Green Lantern


3.5/4

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Mark Strong, Peter Saarsgard, Tim Robbins, Geoffrey Rush

Rated PG-13 for Intense Sequences of Sci-Fi Violence and Action

I am not a fan of comic book movies anymore.  About ten years ago, they were new and unique.  But after ten summers of reboots, sequels and a plethora of new superheroes making their way to the silver screen, I’ve had enough.  That being said, “Green Lantern” is a lot of fun.  It’s not as serious or deep as Christopher Nolan’s “Batman” movies, but as pure popcorn entertainment, it’s one of the best movies to come out this summer.

Cocky pilot Hal Jordan (Reynolds) has just been grounded after crashing his brand new jet in an attempt to show off against some new, computerized models.  After going to a bar in disgrace, he comes across a spaceship that has crash landed on Earth.  It carries a pink-skinned alien who calls himself Abin Sur (an utterly wasted Temura Morrison) who gives Hal a green ring and a lantern.  Soon thereafter, he is flown to a planet in the stars called Oa.  There, he finds that the ring has chosen him to be a member of the Green Lantern Corps, the “Intergalactic Police Force,” as Hal comes to call it.  Through the sheer force of will and guts, Hal can do anything with the power of the ring.  He’s going to need it when an evil force called Parallax comes calling, threatening to destroy Earth.

If there was ever a case of perfect casting, it’s Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan.  Reynolds is terrific; he sheds his cocky image to play Hal as someone who is surprisingly vulnerable.  It’s not an Oscar-worthy performance, but it is quite effective.  Like Reynolds, Peter Saarsgard has never been able to break out of his supporting role image until now.  While his role isn’t exactly big, Saarsgard disappears into it, so much so that it’s hard to remember that it’s him.  Mark Strong portrays a sympathetic person for once, and as glad as I am to see Temura Morrison in a movie, his role is small (here’s to hoping that he’ll get to blow away the world again like he did with “Once Were Warriors”).  The only one who doesn’t work is Blake Lively as Carol Ferris.  It’s not that she’s a bad actress, it’s just that she doesn’t have the screen presence to hold her own against Reynolds and the special effects.

Martin Campbell is one of the best action movie directors out there.  His first Bond adventure, “GoldenEye,” is my favorite of the Bond movies, and his other action-oriented films aren’t far behind (I’m not including “Beyond Borders,” of course).  He’s a good storyteller and has definite skill in directing action sequences.  There’s really nothing original in this movie, but it’s well told.

This is one movie where I’m actually awaiting the sequel.

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