Back in the day (meaning a day in which I hadn't even been born yet), movies and the people who made them possessed a lot more ingenuity and creativity than the more cynical youngsters of today would give them credit for. Yes, filmmakers like Spielberg and Lucas couldn't rely on CGI at the time, but they and their special effects teams managed to compensate with clever camerawork, practical effects, model work, and the then-prevalent, painstaking usage of rotoscoping.
And yet (for the most part), the sci-fi and fantasy movies of years past (be they campy guilty pleasures or Oscar-worthy classics) still had a human touch that made them warm, naturalistic, and genuine. Who knew that audiences would be freaked out by what was really just a mechanical shark, or bedazzled by space aliens and dark lords that were actually men wearing rubbery suits and holding plastic guns and lightsabers?
Then came the advent of computer-generated imagery, which-- while making incredible leaps and bounds seemingly by the day-- has unfortunately been used as a crutch by studios and directors in lieu of character development and decent storytelling. Certainly, some films require special effects in certain doses when the limits of practical effects call for it, but when you overload your entire picture with shiny digital excess, accusations of laziness and favoring style over substance become more and more justified (just ask Michael Bay or Roland Emmerich).
Now in the ADHD generation of the 21st century, CGI overkill and drowning out a competent narrative (and the current fad of 3D filmmaking) has plagued movies with loads of potential, and sadly, director Martin Campbell's DC Comics adaptation Green Lantern has fallen victim as well.
For several millennia, a universe-wide organization known as the Green Lantern Corps has been protecting the cosmos from interstellar threats big and small. Headquartered on the faraway planet Oa, the Lanterns serve using power rings that can spontaneously create solid constructs limited by only the wearer's imagination. But they've apparently met their match in the form of the monstrous, fear-embracing entity known as Parallax (voice of Clancy Brown), which has been killing countless life forms and worlds and growing more powerful because of it.
Encountering and becoming gravely wounded by Parallax is the Green Lantern called Abin Sur (Temuera Morrison), who after crash-landing on Earth instructs his ring to seek out a worthy replacement. That replacement turns out to be test pilot Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds), a gifted but brash and irresponsible hotshot who works for Ferris Aircraft, owned by Carl Ferris (Jay O. Sanders) and managed by Carl's daughter Carol (Blake Lively), who was once an item with Hal.
Discovering the dying Abin Sur, Hal takes the ring, and is eventually whisked away to Oa, where he's introduced to the Corps and their ways by bird-beaked Tomar-Re (voiced by Geoffrey Rush), and trained by porcine Kilowog (voice of Michael Clarke Duncan) and Corps leader Thaal Sinestro (Mark Strong). Despite the doubts of both Sinestro and Hal himself, the new recruit will need all the help he can get.
It turns out that the U.S. Government has discovered Abin Sur's corpse, and agent Amanda Waller (Angela Bassett) hires meek scientist Hector Hammond (Peter Saarsgard)--the son of Senator Robert Hammond (Tim Robbins)-- to examine the body. But Hector becomes infected by a shard of Parallax that was inside the body, gaining incredible psionic powers. Consumed by power and hatred, Hector plots to exact revenge upon the world. With Hector's power growing and Parallax getting closer and closer to Earth, it'll take all that Hal can muster as the Green Lantern to save the world, and the universe.
It seemed long overdue for a big-screen adaptation of the jade-hued stalwart of the DC Comics universe, especially seeing how the only superheroes from DC making it to the silver screen were either an alien from Krypton or a billionaire playboy dressed like a flying rodent. Even though I've never read any comics featuring the Green Lantern as a child, my exposure to the character via animated television incarnations and a basic understanding of his origins made me excited nonetheless.
And upon looking at the basic ingredients, it seemed like a surefire winner. You had a respected director like Martin Campbell at the helm (The Mask of Zorro, Goldeneye, and the terrific Bond reboot Casino Royale); a talented cast featuring stud-muffin favorite Ryan Reynolds, as well as Peter Saarsgard, Tim Robbins, and Mark Strong; and all the visual effects wizardry that (reportedly) $300 million could buy.
But alas, the allure of Shiny and Loud supplanted the need for a script that makes its characters three-dimensional and its story engaging. It's actually quite remarkable how a screenplay forged by four (yes, FOUR) writers became so thin and underdeveloped, since every three minutes the audience is exposed to endless plot exposition and on-the-nose dialogue.
It also doesn't help that there's little to no joy experienced by the audience in the proceedings. All of the whiz-bang action setpieces feel very by-the-numbers. When we watched Superman take his first flight or Spider-Man go on his first web-swing, the excitement was organic and spine-tingling, but here the sense of fun is barely here, instead feeling robotic and artificial. Fueling the irony further is that despite Hal Jordan's power ring being capable of creating ANYTHING he can think of, the best that that Campbell's effects team can conjure up range from the mundane (swords and machine guns) to the downright cartoonish (fighter jets and... a giant Hot Wheels racing track?).
As the man behind the emerald mask, Ryan Reynolds does the best he can with the material given to him, which is disappointing. Charming, funny, and a naturally gifted actor, Reynolds has always been a favorite of mine, and though his cocky Van Wilder flair shines through every now and then, he becomes stonewalled by the clunky dialogue he's forced to utter.
The rest of the cast doesn't fare any better. Blake Lively (of "Gossip Girl" fame) is insufferably bland as Hal's childhood friend and former flame. The two have absolutely no chemistry together (I've probably seen better sexual tension between bales of hay). The immensely talented Peter Saarsgard becomes more and more unrecognizable under Elephant Man-style make-up, making us wonder who exactly IS this man that's being forced to play a one-dimensional, vengeful nerd with daddy issues (said daddy being Tim Robbins, who completely phones in his performance). The same can be said for Angela Bassett as a shady government spook, and as for the venerable leader of the Green Lantern Corps, there's little that can be said about the usually-imposing Mark Strong, who does little beyond uttering solemn monologues in fuschia make-up.
As for Parallax, I think it's safe to say that he's the LEAST frightening cloud-shaped supervillain I've seen in a film as of late (possibly a tie with the funnel cloud Galactus in the last Fantastic Four movie). All Parallax does is serve as a plot device to tie one disorganized fight scene into another, not mention scare the pants off of us with ominous, on-the-nose threats like "You shall die" or "The Earth will fall". I've heard better trash talk from Zen Buddhist monks.
To be fair, most first entries in superhero franchises usually don't use up all of their potential due to the unavoidable pitfalls of introducing so many key characters and backstories. But Green Lantern rushes so much to reach its conclusion that any connection to the characters is completely squandered. It may not be the worst comic book movie ever made (haven't you seen Howard the Duck yet? Get on it!), but Green Lantern's prospects certainly won't match those of its caped-crusadin' brethren.
Letter Grade: "D+"
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