MOVIE REVIEW

Superhero movies are definitely the buzz in Hollywood as of late. "Green Lantern" marks the first DC Comics book movie of the summer season.

Marvel Comics movies have a feeling about them when you watch them. Usually they are lighter and reach a more general audience. DC movies, like "The Dark Knight" and "Watchmen," are usually a bit darker and cater to more of the comic book fan crowd.

The announcement of the Justice League movie, a few months before the release of "Green Lantern" means the green knight will be teaming up with Superman and a new Batman.

"Green Lantern" is about a test-pilot named Hal Jordan, played by Ryan Reynolds, who does not always follow the rules exactly as he should. He gets himself in trouble when he is at his lowest and an all-powerful ring chooses him to become the next Green Lantern, the defender of Earth. He was chosen after the death of an alien who had the ring. The ring automatically makes Jordan a member of the elite force known as the Green Lanterns. He goes through training on how to use the ring and he saves a few people. Then a giant monster comes and threatens the safety of humanity, so it is up to Jordan to save humankind. The movie follows your typical comic book story arc.

"Green Lantern," like the plot itself, was very average. One of the best things about this movie was Reynolds, his adaptation of Jordan was great — probably the only really memorable performance of this movie. Reynolds is a very dedicated actor, especially when it comes to superhero characters. I am just counting down the days until the "Deadpool" movie comes out starring Reynolds.

In addition to Reynolds' performance, the effects stood out in this movie. The planet that Jordan goes to is sprawling and filled with life. In particular, I thought that one of the best scenes in the movie is when the lanterns are all together. If you look carefully, every lantern is different. I thought that this was a nice feat to accomplish. Other than those two things, nothing really stood out for me.

Throughout the film, I found myself wondering why Jordan didn't use the ring more often. This ring comes with unlimited potential, and I would be using it all the time. Jordan barely used it, even in the climactic ending. This really bothered me for whatever reason, maybe because this is a superhero movie, but the superhero doesn't use his powers.

Despite the star-studded cast, many of whom have been great in other roles, like Tim Robbins of "The Shawshank Redemption," Geoffery Rush of "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "The King's Speech," and Michael Clarke Duncan of "The Green Mile," there were really no memorable performances except for Reynolds.

The end battle was nothing by predictable and eventless, except for the visual effects. This brainy scientist was building up to have this action-packed final battle with Jordan, but instead he and Jordan never really ever battle it out.

I saw this movie in 3D, which I thought was a waste, because the depth and effects were not great. I would put them on par with "Thor."

This movie is just passable, for those who are not comic book or Reynolds fans. "Green Lantern" is just a lazy attempt at making a superhero movie, which is a shame because it could have been so good. With the likelihood of a sequel, I hope producers will learn from their mistakes and make the next one more on par with "X-Men: First Class" and "The Dark Knight."

Wait for DVD/Blu-Ray on this one, and trust me, you will not miss much by waiting a few months to see this on the smaller screen. Don't worry about missing the 3D, it does not add anything.