Green Lantern (2011)

What's it about? The Green Lantern Corps is sort of a universal police force, consisting of a load of super-powered aliens who safeguard the various inhabited worlds of the universe, wielding the power of magical green rings which can give form to whatever they imagine. One of these peace-keepers is mortally wounded by Parallax, a malevolent force of evil and makes his way to Earth to find someone on whom to confer his ring. He and his ring find their way to US Air Force pilot Hal Jordan, who is inducted into the Corps, but he's about to have a fight on his hands - Parallax is headed for Earth.

*****

What's it like? Much like Thor, on whose tail this swiftly followed at cinemas, Green Lantern tends towards the silly. There's lots of daft jargon - the emerald energy of willpower, the yellow energy of fear - but the film lacks the playfulness to make these elements work. Instead it all comes across as very dour and serious, when it should be much lighter-hearted. Given that Hal Jordan is played by Ryan Reynolds, a very funny and charismatic actor, it's hard to see where it went wrong. But go wrong it did. There are some vague, ill-defined daddy issues in there somewhere and a scientist with a desire to be taken more seriously than he is, but it all becomes such heavy going. The plot synopsis set out above is essentially delivered in voice-over while an abundance of fairly mediocre computer-generated effects play out on the screen. The director, Martin Campbell has brought us The Mask of Zorro and Casino Royale in recent(ish) years, so he can clearly direct very well and balance action with lighter beats when he needs to, but here he seems out of his depth and uncomfortable with the material.

Tonally, the film is unsure when to go for playful and when to up the threat-level, opting instead for a more sombre pitch throughout. The effect is a little distancing and disengaging, which is a shame as I really wanted to be drawn in and there were clearly some talented people involved with some good ideas. Somewhere along the line, it just lost its way.

*****

Should I see it? From an aesthetic point of view? I wouldn't bother. As a Christian, I don't think there's much here that should trouble your conscience. We see Hal Jordan wake up after a one night stand with a woman in his bed and although it is clear what happened the night before, there are no explicit references to it and no nudity or sexual content. I don't recall any bad language of note, though it may have passed me by. The film's 12A certificate is mostly accounted for by some fairly violent fight scenes and the metamorphosis of a character who is infected by Parallax, which will be a bit strong for younger children. Anyone from, say, the last couple of years of primary school upwards should be fine, though you know your children and whether they are more or less fragile when it comes to unsettling images of mis-shapen heads and demonstrations of telekinesis. Approach with caution, in every sense.