'The Green Lantern' is unpompous

Film: The Green Lantern
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Clancy Brown, Mark Strong Peter Sarsgaard, Geoffrey Rush, Michael Clarke Duncan, Angela Basset, Tim Robbins, Temuera Morrison
Director: Martin Campbell
Rating: ***1/2

Hal Jordan (Reynolds) a hot shot test pilot who apart from being irresponsible doesn’t quite know the meaning of fear -- a key job requirement for the Green Lantern Corps, an intergalactic police force spawned by a race of immortal aliens, the Guardians of the Universe. The Lanterns, each assigned to a particular sector of the universe, are assigned to uphold justice and peace with powers invested in them by the collective will of the universe which is filtered through a power ring and augmented by their own will and creative vision. Jordan happens to come across one such entity, Abin Sur (Morrison) who bestows upon his ring after crash-landing into earth after an encounter with Parallax (voice of Brown), a fear-inspiring entity that he had vanquished earlier.

Whisked away to the planet Oa, the base of the lanterns, Jordan is schooled in the by the fish-like Tomar-Re (voice of Rush) and behemoth Kilowog (Duncan), though he is looked on disapprovingly by Corps leader Sinestro (Strong) on account of him being of a primitive race. With Parallax, now a planet-eating force capable of obliterating Green Lanterns, looming closer to Oa and insinuating its way into the DNA of Earth scientist Hector Hammond (Sarsgaard), who autopsied Abin Sur, Jordan must prove that he has what it takes to be the Green Lantern.

Green Lantern is a marriage of sci-fi space opera with superhero action with liberal sprinklings of comedy that tap into a streak of sarcasm running through the minds of a mildly incredulous audience. The film also maintains a great deal of consistency the will v/s fear theme throughout.  Ranking lower than Batman Begins engagement-wise, Green Lantern is somewhere near Spiderman 2, though miles above Iron Man 2 or, more recently, Thor.

In terms of acting, there isn’t much to complain about Reynolds who manages well with the cocky character concealing a strong vulnerability. One wises there was more to the character of the tragic Hammond, wonderfully essayed by Sarsgaard, a figure under-appreciated by his Senator father (Robbins).

The film has unobtrusive and impactful CGI that plays out meaningfully in 3D. The design of Parallax, tough, leaves much to be desired.

Yes, Green Lantern, with its irreverence and occasional disarming self-deprecatory humour popping up, lacks the grittiness of Dark Knight but this, perhaps, works in the film’s favour, steering it clear of a pompous path that would only cause it to be overwrought with pointless ‘realism’.