Warner Bros. and DC Comics are finally getting their act together. With Marvel Studios striking out on their own, DC knew they were going to have to make a big splash to compete with titles beyond Bats and Supes. With a “Wonder Woman” project stalling repeatedly over the years, and “Justice League” proving an impossible challenge, DC moves down the totem to the next most franchiseable character, the Green Lantern (arguably as B-list as "Iron Man," and look how well that paid off). With a script in place, and Martin Campbell (“Casino Royale”
directing, “Green Lantern” is set to be a big 2010 release. But is the script any good?
If we were a studio executive or an undemanding audience member, after reading this script we'd say “Heck yes!” The current draft has it has a wonderfully light tone, a mixture of “Iron Man” and “The Last Starfighter” in both its endearingly goofy science fiction touches and its made-to-order main character arc. But, we're not a studio exec, nor are we undiscerning moviegoers, so as of now, we have to comment on the unsatisfying villain, the weak character work, and the terrible, terrible jokes. But more on that later.
The Origin Director Is NOT Listed On The Script
While originally Greg Berlanti (“Brothers And Sisters”
was hired to pen the script with an eye towards directing, this current draft has Berlanti above the names Michael Green and Marc Guggenheim. What The Playlist sources have learned is that there should be another name in this group- “Monster House” wunderkind director Gil Kenan. It's not known whether the portions of the script Kenan worked on remain, or were excised by Green and Guggenheim, but Kenan has long been attached to the project and was set to direct until the opening weekend receipts on his “City Of Ember” came in. As is, Campbell's a credible action director, but Kenan would have been a much better fit for the material. Not sure how Kenan's skill wasn't defined by the well-reviewed “Ember” but rather on how well the film did with an extremely small marketing budget and zero public exposure, but that's Hollywood.
The Set-Up: Origins
The geek-friendly property opens with narration detailing the existence of the Green Lantern Corps, an intergalactic law enforcement institution that protects the universe, we begin the story fifteen years from present day, where we encounter a young Hal Jordan, helping his pilot father Martin get ready for an airshow. Before what we can guess is his fateful flight, he shares a moment with Hal and spills a whole lotta words of inspiration, a tender moment that you can be sure will be revisited more than once.
Years Later- How Hal Jordan Becomes The Lantern
After an airshow tragedy, we cut to modern day, when Lantern Abin-Sur tangos with a dangerous tentacled force known as Legion, one that is ruthlessly killing Lanterns without motive or purpose. Abin Sur takes the battle to Earth, where we meet an older but not much more mature Hal Jordan. Now a pilot himself, he participates in a particularly dangerous presentation/action sequence, before being admonished by friends and family despite success. It's then when Abin Sur's ship comes crashing into the atmosphere, landing in the desert, and his ring sends out a distress signal, partly for help, partly to find a successor that it finds Hal. Among the people it flies by are a football coach with the jersey name “Gardner” (one of many Green Lantern mythos nods the film makes- lots of fan service in this) and a “glasses-wearing reporter at THE DAILY PLANET.” Eventually, it settles on Hal, who is hit by a mysterious green beam of energy moments before his car is transported to the site of the wreck, but not before a crash course given by Abin Sur's and a flash of images to teach Jordan of the history of the Green Lanterns. As Jordan reaches the dying body of the Alien guardian, he bestows upon him the ring, the source of all his powers.
And that's pretty much the first act. We then see Jordan learn the abilities of the ring, meet and join the other Corps, eventually finding the inner strength to become the man his father would be proud of while also trying to take down Legion and woo his lady love. At the same time, Jordan's origin is mirrored by an egotistical army pathologist named Hector Hammond, also with daddy issues, who allows the segment of Legion recovered from the crash site to infect him and give him astronomical superpowers, which he uses to cause widespread mayhem and carnage for little real purpose.
WHAT'S GOOD:
*The action. The massive galactic clashes between the Lantern Corps and Legion should be worth the ticket alone. There's one move that Jordan pulls near the close of the script that we recall only faintly happening in the comics, a moment that will be a big rewind scene when the film hits DVD.
*The light approach. It's not dark and brooding. It's epic, and there's a lot at stake, but it's big, colorful action sci-fi. The script is very short and moves quickly- there's no reason this should be over two hours long.
* The story introduces a number of story possibilities for not one but several sequels and prequels. A late scene explores the notion that Jordan was very obviously not the first Green Lantern, nor will he be the last. There's a sense of history, a legacy at play, and the promise of later stories should excite even non-nerds.
*Finally, a superhero movie where the character has a fully functional family life. This is a nice detail, since most “heroes” are abandoned or orphaned, either as an affliction like Batman or oddly unmentioned like Spider-Man. He's still got the tragedy with his father, but he also has a wisecracking brother and a concerned mother who doesn't have a whole lot to do but has her complex relationship with her son illustrated in only a few moments.
*Unlike the comics, Green Lantern has no weakness to the color yellow (no not cowardice, the color).
THE BAD:
-Greg Berlanti comes from the world of television, having created the soapy “Brothers And Sisters.” However, that's no excuse for the dialogue to play so broad and sitcom-y. There's a lot of uninspired verbal humor, with the loquacious Jordan often remarking incredulously on what's going on in a TV snark manner that makes the reader imagine a Nathan Fillion type in the lead instead of a Ryan Gosling. They definitely modeled Jordan on movie raconteur Tony Stark, but they removed that film's wit and added slapstick, witty kids and obvious comic relief characters.
-The script's second act cross-cuts between Hal Jordan and Hector Hammond learning their own abilities. However, a lot of the Hammond stuff plays like deadweight- he's a snarky, obnoxious nothing of a character, and there's an awful lot of build up to his inevitable coronation as a bad guy. Hammond and Jordan don't cross paths until near the end of act two, and it feels like a heavily-trumped-up, empty conflict.
-The entire structure of the script is pretty familiar, in set-ups and payoffs. In a way, it's a good thing, because it forces Hal Jordan to show growth and inner strength as a character, but it's pretty transparent third act maneuvering when Jordan is forced to accomplish many tasks without the power of the ring. It feels very “Rocketeer,” especially with the hero pilot echoes, but it also implies we're more interested in the character than the crazy action, and without an excellent actor in the lead, this is a deadly gamble.
There's no reason that “Green Lantern” won't be a bigtime release in 2010's holiday season. The kids will love the action, the fans will love the straight-faced embrace of history, and action nuts looking for a quick fix. Still, we're this far into the superhero genre, and its surprising to still see such a timid approach. “Lantern” has less to say about the world than the usual film of this type, and the material suggests it's a notch decidedly below “The Dark Knight.” But if Martin Campbell can work within the realm of major greenscreen effects, there's no reason this wouldn't be the start of a modestly entertaining big budget franchise.
