The war between rivals rages on; Marvel with their grand scheme culminating in The Avengers where all their recent heroes unite, and DC Comics who have fallen by the wayside of late...
But wait. Look up in the sky, is it a bird? Is it a plane? Nah, sorry, that's the wrong DC hero, it's Green Lantern. And he's leading the charge against the likes of Thor.
Green Lantern was always going to be a hard sell, not unlike the recent Thor. You see both have proper superheroes with alien races as a backdrop/history, as opposed to the more human-esque exploits/beginnings of Batman and Ironman. Thor got by on the charm of its lead and the humour of the fish out of water/God out of his realm scenario, and Green Lantern doesn't have both to the extent for it to fully surprise and land a home run with the audience.
What it does have, and in abundance I might add, is the mighty Ryan Reynolds, with his charm offensive cranked up all the way to 11. When on screen as everyday fighter pilot (?) Hal Jordan, he gets to show the talent that kept the likes of Blade Trinity watchable, and also when he's being put through his paces the hard way in the wielding of the ring. When he leaves the story and the likes of Robbins or Sarsgaard step up to drive the villain plot-line, that's when the film loses its main factor - fun.
Even though his character seems to learn a heck of alot without having many lessons and takes on a force that no Lantern has ever been able to defeat, let alone single-handedly, to save the day, it's his cocky delivery of lines mixed with the odd display of vulnerability that smooths over plot-holes and a planet-devouring threat that looks like a cross between The Mekon (younger kids, look it up) and The Elephant Man.
Overall, a solid entry into the superhero stable, it suffers from the bar being raised to such entertaining heights from other stabs at the genre, that the dips and lows during its short running time become that much more noticeable. If it gets a second outing, fingers crossed the baddie is worthy of the Green Lantern's light.
UK release date: 17.06.11
Certificate: 12A
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