Movie Review: GREEN LANTERN

GREEN LANTERN

2011
PG-13

Green Lantern is a 2011 superhero action film directed by Martin Campbell that tells the origins of Earth's first addition to the Green Lantern Corps. When hotshot fighter pilot Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) manages to destroy a new fighter jet during a simulated dogfight, he comes under heavy scrutiny from his superiors and his peers, especially his wingman (and love interest) Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), for being reckless and irresponsible. Later that night, Hal is whisked to a remote swamp by a mysterious ball of green energy. Once there, he meets an alien who has crash-landed on Earth - the alien soon bestows a mysterious green ring and lantern to Hal and tells him that the ring has chosen him to succeed him. Confused, Hal takes the items home and begins to ponder their power. He soon learns the basics of their use, but as soon as he discovers the ring's hidden power, the same ball of energy takes him to a faraway planet called Oa, where thousands of Green Lanterns reside. Hal begins to learn the ways of the Lanterns via a crash course from lead Lantern Sinestro (Mark Strong). Meanwhile, back on Earth, an aspiring scientist name Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard) receives the honor of conducting the autopsy on the aforementioned alien. In the process, however, he becomes infected by another alien source hidden inside the creature's body. Almost simultaneously, the Lanterns learn of an old enemy named Parallax spreading throughout the galactic sectors in the form of a new type of evil that threatens to take over the universe.

To be fair, I'm selling the storyline a little bit short with the synopsis I've given above. There is a little bit more going on than what I've posited already, and it actually comes off as less confusing than what I've written. However, I don't want to delve into too many details lest I give away the entire storyline before you have a chance to give it a gander. We actually get a relatively interesting story to follow. Sure, it's not brilliant, and it's lack in anything truly unpredictable, but it does well enough to keep the audience engaged in something more than the characters. There are holes here and there, but for the most part, the screenplay works relatively well considering the genre.

If anything's really selling the movie as a success, it's the level of acting. It's nothing truly spectacular, but the cast does a decent job with what they're given. Reynolds always finds a way to be engaging and charismatic in his own off-beat way, so he does well as our central lead. There are a few bigger names that are given screen-time but don't necessarily bring much to the table (here's looking at you, Miss Lively and Tim Robbins). We actually get some semi-strong performances from Sarsgaard (whom I never would've recognized aside from his voice) and Strong (who I also probably wouldn't have recognized), two actors who generally bring a higher standard to their roles. We are also graced with some rather good vocal performances from some of our CGI characters. Be on the listen for the likes of Michael Clarke Duncan and Geoffrey Rush as two of the Green Lanterns who aid Hal in his training.

We also get a rather well-crafted soundtrack for the film, and although it's not the most stellar score I've ever heard, I would like to tip my hat to James Newton Howard for his work.

Overall, Green Lantern has its moments, but it never truly pushes itself beyond a level of "good." I think it had the potential to be something more, but for whatever reason, the filmmakers decided to hold back a little too much, going for something rote and a little contrived instead. In different hands, this movie could have been a smash-hit, but as it stands, it will probably be a fun once-view that will quickly fade into obscurity. Although, they did leave a set-up for a potential sequel - be sure to stick through the credits for an additional scene (it comes halfway through the credits, so you don't have to wait all the way through).

Movie Review Summary:

Grade: C+
0.5 Thumbs Up

Movie Review: THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK

THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK

1998
PG-13

The Man in the Iron Mask is a 1998 action film directed by Randall Wallace. It has been called a very loose adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' The Vicomte de Bragelonne, the second sequel to the famed The Three Musketeers. This film follows a plot by everyone's favorite musketeers: Aramis (Jeremy Irons), Athos (John Malkovich) and Porthos (Gérard Depardieu). These aging soldiers have major issues with how the current king, King Louis XIV (Leonardo DiCaprio), is treating the people of France. The three men decide to take action by finding a prisoner encased in an iron mask to replace the king on his throne. This prisoner (also played by DiCaprio) serves well because he is the unknowing twin brother of the current king. However, one man truly stands in their way: D'Artagnan (Gabriel Byrne), who was once the fourth musketeer in their small group. So the story essentially becomes a battle between the two sides, each of which is either trying to start or prevent a chance in the country's kingship.

If the previous synopsis seemed a little bit convoluted, then you'd be hitting the nail on the head. It's not that the storyline is hard to follow - in fact, it's a little too simplistic. Rather, it's just not very good. I felt like it was entirely predictable. You'd be hard pressed to think that the film would end in a way other than it does, and that doesn't necessarily bode well for this particular film. However, the biggest problem with the film (and I blame the screenplay) is that it never truly pulls you into the story. The Man in the Iron Mask is a film you can watch while working on other things. It's the perfect multi-task flick because you can be working on something else and still know exactly what's going on in the film. For some, this is a good thing because they won't miss any major plot details. In terms of a film's effectiveness, however, there's no hook. That's not a good thing.

I also had some issue with the level of acting in the movie. While no one is downright awful - save Judith Godrèche, who plays King Louis' love interest throughout the film - there's really nobody that's terribly good, either. If anyone is standing above the rest, it's Irons, who I found to be the most believable. Byrne is also very good, but his blank stares kinda killed it a little bit. My biggest issues, however, were with the actors who couldn't even manage to deliver even a hint of an accent. Whereas most of the cast, as well as all supporting and nameless characters, had some sort of accent (it was supposed to be something like French, but anything that didn't sound "American" was a plus for me in this movie), a few of our big names couldn't bring anything like that to the table. For starters, DiCaprio was totally out of his element. I feel like it was too early in his career to delve into a film where he would play dual roles, especially if he couldn't give either character an accent. Shouldn't the King of France sound French? Malkovich also does nothing different with his voice, and that probably annoyed me the most, considering he's a phenomenal actor who's usually so dedicated to his craft. And even though he only plays a minor role early in the film, Peter Sarsgaard doesn't give us an accent. I know I'm nit-picking, but you've gotta be better than that, guys. Seriously.

Oh, and I'd also like to mention that we get a Hugh Laurie sighting in the film. He's not an important role, by any means, but I suppose it's worth mention that "House" did do films before becoming a full-time, certified doctor.

Overall, The Man in the Iron Mask is a tad bit on the boring side, and although you can watch it while working on other things, it still may not be worth your time. Nothing's really adding up to anything of quality, which really is sad considering the caliber of actor we're presented. It's all just too bad.

Movie Review Summary:

Grade: D
1.5 Thumbs Down