“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!”
The above oath is one sworn by every member of the Green Lantern Corps, a galactic peacekeeping force and a major institution in the DC Comics universe. The oath is also one that was sworn by a human (a relatively young and unproven species as it turns out) for the very first time by the character Hal Jordan, whose origin as the first Green Lantern to call Earth home is chronicled in the 2011 film Green Lantern.
To Warner Bros.’ credit, they do a pretty good job of staying close to the source material. A mortally wounded Abin Sur crash-lands on Earth. His green power ring, the object from which all Green Lanterns derive their abilities, chooses Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) to replace Sur as the guardian of sector 2814. The oath is sworn, and Jordan is taken to the Corps base planet of Oa for training. It’s here that he meets fellow Lanterns Tomar-Re (voiced by Geoffrey Rush) and Kilowog (Michael Clarke Duncan), as well as Sinestro, Jordan’s mentor and leader of the Corps. While Jordan learns to wield the green power of Will, and struggles to fill some very large shoes left by Abin Sur, the yellow power of Fear extends its influence to Earth, setting in motion events that could result in the destruction of the planet by a being known as Parallax.
Although better known for his roles in gross-out comedies like Van Wilder and Waiting, this is actually Reynolds’s third comic book role, having previously starred as Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, as well as a sidekick to Wesley Snipes in the final chapter of Marvel Comics’ Blade trilogy. Not that the prior experiences have much bearing on his performance- as with most of his roles, Reynolds plays the slightly likeable, yet overly cocky guy with a shiny smile. While this works well for the confident hero Hal Jordan, when it comes to the deeper side of the character, the Hal Jordan who struggles to master his Will, conquer his Fear and prove to a skeptical universe that the human race can be a beacon of light in a dark universe.. Well, let’s just say in those moments Reynolds seems adrift, his self-assurance dispersed as well as his charm.
Whether this is Reynolds’s fault, or if the writer or director is to blame, is unclear as all the characters in the film fall somewhat flat. In fact, the only characters that seemed truly solid were the ones rendered in three dimensions via computer software. This is despite a strong supporting cast of talented actors including Mark Strong as Sinestro, Tim Robbins as Senator Hammond, Angela Bassett as Dr. Waller, and Peter Sarsgaard as the senator’s son, Dr. Hammond. It could be that Will vs. Fear, and the good in humanity vs. the evil in humans themes are just too all-encompassing to fit into 114 minutes worth of celluloid. Much of the drama was fluffed over in favor of bigger effects and a more light-hearted summertime blockbuster.
Which is where Green Lantern succeeds: if all you’re looking for is a bright and flashy show, you’re in luck because that’s all you get here. The green power of Will allows a member of the Corps to create anything out of that power, limited only by what they can imagine. That kind of freedom allows for some often impressive and on occasion eccentric, displays of movie magic. Displays that are worth the price of admission, as long as you don’t expect little things like drama or character development mixed in with your special effects.
