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Best Liveaction DC TV Show For Many
Lanterns does right by the Green Lantern mythos and the two most popular human Green Lanterns in ways that will leave DC fans cheering at their screens. [screaming] Yes, it is that good. This is a far cry from Ryan Reynolds ill-received 2011 Green Lantern movie. The new HBO series carefully examines who Hal Jordan and John Stewart are at their core, complete [music] with insightful explorations of their origins to explain why their dynamic plays out the way that it does when the two heroes come together. It's bound to become the best liveaction DC TV show for many.
Like a lot of Green Lantern fans, I also had a couple of common doubts heading into the new show. Was DC right to go older with the Hal Jordan casting? Would there be enough energy constructs and cosmic action in Lanterns if the show was buil as a true detective-like series? Well, the answer to both of those is a resounding yes.
The Green Lantern Action Delivers
Lantern's cast of characters was perfectly put together, and I believe the majority of viewers will come out of this show thinking that Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre's John Stewart are the definitive versions of these characters. Additionally, Lanterns tells a well-written story with quite a few twists and emotional moments as the two human Green Lanterns investigate an alien threat in the small town of Rushville.
Having watched all episodes of the HBO series save for the season finale, I can say that Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King have truly built something special that perfectly walks the line between HBO crime thriller and DC superhero epic. One of the biggest complaints about the first lanterns trailer was that there was not enough green in the show. Well, buckle up as the HBO series does not shy away from its characters comic book origins. What it does is ground all the superhero elements in hard-hitting drama which makes them feel even bigger. Expect plenty of elaborate action sequences in one of the most intense episodes of DC TV with many energy constructs flying around to date.
Hal Jordan and John Stewart Dynamic
After initially being mixed on the casting of the 60-year-old Chandler as Hal Jordan, I have to say that I had nothing to be worried about. Lanterns proves right from the start of episode 1 that Chandler was born to play [music] Hal. It's honestly as if the character had stepped out of the comics onto the small screen as the actor infuses Howal with the same darling, confident, and sarcastic attitude fans have come to love about him.
The decision to make Howal older, thus a Green Lantern veteran who has seen it all, and pair him as a reluctant mentor to the younger, more idealistic Jon Stewart, played by Pierre, was inspired. Their dynamic is the beating heart of the DC series with both characters being completely different.
Lanterns Supporting Cast and Sinestro
While Chandler's Hal and Pierre John are definitely the stars of Lanterns, this is a show booming with interesting characters. No one should sleep on Kelly McDonald as Carrie. Despite being a small town sheriff, Carrie goes toe-to-toe with Hal as the Green Lanterns investigate what could be an alien related threat on Earth. As a fan of his from Fear of the Walking Dead, I was quite interested in what Garrett Dill Hunt would bring to the role of William Makin. The result is one of the most mysterious and intense roles in the HBO series with Dill Hunt being able to easily switch between charming and terrifying.
But when it comes to Olrich [music] Thompson Sinestro, I believe reactions might be mixed. Don't get me wrong, I think Thompson Sinestro is perfect, dropping the necessary [music] bits of wisdom and just gently manipulating Hal. However, he is not a major presence in Lanterns.
The Two Timeline Mystery
And finally, it was a lot of fun to see Nathan Fillian [music] back as Guy Gardner. Lantern's action mainly takes place across two timelines with the Rushville investigation being set in 2016 and a new mystery being unearthed in 2026 after the event of James Gun's Superman movie. All in all, Lanterns is the solo Green Lantern project that DC fans deserve with exciting action, complex characters, and a gritty, magnetic story.
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