‘Lanterns’ Review: A Gritty, Perfect Introduction to the Lantern Corps

The Lantern Corps is a tricky thing to bring to life. We saw that with the 2011 movie Green Lantern. But Lanterns manages to put DC’s “space cops” in a gritty reality where having the ring isn’t everything.

Chris Mundy, Watchmen and Lost‘s Damon Lindelof, and comic writer Tom King weave a story of power, mystery, and legacy together in a delicious 8 episode run (which press was given 7 episodes of). Based in the town of Rushville, Nebraska, Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and his trainee, John Stewart (Aaron Pierre), find themselves at a cross roads. Neither really wants to be working much with the other and now they have a mystery to solve that Hal is….being Hal about.

But what the show does with what we’ve seen is nothing short of spectacular. From the moment that Pierre and Chandler were both cast, it was obvious that this show was going to be on to something and Lanterns has not disappointed.

The Right Kind of Hal and John

It’s easy to cast a character like Hal Jordan and miss the important parts of his character. He’s a jerk, to put it plainly. But that’s mostly why we love him. John Stewart, on the other hand, is a lot more by the book than his counterpart. And Lanterns throws the two in a perfect pairing as Hal struggles with his place as Earth’s Green Lantern and John is being “trained” for the opportunity to be the next hero Earth needs.

Their dynamic is one that makes this show more than just another disgruntled older cop angry at young recruit. Chandler expertly weaves his charm that made so many fall in love with Coach Taylor in Friday Night Lights into this version of Hal and it makes you care for him even as his mouth is getting them both in trouble. Pierre, who brings a breathtaking stoicism to John, allows an anger and a loneliness brew just beneath the surface of John throughout the show that is captivating.

Frankly, Hal and John could make or break Lanterns and they managed to pick the perfect actors for this version of the Lantern Corps.

Are You Afraid?

There is a harrowing cultural undertone woven into Lanterns from the start, all centered around the Green Lanterns’ central question: Are you afraid? It is a loaded question and one that only a few have the privilege of answering honestly. Fear is what keeps so many safe and when you look at who is afforded the freedom to live without fear, it puts the choice of the ring into question. Lanterns uses that to its advantage.

But Lanterns also doesn’t use Hal and John as characters without fear. A fatal flaw of the question is rooted in fear itself. You might not be afraid of the challenge, afraid of what lies ahead, but that doesn’t erase all fear. Hal clearly fears failure, John as well, and the question of “Are you afraid?” doesn’t really cover that basis.

Watching that get sprinkled into how both Hal and John interact with the case at hand in Nebraska

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