Mixed bag of tricks and thrills from Ryan Reynolds

At long last, Tinseltown has finally found a way to enable  Green Lantern, our boyhood’s favorite superhero, to step out of the pages of comic books and onto the big screen. And, with the consistently watchable Ryan Reynolds wearing the mystical emerald ring and green tights, there’s no way for the latest actioner of director Martin Campbell (“Casino Royale,” “The Mask of Zorro”) to fail, is there?

—Well, if anything, the movie proves there’s no such thing as a Sure Thing in the movies these days.

In Reynolds’ hands, Hal Jordan aka the Green Lantern of Space Sector 2814, is far from the brooding and hot-tempered test pilot depicted in the DC comics series. Like Tony Stark and Johnny Storm on celluloid, he is rash, opinionated, impertinent, vain and cocky, which instantly makes him amusing and entertaining.

When the dying Abin Sur (Temuera Morrison), a revered warrior from the Green Lantern Corps—a brotherhood of intergalactic cops sworn to protect the 3,600 sectors of the universe—crash-lands on earth, he chooses Hal to be his replacement.

Violent death

The ring fits the earthling to a T—but, a Green Lantern is supposed to be fearless, and Hal still needs to get over the paralyzing fear he feels every time he recalls the violent death of his pilot-father, which he witnessed as a child.

To make matters worse, the parasitic Parallax, the Corps’ greatest nemesis, feeds on his enemies’ fears! How can Hal fulfill his destiny as a superhero if his painful past continues to haunt him?

Campbell delivers a fast-paced, action-packed thriller that benefits from the colorful mythology of the Green Lantern Corps and the Guardians who watch over them—a mixed bag of tricks and thrills! Unlike

Kenneth Branagh’s smartly realized “Thor,” however, he fails to make its cluttered elements come together.

And, it doesn’t help that the film’s CG-heavy special effects have a cartoon-y polish that doesn’t blend well with its real-time photography. Half the time, you feel you’re just watching expensive animation. But, kids will no doubt be entertained by the “cool” green “toys” and gadgets Hal conjures up as he battles the baddies.

Sight to behold

Reynolds embodies the dashing physicality of his cinematic alter ego—in those green tights, he is truly a sight to behold. Unfortunately, the actor is just playing his charming self in the movie. His light-as-a-feather characterization fudges over the qualities that allow Hal Jordan to transcend the limited dimensions of his comic-book origin.

You know how he feels about his situation, but you don’t feel what’s at stake for him—which is vital in creating and developing a character.

Stubbornness

As Jordan’s mentor, Sinestro, Mark Strong firmly establishes the stubbornness that will eventually turn him against his friends and colleagues, while Peter Sarsgaard (as the troubled  psionics expert, Dr. Hector Hammond) is appropriately sinister. Hammond’s dicey relationship with his senator-father (Tim Robbins) further informs his tortured countenance.

Blake Lively (as Hal’s love interest, Carol Ferris) also does well: While mostly decorative, her character isn’t a clueless and defenseless maiden who can’t fend for herself.

The first time Carol shares an intimate moment with Green Lantern on her porch, she immediately sees through the mask, and exclaims, “Hal?! I’ve seen you naked—I know you’re Hal Jordan!”

Busted.