Green Lantern (2011) Dir: Martin Campbell

Last seen playing a man buried alive in, erm, Buried, here Ryan Reynolds takes on one of the lesser known comic book characters, Green Lantern.
The plot:
A seemingly unstoppable force of evil known as Parallax is spreading through the universe. The Green Lantern Corps, a multi-species spanning group of Green Lantern's (!) set about trying to stop its destructive path and, in so doing, one of their most revered members is slain. The ring which gave him power leaves him and transfers to another worthy soul in the shape of Reynolds' Hal Jordan, a test pilot for the US Air Force. Propelled to the planet Oa, base of the Green Lantern Corp, governed by The Guardians, Hal learns the truth of his new identity and is himself thrust into the war against Parallax.
Any chance he might be the one to save the day?
Eh?
Though this is certainly entertaining, there are a few issues.
Parallax, the main menace in the movie, is nought but a CGI rendered monstrosity which instantly robs the movie of any genuine tension. Seriously, try and think of a movie where the main villain is a special effect that actually had any tension.
Keep thinking.
Given up?
I know I have.
Next, Hal Jordan's character is a bit of a problem. Here we have a spectacularly good looking man, with a body that looks like it was sculpted. The first time we meet him he is lying in bed next to a beautiful woman before jumping up and dashing off to his day job as a jet fighter with a rebellious streak. I mean, it's pretty hard not to hate his fucking guts.
Add on the ridiculously expositional nature of much of the dialogue - essential as the premise is a pretty complex one - and the one dimensional relationships Hal forges and what you are left with is something that looks spectacular, with the odd sprinkling of interest and humour but which generally leaves you with a sense of 'Meh.'
Not awful, just nothing of particular note, this falls way short of the comic book excellence of the original X-Men movie, Batman Begins or even this years fun and funder fest Thor.
Watch it if you are a die hard comic book fan, otherwise this can be safely ignored.

3 out of 5

X-Men: First Class (2011) Dir: Matthew Vaughn

Fifth movie outing for the mutant franchise, surely everyone is getting a little bit sick of it all by now?
The plot:
It's 1963 and Charles Xavier, a young Professor at Oxford University, becomes increasingly aware of the flourishing of mutant's in the world, and the potential war that is to come, both between 'normal' people and mutants, and within mutant circles, as lines of dominance are forged.
So it is, against a backdrop of growing hostilities between USA and USSR, which would culminate in the Cuban Missile Crisis with the world on the brink of thermonuclear war, that he forms his school for mutants and, with his first intake of pupils, must ensure a peaceful resolution to the Cuban situation.
Being an origins story, much of the focus here is on establishing just why the characters we are familiar with at a latter point in their chronology behave as they do and, in that, this movie is successful.
Having never read the comics, it is difficult to say how accurate they are in terms of the series mythos, but everything seemed to make sense, fine and dandy like.
Other plus points include Kevin Bacon's creepy turn as Sebastian Shaw, the villain of the piece to begin with, until Magneto steps forward, as well as some cool new mutants, in particular Tron disc throwing Havok.
But it's all a touch dull, in truth.
There's no real sense of urgency or dramatic tension.
We know the mutants are going to survive.
We know Professor X and Magneto are going to come through in the end and we know that, in the final showdown, Professor X will be paralysed.
We know all of that, and the writer's don't really give us anything else to chew on.
Functionality is the key word here.
The direction is functional.
The plotting is functional.
The performances are functional.
Nothing stands out, there's no flair, no surprises, nothing to genuinely excite, which is a real surprise considering the director's last movie was the simply excellent Kick Ass.
Can't say it's rubbish, folks, but it's a little in one ear,out the other.

3 out of 5

Iron Man 2 (2010) Dir: Jon Favreau

The inevitable sequel to the surprisingly popular Iron Man hits the screens, all tangles of flying metal and squirtings of testosterone.
But is it any good?
Well, yes, quite simply.
Though not quite as engaging as the original, it is difficult not to enjoy this comic book romp that achieves something so few effects laden movies do: create characters that you give a damn about.
Robert Downey Jr. has made the role of Stark his own, all brash confidence and abrasive smugness in public, riven by complexities and fears when in private, and even the relationship between Stark and his ever present assistant, Miss Pepper Potts, played by that walking tumour Pwyneth Galtrow, is enjoyable enough as they banter ceaselessly.
Normally about now I would detail the plot but, truthfully, here it isn't necessary as there is next to no plot to speak of. Well, a vengeful Russian played with delightful menace by Mickey Rourke, a man whose face looks as if his skin is actually rejecting the skull beneath it, wants to exact his revenge on Stark for the apparent role of the Stark family in his own fathers death.
He's got Iron Man technology of his own, and he's not afraid to use it, striding through the Monaco Grand Prix, wielding his electro-whips with genuine zeal, slicing Stark's car in two with ease.
That's about it for the plot, besides some guff about Stark becoming increasingly erratic due to prolonged exposure to the technology itself.
Inevitably, the last fifteen minutes or so degenerates into a CGI-fest, but it's well executed, and at least has a sense of geography, so you can see what is happening at all times.
Marvel seem to be spunking forth more hits than misses these days, and here's another that falls into the former category.
Very enjoyable indeed.

4 out of 5