"The Green Lantern"

Action/Adventure, Science Fiction/ Fantasy and Adaptation. Rated PG-13. 1 hour, 45 minutes.

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Ryan Reynolds is chosen by a power ring to join the Green Lantern Corps to fight fear and the evil entity known as Parallax.

The movie begins with the ultimate embodiment of fear, Parallax, being captured by Green Lantern Corp member Abin Sur. However, Parallax escapes and fatally attacks Abin Sur. Abin Sur travels to the closest planet and his power ring sets out to find a suitable replacement. The ring picks test pilot Hal Jordan (Reynolds), who does not believe he is up to the task. However, since Parallax is on its way towards Earth, Jordan has little choice but to accept his responsibility.

There’s a lot to love and a lot to hate about this movie. Let’s start with the good. The CGI and special effects are top notch. There was a lot of skepticism surrounding Reynolds’ costume, which is also CGI. After seeing the film on the big screen, I can honestly say that the suit looks fantastic. When Jordan sees himself with the suit for the first time, the audience gets a great look at its design from top to bottom, and it captures the look of the classic comics’ look. The cast is also great. Reynolds is in practically every scene, and fit well with the direction the filmmakers want to take the character in. The supporting cast is also top-notch. Blake Lively is not given much to do, but still creates decent chemistry with Reynolds. Mark Strong as Sinestro was perfect casting.

This transitions into what is not so great about the movie. There are several solid supporting actors and actresses, and they are given surprisingly little to do. Angela Bassett and Tim Robbins have been great actors for years, yet only appear on screen for a few minutes each, and their characters are not developed at all. Peter Sarsgaard is delightful as Dr. Hector Hammond, but unfortunately, we get very little back story that would explain his motivation. Michael Clarke Duncan and Geoffrey Rush lend their voices as fellow Green Lanterns Kilowog and Tomar Re, but only get about one-and-a-half scenes each.

The pacing also seems off due to disjointed editing. The film is not incredibly long, so it seems that plenty may have been left on the cutting room floor. Scenes do not transition well into the next. And the writers seemed to plain forget about certain things throughout the film. In the beginning, we meet Hal Jordan’s brothers and his nephew, who he is obviously close to. But we never see them again after their brief introduction. We learn tha Jordan can understand how aliens speak because of the ring’s universal translator. Then, how come we can understand what the aliens are saying when Jordan is not around them?

Despite its issues, I still hope that we see a second “Green Lantern” film. There are a lot of exciting ways these characters can go. I also really want to see more of Sinestro, Kilowog, and Tomar Re. Plus, since this is an origin story, we do not get quite as much action as we are expecting. I think a sequel would solve that problem.

This film has its problems, but is still a fun time thanks to Reynolds’ personality and the great looking power ring constructs and action sequences.

OVERALL RATING: B-

Photo credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

The Green Lantern movie poster