Green Lantern 3D (2011)

I knew of the Green Lantern comic book, but never read one. Therefore, this review is based upon the movie itself and does not reflect if the movie was true to the comic. In the Green Lantern, an intelligent ring of immense power chooses test pilot Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) to be its bearer. The ring grants the wearer the ability to create objects out of energy. The “constructs” are limited only by the wearer’s imagination. Brick wall, anti-aircraft gun, etc. Hal joins the ranks of the Green Lanterns, a sort of intergalactic law enforcement unit tasked with fighting the forces of evil. When an ancient evil escapes its prison and begins terrorizing the universe, Hal finds himself being the only thing to stand between it, and the annihilation of Earth and eventually every living thing in the universe.

Nearly all action movies have major plot holes and moments of “well that was convenient.” Green Lantern is no exception. It is however entertaining. The protagonist, Hal, is funny, flawed, good natured and a little narcissistic. Sounds a bit like Tony Stark (Iron Man). This combination seems to fit with the modern day take on superheroes. Reynolds fills this role very well. He fits the character well and delivers some great comic banter with other characters. The graphics are pretty good, with the exception of the antagonist, Parallax, which is a sort of cloud with tentacles and a face etc. In the scenes where they blend Parallax with regular video, it just isn't lit correctly and thus looks like CG.

Green Lantern, like most of the comic book turned movie films, is like cotton candy. Big, enjoyable, fun, but not very substantial. That doesn’t mean it is bad, you just don’t buy a bag of cotton candy for dinner and expect it to fill you up. Green Lantern is not a Godfather or a The Kings Speech, but it is entertaining as far as action movies go. I give it a 7 / 10.