I think the thing that Green Lantern is most suffering from, and it suffers from a lot of issues, is the fact that it comes behind two other superhero origin stories this summer. The superhero origin has been played out this summer like none other and its clear audiences are getting a bit tired of it for now. So while Green Lantern's flaws might have been overlooked if it had come out before Thor and X-Men: First Class, it's adherence to the standard origin story tropes makes its problems stand out all the more because we've seen them twice already this summer. Attempting to ignore the fact that the plot is tired by the third time around Green Lantern is still tragically flawed in many ways, but there is fun to be had.
You know the drill of the story. Human discovers super powers, confronts his inner demons, falls in love and saves the earth. The details this time around are that that human is Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) and his powers come from a ring which gives him the power of the Green Lantern and makes him part of a universal army of protectors called the Green Lantern Corp. The Green Lanterns get their power (the power to create anything they can imagine with their minds) from the power of will which has been harnessed by a race of immortals into a green glowing light. However, the power of fear is also readily available in yellow glowing light form and that is what the world destroying Parallax feeds off of. Hal ends up with the Green Lantern ring when a dying Lantern crashes on earth and the ring chooses him. Cocksure and arrogant, but really afraid of responsibility Hal reluctantly takes the ring and learns to be a hero while also repairing his relationship with former fling Carol Ferris (Blake Lively).
If the film was simply Hal Jordan beating on people with his awesome ring I would probably have no problem with it. I found the special effects to be entirely acceptable, though there were plenty of times where you wondered if the rushed production schedule was really the best idea. Yes, the mask looks kind of goofy on his face, and yes some of the CGI failed at points, but it could have been much worse in so many ways and once Hal really starts using that ring they do some pretty sweet stuff with it, and they do it well. Instead of giving him infinite powers they actually work within the constructs of what a jet pilot would think of. For these parts the movie actually does a great job of showing a character you can believe in despite all the alien planets and ridiculous plot points.
Surprisingly it is the down to earth (literally) stuff that makes it all seem pretty flat. While Reynolds is as charming as ever, his Hal Jordan never really seems to move that far as a character. The main driving point is that he's afraid and what he learns about fear, but unfortunately his character doesn't develop that much on the whole, and while complaining about character development in a comic book movie may seem trivial when you've already had two other origin stories its damn important. It's what makes the hero something more than his powers and what makes the movie something more than a dumb blockbuster.
It helps even less that all of his earthbound relationships are very dull. His relationship with Carol Ferris moves about as far as his character does, especially since they start out solid and end up even more solid. There's really no dramatic pull there, and while a lack of an emotionally relationship would be fine if the evil/good dynamic was strong it just isn't in this case. Aside from Parallax, Green Lantern is challenged by the mutated Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard) who seems about as threatening as a dead buffalo even with the telepathic powers he gains from some of the yellow fear juice he comes in contact with. He's basically just a stop holder until the big bad guy shows up and it’s almost painfully obvious.
There's also just too much info to digest all at once. The Green Lantern mythos is massive and with so many intricacies the film struggles to hold it all together. It's not just an alien crash landed on earth or a billionaire whose father is murdered, but an entire intergalactic police force. There are two movies in here that should have been crammed into one. Instead of giving us an origin and then opening up the mythos the film attempts to do both at the same time and becomes a bit too complicated for its own good. This is especially apparent when one of the biggest events in the story of Green Lantern is shoved into a brief clip after the credits have rolled. It’s the kind of action that will make fanboys froth at the mouth and regular film goers get even further confused.
Despite my many issues with the film I found myself coming out of it not hating it entirely. Thanks to a basic background in Green Lantern knowledge, my will to accept the passable CGI and some fantastic action that hints at what greatness a sequel could include the film was actually still fun. What it lacks in originality it makes up just enough for in the action department, and while Hal Jordan might not be the greatest character ever in the film Reynolds still knows how to make even a dullard more enjoyable. We may all be suffering from "origin story" fatigue, but if you've missed the other two superhero flicks this summer then Green Lantern will seem far fresher and more entertaining.
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