This seems to have been the year of the superheroes. We have had Green Hornet, Thor, X-Men and now Green Lantern. Still to come are Captain America and Transformers. There are just too many of them with not much to distinguish each from the other. Maybe that is why Green Lantern faces such a yawn from the moviegoing public.
In this film, test pilot Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) finds himself selected to be a member of the "Green Lantern Interplanetary Force." The "ring" selects him and in doing so gives him super powers. If he can imagine it, he can do it. Hal is a little overwhelmed by his selection and thinks maybe he is unworthy. But his girlfriend Carol (Blake Lively) tells him he can do it as does his best friend Thomas (Taika Waititi).
Hal is summoned by the head of the Green Lantern group, Sinestro (Mark Strong) to the planet Oa. There Sinestro tells Hal the full story of the Green Lantern Corps. He is inducted into the group and told about his upcoming challenges which will include a battle with Parallax (voiced by Clancy Brown), a creature who thrives on fear.
There are a lot of challenges in this movie that Hal faces, and there are a lot of adventures in which he gets involved. Still they all are of the "been there, seen that" type. There is nothing really new in the plot or in the presentation. The only thing Green Lantern has going for it is Reynolds and he is the sole reason the film is not an abysmal bomb.
Tim Robbins, Angela Basset and Peter Sarsgaard are also featured prominently in the cast. They are all entirely wasted by the triviality of the story line. Blake Lively is lovely to look at but she and Reynolds have almost zero heat as a couple. He seems more in love with himself than with her.
Still it is Reynolds fresh attitude and comic reactions that make the movie bearable. Hal Jordan is not the typical superhero alter ego and Reynolds makes him fresh and funny. It should also be noted that Reynolds looks the part of the sleek and muscular Green Lantern.
The film is rated PG-13 for profanity and violence.
As I sat in the theater watching this film I kept asking myself, what is here that I haven't seen before? The answer was almost nothing! The special effects and the basic plot all seemed too familiar. And being too familiar made the movie just a bit dull.
Reynolds makes a valiant effort to bring the Green Lantern to life, but his efforts are in vain as the movie sinks under the weight of a too familiar plot and too often seen special effects. The power of the "ring" sputters out in this retread movie.
I scored Green Lantern a dimly lit 5 out of 10.