Character Study Over Sci-Fi Spectacle (DC Studios Lanterns review)

 

Still at the building-block stage of the DCU, James Gunn continues to set this franchise on a course similar to the MCU's expansion into television. Hopefully for the better, Lanterns makes that reality possible with its 8-episode first season. (Hopefully, they renew it) With the help of stellar producers, Damon Lindelof (Watchmen), Chris Mundy, and Tom King.

Lanterns introduces us to a southern town called Rushville, where Hal Jordan, the current Green Lantern in 2016, is suspicious of a conspiracy no one else believes in, while the Guardians of Oa enlist John Stewart, an ex-military candidate, to possibly replace Hal and shadow the Green Lantern in this investigation. Ten years later, John and Hal are forced to reckon with the suffering they caused the last time they were there, creating a double-edged mystery. 

The show's backdrop and aesthetic evoke an unfamiliar setting reminiscent of Western cop shows and True Detective, with a sci-fi twist. With that, Lanterns explores the themes of generational trauma and the nuances of breaking or embracing fear through the male perspective, in differing lenses of a white man in fear of being replaced and a black man lacking the mundane to be the worthy alternative. 

Through the 8 episodes, it almost feels like two seasons of a show. Still, they manage to keep us invested enough in the interturmoil, the fleshed-out dialogues of well-written characters, and the mystery that drives the plot forward. In its DNA, it fits well with most of HBO's most prestigious dramas, pushing for character-driven drama as they navigate worldbuilding outside of it as well. There are times when Lanterns seems too small for the DCU, but I don't think it takes away as much as everyone worries it could. 

Unlike the previous installments of the DCU that lean into the silly when it comes to their sci-fi elements, Lanterns stays more grounded, particularly in the character designs of the aliens introduced here. This could be a decision based on a TV budget, and at times it does hinder its place in an already vast universe that has proved itself significantly quirky. This is merely an acknowledgment that this is James Gunn's world, and it's a weird one to live in. Will it be something that could prove itself a continuity error later on? I do not think so, because many of the concepts of alien-like proportions carry more emotional weight, evident in their demeanor and presence, setting them apart from the likes of the Kaiju we see in Superman or the MCU-like aliens we meet in Supergirl. 

As noted before, the show thrives on its characters, especially Aaron Pierre's performance as John Stewart, who is secretly the main protagonist. The liberties they take with his character are exponential, but it packs plenty of punch. But it shows not only through his own characteristics but also through the people around him, like his parents and the environment he grew up in. There are nuances that feed into the overall arc of fear, exploring what fear looks like from the perspective of a Black man. In the vein of Marvel's Falcon and The Winter Soldier, these struggles, although more internal than Sam Wilson's journey, uncover the intricacies of grey within the black and white of fear, which is ultimately missing from John due to his parents' lack of balance, less nurture than nature in their approach. 

This challenges Hal's ideals; a man who also lacked fear, or more accurately omitted it from his being, came from loss and responsibility that befell him at too young an age. This spurs the blur of entrusting children with broken promises and unwanted baggage from a parent who dismissed their mental health, and Hal is forced to carry that burden until the moment he is given the ring. 

This and various other factors cause both a rift and an understanding between the two characters that no one else would ever grasp. Having these two together, from banter to the inhibition of pure hatred, Pierre and Kyle Chandler uncover something special and keep this show entertaining with their dynamic, even if that dynamic is explored in unconventional ways in the later episodes. 

Unlike the MCU shows, Lanterns does not lean into spectacle, which made it easy not to feel that the filmmaking choices here would make this feel like an 8-hour-long movie. It is treated like a high-scale television show, with several arcs and perspectives at play, challenging one notion after another, and there is a lot they explore here that could not have been condensed to film scale. But does making this into a show hinder its chances of being recognized by a larger audience? It was an issue that Marvel has faced with several of the characters they have attempted to cross over from the small screen to the big screen. 

Another worry would be the show's choices to challenge and, to an extent, abandon aspects of the Green Lantern lore and ideology. With the ways the show was tackling its characters, I wouldn't have expected otherwise. Although jarring and sometimes coming off as bittersweet, the choices that strayed from the source material did make sense; in fact, they promise conflict, but will we see it resolved? Risky choices like this in the comic book genre have not proven themselves worth the taking in the long run. A lesson that DC adaptations have learned too many times. Lanterns was still good television and proved its relevance during its run, and I would personally advocate seeing these characters again, whether in a second season or as part of the larger DC universe.