Green Lantern (2D) - 2 smiles

You have to wonder how many more superhero movies we’re going to have to endure. For every enjoyable Dark Knight and Ironman, you get Green Hornet, Jonah Hex and, unfortunately (because I like Ryan Reynolds), “Green Lantern.” And you know you’re in trouble when the script lists four writers, which results in a story that seems assembled from bits and pieces of other superhero yarns. Hal Jordan (Reynolds) is a hotshot pilot who doesn’t play by the rules. After being fired for destroying an expensive fighter plane during a war game, Hal discovers a dying purple alien (Temeura Morrison) who gives him a ring and a green lantern imbued with cosmic powers. After putting on the ring and pledging allegiance to the lantern, Hall finds himself transported to another world where he learns that he is now a member of the Green Lantern Corps, a band of intergalactic warriors who fight against the forces of evil. There’s just enough time for Hal to get a crash course on how to use his ring to channel his will before he learns that an ancient enemy, the Parallax, has escaped from its prison and is rampaging through the galaxy, heading (of course) for Earth. Wearing a cool green costume, Hal returns home to confront Parallax’s agent, Dr. Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard), prove his worth to his ex-girlfriend, Carol Ferris (Blake Lively) and defeat the bad guy.

Ryan Reynolds does the best he can with the material he has. You pretty much believe his transformation from self-absorbed hotshot to self-sacrificing champion although it’s not as good as the change Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark undergoes. Peter Sarsgaard is very effective as Hector Hammond although the script dumps him as the climax nears. Hector is angry, jealous and has monumental daddy issues, but the screenplay doesn’t allow him to interact much with Hal so a lot of Sarsgaard’s value is lost. And Blake Lively is supposed to be eye candy so she doesn’t get to do much although she’s a better actor than Transformers 3’s Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. Visually, go for the 2D version. It’s brighter and clearer than the 3D version. And there’s nothing about the CGI that demands 3D is better. If you like superhero stories, you’ll enjoy “Green Lantern,” but it’s not likely to win over the general movie-going populace. June 17, 2011