EPISODES WATCHED: 7 OUT OF 8
I can’t remember at what point I was first drawn to the Green Lantern comics growing up, but I do know that I’ve always had a soft spot for the franchise. I’d like to pretend it’s nothing to do with the Ryan Reynolds film that everyone hated, but I can’t really guarantee that as a fact. With that being said, when they announced Lanterns as part of the early state of DC, I was intrigued. I’ve always felt it had the potential to be one of the coolest powers visualised on screen, and I couldn’t wait to see how they demonstrated them as part of the HBO Max show.
Luckily for the younger version of me who occasionally wore a Green Lantern costume, it’s a really successful debut into the DC Universe (DCU) for the characters, and considerably more promising than the last version. Interestingly, it also comes at a time when, despite people’s optimism for the franchise, it still feels like we’re in a period of make-or-break for the studios. James Gunn and Peter Safran came into their roles promising they would turn the franchise’s fortunes around, but with Supergirl flopping (badly) and minimal other content for fans to root for, it’s not leaving fans feeling positive. I think Lanterns may change that.
The eight-part show follows an older, reckless Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) as he investigates a murder in Rushville, Nebraska, whilst also training the incredibly serious recruit to the Green Lantern Corps, John Stewart (Aaron Pierre). Jordan thinks the murder is linked to extra-terrestrials, but local Sheriff Kerry (Kelly Macdonald) thinks otherwise. The two of them soon discover there is something potentially more sinister going on amidst the community that forms the core mystery within the show for the two to solve. A lot of the talk online since the first episode dropped has also been about the two different time periods that really elevate the series’ mysteries even further.
Read More Of Our Reviews Here →
The credit for the show’s success should undoubtedly go towards Pierre and Chandler, who are both brilliant and really encapsulate the characters perfectly. Chandler expertly plays the maverick character with no interest in being replaced by Stewart. I haven’t seen him in lots, but I really enjoyed his performance. It often felt like a bit of a good cop bad cop scenario between the two, especially because of how regimented Stewart’s character felt at first. It helps that the show felt incredibly grounded throughout. A lot of people with superhero fatigue feel that way because of how often we’ve seen heavy uses of CGI/AI within superhero media. Lanterns takes a different approach. By focusing on its mystery more than the superhero elements, it feels much more accessible and watchable to fans. The characters’ journeys are considerably more standout than anything we’ve seen in recent years from Marvel and DC. We’re still left with lots of unknown answers by the time the show ends, but fans will finish Lanterns and be incredibly invested in how the future of the DCU story pans out.
I had a lot of fun with the show, and instantly felt more enthusiastic towards DC as a result. It’s hard to tell at this point if they’ll be able to maintain the momentum from the show, with so much up in the air, but with Spider-Man: Brand New Day doing so well in cinemas, we could be heading towards a revitalised period of superheroes on our screens. For Marvel and DC. Until then, it will be interesting to see just how the show ends. It’s going to be a long wait until October!
Lanterns is on HBO Max weekly all the way through to October 4th.
