2011, 06-15:

Review of film:  “GREEN LANTERN”

While I have a familiarity with some of the “back” stories of comic book characters (such as “SUPERMAN”), I was NOT familiar with the basic story behind “GREEN LANTERN”.  For those of you in the same situation, I’m thus going to provide several facts about that:

...  In July 1940, All-American Comics (which eventually merged with 2 other companies to become DC Comics) released their issue # 16 wherein Bill Finger (a writer) and Martin Nodell (an artist) created a character named Alan Scott who was called the “GREEN LANTERN”...

...  Since then, there have been a number of OTHER “Green Lanterns”.  The “hook” for the story was, by using WILLPOWER & their individual strengths, the wearers could get their lantern (battery) to power a RING they wore which would enable them to in part control the physical world around them...

...  After Bill Finger, the rings & lanterns were passed around by a group called the “Guardians of the Universe”...  Comic book sales started to decline after World War II, & it wasn’t until 1959 that DC worked to REVIVE the “Green Lantern” character, this time calling him Hal Jordan & making him a TEST PILOT...

...  Hal became one of the founders of the “Justice League Of America”, & --  as the “Green Lantern” --  was eventually teamed with the archer character the “Green Arrow”... 

...  By the early 1990’s, the Hal Jordan character seemed to become insane & was at times called “Parallax” in his “destructive” form...  Later, “Parallax” was described as being a character operating via pure FEAR who’d tried to “corrupt” Hal...

...  Since comic book characters have become increasingly popular in movies, it was finally decided to make the first FILM utilizing the “Green Lantern” character...  Warner Bros. hired people who decided to utilize certain aspects of the “ORIGINAL”  & ongoing characters & ideas...

...  As this film starts, we learn that the universe has been divided into 3600 “sections”, each of which is “guarded” by a different “GREEN LANTERN” (utilizing various diverse species of creatures), with each being charged with the duty of preserving intergalactic “order”...

...  But, a crisis has arisen because the imprisoned evil “PARALLAX” creature (voiced by CLANCY BROWN) has ESCAPED from where it was confined, & it’s starting to decimate assorted “Green Lantern” sectors...             

...  One of the Green Lanterns is named “Sinestro” (played by MARK STRONG).  He’s like the bright-light “C.O.L” (Chief Operating Lantern) of the group, acting as a quasi-“executive” in urging the all-powerful “Founders” to try to act to STOP PARALLAX from its destructiveness...

...  In the “meantime”, we’re switched to planet EARTH.  There, we meet a “hot-shot” U.S. Air Force TEST PILOT named (oddly enough) “Hal Jordan” (played by RYAN REYNOLDS)...

...  He apparently is flying a plane developed by Carl Ferris (JAY O. SANDERS), whose daughter Carol (BLAKE LIVELY) has been a friend of Ryan’s since childhood.  Blake seems to also be flying one of her father’s planes, which are in “competition” with some fancy new high-tech planes which the government is considering buying...

...  The next quickly-stated “connections” left me a bit “perplexed” as to “who’s who” & “what’s what”...  There’s a Senator Hammond (TIM ROBBINS), who may have an interest in whether the government buys the fancy new planes...

...  There’s a “test comparison” being done re the new planes compared to the “OLD” ones from Ferris like Ryan flies.  One woman who seems to be “watching over” the situation is former government agent Dr. Amanda Waller (ANGELA BASSETT)...

...  During the dog fight between the planes, brash Ryan wants to take his plane beyond its “listed” capacities, to try to ESCAPE from the pursuit by the new planes...  It’s a very dangerous move that “scares” a lot of the onlookers--  but the stunt enables him to outmaneuver his competition (for the “time being” anyway)...

...  Meantime, the “Green Lanterns” have been trying to confront “PARALLAX” (who used to be a Lantern before he was “taken over” by the “YELLOW” force of FEAR & thus became an “ENEMY” to the remaining Guardians)... 

...  One of the greatest of the current Guardians is Abin Sur (played by TEMUERA MORRISON).  But, he was not able to defeat “Parallax” (who was heading towards Earth), & Temuera has to CRASH LAND on Earth...

...  “Conveniently” for the story, he crashes on a beach near where RYAN “chances” to be “reflecting” about his life...  Temuera “senses” that Ryan would make a FINE Green Lantern, & in-effect transfers his powers OVER to Ryan (who’s initially “confused” by it all)...

...  In time, Ryan has to LEARN about his new “powers” & how to use & CONTROL them...

 

...  As the “oath” of the Lanterns says:

“ ...  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! ”...

...  After Temuera’s crash, “PARALLAX” continues to try to attack EARTH.  Ryan uses some “creative” efforts to COMBAT those efforts & drive the evil creature “AWAY” for a while (savings various of his friends in the process)...

...  The government (in the form of Angela & her group) works to try to “STUDY” the remains of Temuera & his spacecraft...  Tim arranges for his scientist son, Dr. Hector Hammond (PETER SARSGAARD), to be in CHARGE of investigating Temuera...

...  Unfortunately, (as I understand it), a part of “PARALLAX” had gotten “embedded” in Temeura (as they’d fought each other), & (during the “study” work) that part starts to “TAKE OVER” Peter & his mind & actions bit-by-bit...  All that tends to put others (like Blake) at “risk”...

 ...  In the meantime, in light of his having been “chosen” to be a Green Lantern, Ryan is brought to the “headquarters” planet of the Lanterns. There, Mark (Sinestro) wants to have him TAUGHT more about how & “why” to better use his POWERS to help them against “Parallax”  & others...

...  One of the “mentors” of Ryan there is a Lantern named Tomar-Re (voiced by GEOFFREY RUSH), who has a  face that sort of combines a lizard & a fish... 

...  Ryan is discouraged by the way Mark doesn’t seem to “THINK” much of him (since he’s an Earthling who’s been given special powers that Mark doesn’t think he especially “deserves”)...  Disheartened, Ryan soon returns to Earth...

...  Peter has grown considerably more POWERFUL and “confused” with his “Parallax” elements, & Ryan needs to “CONFRONT” him as he grows more dangerous...

...  Will Ryan have “learned” enough to be a “PROPER” Green Lantern?...  Will he be able to defeat the forces of “Fear” that are arrayed AGAINST him and others in the galaxies?...

...  When I saw an advance screening of the film, it was so popular, it drew like 10% MORE than the theater’s capacity of like 446 people, from pre-teen kids to senior citizens...  They seemed to quite ENJOY what they saw overall...

...  What did I think of it?...  There have been “complaints” raised about the green Lantern costumes worn by Ryan & others, asserting that it was kind of “cheesy” looking.  It has sort of “vibrating” energy pulsations, since it’s designed to represent inherent “power” & the like...

...  Actually, I found its CGI execution pretty COOL (having been “pasted” onto the apropos characters via sensors having been worn by Ryan & others moving around)...

...  That brings up the subject of the special effects in general.  I found them EXCELLENT overall--  but then again, they should be, in that they reportedly cost like $ 200 million to achieve!...

...  I found some “problems” with the film:  the STORY comes across as overly “COMPLEX” in following at times (partly because it’s an “introductory” piece to the numerous characters)... 

...  Yet, while there are some wonderful special effects (particularly re the highly-developed Lantern planet & other worlds), some seemed to weirdly lack much CREATIVITY: 

...  The central character is a technologically advanced TEST pilot (Ryan).  Yet, the “best” way he can fight “Parallax” at one point is to create a sort of “ROAD” in the air, & “JETS” in “space” to “hold” him as he battles him there?!  That doesn’t seem particularly “sharp” to me!...

...  Such choices came across to me as somewhat “WRONG”, a weird combination of “old-time” thinking with the “NEW” world Ryan is supposed to live in.  In other words, in my opinion, a number of the choices just didn’t seem to really “FIT” with the propositions set up...

...  Further, there seems LITTLE real “CONNECTION” between Ryan & BLAKE as his “love” interest...  RYAN himself came across as FINE as the “pressed-into-service” new Green Lantern who has to struggle to learn to “handle” his new powers...

...  Blake (to me) came across almost as a sort of bland “cipher” character in the movie, with little real “spunk” that could’ve “added” to the story (as Gwyneth Paltrow did as “Pepper Potts” in “IRON MAN”)...  But, maybe that’s how the creators “wanted” Blake’s character to be (for some unknown reason)?...

...  With it’s first-rate ACTION & impressive special effects (even when NOT seen in 3-D), plus good ACTING (particularly by Ryan & Peter), I’m giving this 8.0 out of 10 stars (with the hope that any future sequels can be even BETTER)...

[  NOTE:  You can easily  SHARE  this Posting with your friends or family by sending them an e-mail LINK via clicking on the “M” button in the lower left-hand corner under "THE VOICE OF SILENCE"...  ]

 

  (o_
   /\ 

= = =    [ 4 B&W  I&D ]   …  ( <>  ^  <> )  ...