Plot wise, it was extremely straight forward - practically to a fault. It was thinly written and everything was just awfully too convenient. Plus, countless subplots were introduced throughout the film and largely went nowhere. With that, some of the characterization obviously ended up weak and a tad derivative.
Good thing, the special effects were actually pretty good. I thought the visuals were at their best when Hal's in the other planet. The concept and delivery of the energy-created suit and some of the constructs were also quite stunning. My personal favorite though was when Parallax was sucking whatever it was from the bones of random creatures. Haha. Yes, some of it got pretty engrossing at times. The action sequences were pretty rad as well, if a bit few. Could I have used more? Absolutely. But I thought it was enough for an introductory film.
Now, the casting ensemble, I thought, was done correctly as most of them came off surprisingly pretty likable. Ryan Reynolds was actually very charming as the lead. I seriously doubted if he'll be able to pull off the role, but he was actually better than I expected. I did question if he wanted to be a wisecracking douche or a man of honor - shifting between the two pretty quickly was less believable - but it was more on the writing than his performance.
Blake Lively, on the other hand, started off pretty generic, but she slightly evolved into something more than the usual love interest. I thought she added her own charm to the character. Yes, I didn't find myself invested in her relationship with Ryan Reynolds, but whatever. Mark Strong also gave a pretty solid performance even with the little material he was given and the rest of the supporting cast were competent, at the very least.
As for Peter Sarsgaard, I thought he was pretty good as Hector Hammond. The only problem I had with him - and Parallax for that matter - was the fact that they didn't appear even remotely threatening. Somehow, a superhero's stature gets elevated by the quality of his villains, and with Green Lantern, the villains weren't menacing or devastating AT ALL.
Oh, and one last thing, I really hated the fact that the introduction to the story was done in a stilted, exposition-heavy monologue. I don't know. It just irked me. Haha.
To be fair, Green Lantern was fairly entertaining. It was just plagued with so many flaws that it can only be described as a missed opportunity. As a single movie for a bit of Hollywood entertainment, it was fine. That's all.
RATING: 6/10
