succesor. Jordan is haunted by the death of his father, something that pushes him into depths of loneliness and irresponsibility to the dismay of his colleagues, particularly his on-and-off love interest Carol Ferris (Blake Lively).
The ring’s glowing green power brings Hal to the location of the fatally injured Lantern's crashed ship and has the ring imparted to him before the alien dies. Soon after, he is journeying to new worlds including the planet Oa, the home of the Green Lantern Corps and the Guardians, divine alien beings who harnessed the green energy of will that gives the Lanterns their strength and the yellow energy that powers Parallax. With Parallax on a path of destruction heading for Earth and a scientist named Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard) infected by the being’s evil power, Hal Jordan has no choice but to take on his Green Lantern identity and save earth from the dark might of Parallax.
What helps make Green Lantern work are the scenes that take place off earth: they are visually stunning and help to capture the silly spirit of the comics. The planet Oa is incredible to look at and the individual members of the Corps are a delight to watch, and the casting of the Lanterns who guide and train Hal is absolutely perfect. The human characters, on the other hand, are a touch off base. Ryan Reynolds is not a perfect Hal Jordan, but his wit and charm make it work. Blake Lively is a good love interest, but that’s the extension of her character development, nothing beyond it. Peter Sarsgaard (Flight Plan) makes for a decent villain even though his evil role was not terribly relevant to the plot. The cinematography by Dion Beebe is bright and colorful and the production design work by Grant Major is awesome.
Green Lantern is a good movie. It's no Dark Knight, but then again, what is?
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