Green Lantern MPAA Rating: PG-13 Entertainment: +2 Content: -4

Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong, Angela Bassett, Tim Robbins, Temuera Morrison, Jay O. Sanders, Taika Waititi, Jon Tenney. Comic book action adventure. Written by Greg Berlanti & Michael Green & Marc Guggenheim and Michael Goldenberg. Directed by Martin Campbell.

FILM SYNOPSIS: Protectors of peace and justice called the Green Lantern Corps, are a brotherhood of warriors sworn to keep intergalactic order, each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him superpowers. But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of their newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds). Hal is a gifted test pilot, but the Green Lanterns have little respect for humans, who have never harnessed the infinite powers of the ring before. But Hal is clearly the missing piece to the puzzle, and along with his determination and willpower, he has one thing no member of the Corps has ever had: humanity.

PREVIEW REVIEW: The opening is electrifying, using 3D effectively, but just as quickly the film becomes tooooo intense. Ryan Reynolds is well cast as the cocky pilot (think James T. Kirk in the most recent Star Trek movie), but he’s also allowed to say “G--D---”, a phrase that sorely sticks out in the alternate world of comic book super hero action/adventure. Come to think of it, it sticks out sorely in every storytelling venue. And though it must seem old fogey-ish, I must denounce the film’s violence. How the producers avoided an R-rating, I’m not sure. I would strongly advise parents not to let preteens see this film. Not only do we have constant battles, but one character becomes infected with space alien blood and undergoes a Wolman-like transformation, spending much of the film in agony.

I keep wondering where this visceral bombardment will level off. It appears that each action adventure film is determined to outdo its predecessors with gory details. As with the Green Hornet, The Green Lantern’s PG-13 rating illustrates just how lenient the MPAA rating system has become. Suddenly, I became very nervous, something was bothering my spirit.

Teens, before you roll your eyes at that last statement, keep in mind I’ve been reviewing films for 24 years and have seen everything there is to see on film. But once in a while, the handling of graphic situations with an overload of technical gimmickry becomes unnerving, even to me. So, let me ask, doesn’t some imagery bother you? If not, how come? If the answer is because you’ve seen so much on your entertainment outlets, allow me to suggest that you don’t let media’s mediums desensitize you. Yes, it’s just a movie, but the constant explosion of violent content set before your eyes from every media source, may be more destructive than you think on mind, body and spirit.

Though the film attempts to incorporate some positive messages, mostly it’s just an actioneer wherein the huge budget has allowed for lots of destruction. And then there are the space Guardians, the overlords in space who are credited with the creation of everything. I realize we can’t take too much seriously in a comic-book-come-to-3D-life, but the constant theme in Sci-fi films is that there is no one God, that the universes were constructed by other forces or deities. Sometimes those stories can be used metaphorically, relaying potent parables; sometimes I think they are simply used by storytellers bent on leading their followers away from the greatest story ever told.

DVD Alternative:>/b> Just to show you I’m not against the super hero genre as a whole, I point back to the first Iron Man with Robert Downey, Jr.

Preview Reviewer: Phil Boatwright
Distributor: Warner Bros.