Masand: 'Green Lantern' is underwhelming

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard

Director: Martin Campbell

Based on the DC Comics superhero created all the way back in the 1940s, 'Green Lantern' stars Ryan Reynolds as an irresponsible pilot named Hal Jordan who turns into a superhero when he puts on a coveted green ring that he receives from a dying alien. Now member of the Green Lantern Corps, an army of warriors dedicated to protecting the universe, Hal must put his strength behind vanquishing Parallax, a tentacled blob of evil that is threatening to wipe out everyone and everything in sight.

Closer home, here on earth, the spirit of Parallax takes over science professor Hector Hammond (played by Peter Sarsgaard) who turns into a bulgy-headed psycho that Hal must battle. His love interest, meanwhile, is a fellow pilot (played by Blake Lively) who only shows up as respite in between the bloated action set-pieces.

Reynolds is charming as the green-outfitted superhero, and does well in the film's cheeky-comedy sequences. But Parallax is such an abstract villain that there's never any sense of real danger in the film. For me, 'Green Lantern' failed because of its over-dependence on CGI and special effects; there were times I felt I was watching a jazzy video game. The story is simplistic, there's barely any character depth to speak of, and the acting is mostly hammy. Coming so close on the heels of the superb 'X-Men: First Class', you can't help feeling underwhelmed and a tad cheated too.

I'm going with one-and-a-half out of five for 'Green Lantern'. It's bright and shiny, but its battery runs out too soon.

Rating: 1.5 /5

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