Film Review - Green Lantern (2011)

First up, this review will sound negative, but it really isn't. I thought Green Lantern was a good film. It kept me interested and entertained, and the SFX were pretty spectacular. I don't know or care how accurately it portrays the comic, as a film with its own story, it worked. It does not deserve the kicking it's been getting from critics.

And yet. There are a few issues I just need to get off my chest.

I love Ryan Reynolds. He has proper big-screen charisma, great comic timing (and delivery) and a body that makes me want to kill myself. But he has developed a bit of a familiar schtick, and whilst I love it, there are times when it isn't appropriate. He knows this himself, as proven in Buried and Amityville. But here he uses it randomly, rather than in a considered manner, so sometimes it works well, sometimes it feels fake.

We also get the now over-familiar Superfluous Character Syndrome, the honours here going to Blake Lively's blander-than-bland damsel, and the oddly-cast Peter Sarsgaard as a balding, middle-aged doctor or something who gets mutated by evil (or "fear" to be more accurate). When these characters appear, the film has a tendency to slam on the breaks. No comment on the actors per se, just their characters (or rather their lack thereof).

But most importantly, each time you're introduced to a new superhero, you need to know "what's his gimmick?" And Green Lantern's is pretty cool. Basically, he's given the power to bring his imagination to life. And therein lies the problem with this film. Hal Jordan apparently has a very VERY limited imagination. I'm sure he'll grow with time, but it was a bit infuriating to see him consistently defeating bad guys (including enormous planet-devouring entities) by just imagining various weapons and projectiles to throw at them. Not that the film's conclusion isn't satisfying, it is. It's also disappointingly unimaginative.

But apart from that, I enjoyed it very much. I'd watch it again and I'll happily queue to see Green Lantern 2. Although it's looking about as likely to happen as The Subtle Knife.