Summer of the superhero continues with this weekend's release of "Green Lantern." But if the mostly tepid reviews are any indication, this may be the first major superhero misstep of the summer.
After a double shot of Marvel heroes -- Thor and the X-Men -- it's the DC universe's turn with "Green Lantern." Ryan Reynolds plays Hal Jordan, the cocky fighter pilot-turned-emerald savior of the universe. Blake Lively plays his love interest. There's lots of CGI and intergalactic bad guys, and for the most part, the critics seem tired of all of it.
Times critic Kenneth Turan is actually kinder to the film than most of his peers, but though he does grant that the film is "watchable in a comic book kind of way," he ultimately lays the blame at the feet of star Reynolds. He writes, " 'Green Lantern's' biggest problem, never completely overcome, is that there is a serious tonal shift between the devil-may-care Hal Jordan of the opening sections and the dead serious savior of the universe of the finale."
Critic Joe Morgenstern's brief rant in the Wall Street Journal decimates the entire film and everyone involved, from the direction by action veteran Martin Campbell to Lively, who he says "wins this year's Kristin Stewart Award for Indistinct Diction." The only person saved from his blistering criticism is actor Peter Sarsgaard, who plays the villainous Hector Hammond. He says, "Mr. Sarsgaard succeeds in creating a real guy with real passions. Apart from him there's nada.
It does seem churlish to single out and criticise superhero stories for being put together with the same components time after time, when action adventures and romantic comedies are equally slaves to their respective must-haves. But, perhaps, it's easier to watch people going through the same motions than special effects technicians conjuring up the same visions.
Even the scenarios here are simply echoes of earlier scenes from blockbusters of the 1980s — the dark cloud threatening to swallow a city from Ghostbusters, the cocky and very talented fighter pilot from Top Gun, the tough-love training sequence from An Officer and A Gentleman. It helps that the writers, after a point, stop taking things too seriously, and their best lines are jaunty riffs on superhero tropes. “I've seen you naked,” says Hal's girlfriend Carol (Blake Lively) to the newly outfitted Green Lantern. “You think I won't recognise you because I can't see your cheekbones?” And towards the end, when he finally accepts his calling, he tells her, “My new job requires travel.”
As always, the leads are surrounded by well-regarded talent, actors such as Angela Bassett and Tim Robbins and Peter Sarsgaard (taking his part very, very seriously) who have clearly decided that if good roles are not coming their way they should at least go after good pay cheques. After all, not everyone can afford to suit up and save the world. Somebody has to bring home the bacon.
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