Page 16 September/October 2011 ENTERTAINMENT New to DVD: Green Lantern has charm Michael Dennos ’12 Green Lantern feels like the product of following a basic “How To” manual on making a superhero origin story. The script keeps everything pretty basic and seems content with obtaining just a B- level status, yet it still scrapes out a vic tory. Overall, I liked this movie quite a bit thanks to Ryan Reynolds and a gen uine sense of fiin brought to the pro ceedings by director Martin Campbell, and I definitely want to see it become a fi'anchise. It’s not on the level of The Dark Knight or the first Iron Man, but it still glows with energy and charm. The story concerns Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds), a cocky test pilot who’s one day “chosen” by a mythically powerfial green ring to be the latest recruit into the intergalactic Green Lantern Corps. Now, I know what you’re thinking: powerful green ring? Green Lantern Corps? Explain! Okay, well let me do just that. As established in the DC Comics series. The Green Lantern Corps is basically the police force of the entire galaxy, with their weapon of choice being a green ring that enables the wearer to create anything their mind can imagine. You see, green is the color of will, and to be a Green Lantern, one must possess no fear. Hal one night stumbles across a dying Green Lantern named Abin Sur, and soon after must take up Abin Sur’s ring and briefly train on the planet Oa in order to help stop a monster of yellow fear named Paralax, who has his sights set on Earth. In the meantime, Hal juggles his newfound responsibilities with a budding romance with his fellow pilot and life-long friend, Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), as well as stopping Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard), a scientist infected The Lance with Paralax’s yellow power of fear. Now, if this all sounds silly to you, keep in mind that this is a sci-fi story, afi:er all. There were quite a few elements of Green Lantern that I liked, but first, let me identify the weaker elements of the film. For a superhero who's tied to such a vast and interesting mythology, a run ning time of 115 minutes doesn't really do the story justice. The film's rushed feeling certainly is felt during the climax and other action sequences, which, interestingly enough, is a problem that I (and others) had with the Iron Man movies; action that goes by too fast. Basically, this movie could have benefit- ted fi:om 15 or 20 more minutes to its running time, which could’ve both developed the story a bit better as well as given the action more punch. Then there's the character of Carol Ferris and her romance with Hal, which are underdeveloped. Another underuti- Uzed element which I thought had more potential was Hal's relationship/similar- ities to his dead father. The movie push es these to the side to focus more on everything relating to the mythology of this universe, and in some areas, it ends up hurting it a little bit. But a curious criticism I have here is that while the Hal/Carol romance is kind of one dimensional, there are still moments of genuine chemistry between the two actors, fleeting though they may be. I DO see potential for growth there in possible sequels. One last criticism is the lack of any depth to the story beyond the basic ele ments of an origin story, like I previous ly mentioned. And yet, while the story is basic, it's nonetheless told and handled in an entertaining fashion. The writers have quite a bit of exposition to tell to the audience, and it's at least communicat ed in such a way that a relative novice like me was able to follow and under stand the background. The mythology and history of the Green Lantern Corps is pretty damn fascinating, so fascinat ing in fact, that I'm now compelled to go back and read some Green Lantern comics. Say what you will about Ryan Reynolds, but he made for a fiin and likable hero here. Granted, I'm not familiar with the personality and quirks of the Hal Jordan firom the comics, but the quirks of Ryan Reynolds worked just fine for the Hal Jordan I was seeing on-screen. I'm happy to see Reynolds finally get such a big movie under his belt. (See GREEN, Page 15) **Think GlobaUy, Act Locally”
