In brightest day, in blackest night,
No evil shall escape my sight.
Let those who worship evil's might,
Beware my power ... Green Lantern's light.
*
HBO/DC's Lanterns is set to premiere, granting fans a pretty clear view of its melodramatic direction.
Most already know Lanterns is a dual deal, with Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan showing the ropes to Aaron Pierre's John Stewart. The duo faces inevitable encounters and clashes with Nathan Fillion's Guy Gardner, thus linking the show to James Gunn's new Superman franchise, as well as the parallel-tracked Peacemaker. As an added treat, Ulrich Thomsen enters as the sinister Sinestro: yet another bit of feels-right casting for this eight-part event.
We've been told the show will emphasize a "buddy" component, which will place it in the Lethal Weapon/Tango & Cash/Rush Hour/48 Hours category. I've no objection to that, since I do fancy such good-natured, quarrelsome team-ups.
Most recent publicity indicates that the series will keep a traditional, crime-drama motif at its core, which strikes me as unorthodox in regard to Green Lantern lore, but maybe The Batman approach will prove prosperous in this instance. Such, combined with its buddy zeal, might even conjure an blanketing, Streets of San Francisco vibe, albeit with super-tech rings for crime-cracking enhancement.
I've often thought that a television series based on the 1970s, Green Lantern/Green Arrow comics would hit the mark, considering its acclaimed handling of socio-political views, but on the other hand, if rendered at present, it would likely turn out biased, so what would be the point? Even so, if Lanterns is successful, something along those lines could emerge and as such, pave Oliver Queen's long-awaited, live-action return. Ah, dream on, right?
HBO lights its Lanterns this Sunday (August 16 at 9pm), with further episodes dropping weekly. I'll share my reflections when the season is through.
I was okay with the detective slant of the initial episode, which will obviously flow down the line. It makes this incarnation more in sync with SMALLVILLE, I suppose: The mythology is there, but it's subdued. The show also has an ALIEN NATION vibe, with an extraordinary context driving an earth-bound mission.
ReplyDeleteGot to the third episode. Is there a guilt trip being layered on here or is it just my imagination? Is Hal Jordan unworthy? (On a related note, at least in regard to the episode's content, the Guardians always did get on my nerves with their wishy-washy, collective perspective. I suppose this show could end up another case in point for the cosmic, judgmental band.)
ReplyDeleteLooks to be an enormity of backlash on Episode #3. Not a good sign. Will the season recover from this?
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