Is The Green Lantern as bad as the 25% rating at Rotten Tomatoes would have you believe? I'd say no. Granted it should be noted that my expectations were low and I'm not well versed in the character mythology. Based on the DC comic, The Green Lantern features Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan--an ace pilot whose encounter with a dying alien gives him a new purpose in life. While not as entertaining as the slightly underdeveloped Thor or the equally overstuffed X-Men: First Class, The Green Lantern is hardly a bad movie. In fact, there's quite a bit in it that I found pretty entertaining. Director Martin Campbell is to be commended for his technical prowess. The Green Lantern zips around the cosmos at a freakish pace and the relentless world trotting sort of gave the movie an intergalactic James Bond feel. For what its worth, the action sequences are well handled too. The biggest problem with The Green Lantern lies in the convoluted screenplay. The truth is, this material is just far too dense for a two hour movie and the collective screenwriting team never really figure out a way to flesh everything out. Key plot points such as Hal Jordan's hero training, the love story between he and Blake Lively's Carol Ferris, and Hector Hammond's transformation from unloved nerd to big brained super villain almost feel like after thoughts. Reynolds has energy to be sure. In the earlier parts of the picture, he appears to be channeling the spirit of Tom Cruise's Maverick from Top Gun. Will the arrogant but fearful Hal Jordan be able to conquer his fear? It doesn't take a genius to figure out the answer to that question.

The Green Lantern has a hard time balancing the right mixture of humor and seriousness despite Reynolds' considerable effort. At its goofiest, The Green Lantern had moments that reminded me of the Jim Carey vehicle The Mask (particularly during the high tech effects sequences in which Hal uses his ring--his source of power--to form various objects of protection), while Peter Sarsgaard's sympathetic villain reminded me of Jeffrey Jones' alien infected Walter Jenning in the much ridiculed Howard the Duck. To Sarsgaard's credit, he's actually quite entertaining in the part. Blake Lively is gorgeous to be sure but her role is nothing short of thankless. The intergalactic vistas and the wide assortment of strange creatures that populate The Green Lantern aren't exactly organic looking, but they still give the film a sort of Star Wars feel. It was also fun watching Hal teach various alien races that having fear is okay.

Its that very fear that help make us who we are. This element adds depth to a slight finale (involving a monstrous alien force called Parallax) which--while stunning to look at--feels like its over before anything really happens. Even the Hector Hammond story thread feels a little short changed. In a summer of high profile superhero movies, The Green Lantern is probably on the lower end, but it beats the hell out of Fantastic Four. Furthermore, I'd much rather watch this than Fast Five (which, coincidentally, is sitting at 78% at Rotten Tomatoes--go figure).