DC Studios‘ latest big project has hit television with the debut of Lanterns on HBO. Based on DC Comics‘ Green Lantern, the series stars Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as John Stewart. The debut episode quickly sets up the dynamic of these two, as Jordan is the grizzled, seen a lot of shit, veteran, training his rookie replacement… and Jordan being a massive asshole during it but in the end, is giving him a good one.
Produced and written by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King, the series has a pretty high pedigree, and it absolutely meets the high bar as far as expectations.
After an intro that really gets the setting and characters down, Jordan and Stewart head to a small town in Nebraska where bodies lay on a football field after a shooting and Hal is convinced it involves aliens. Lanterns might be based on a green hued comic series, but what’s presented is more in line with HBO’s grittier adult detective series.
The comic goes heavy on the grizzled vet fucking with his rookie partner and the dynamic between Jordan and Pierre is fantastic. This isn’t the hotshot Hal Jordan of the comics, it’s one who’s been doing this for quite a while and is irritable and irritating. He also has no problem mouthing off and treating his partner like crap. He’s every grizzled vet cop that’s been on a cop and detective show. He’s one that’s willing to pick fights and do things his way.
John Stewart is the rules following rookie who listens to his boss(es) and follows orders, even when the boss is a complete asshole. We get glimpses of his childhood towards the beginning (something that feels new to the character) that hints at something much darker in his past.
Where the show really surprises is the humor of it all. The interactions between Jordan and Stewart often result in laughs, with Jordan delivering his dry sense of wit. The situations, while serious, are delivered in such a way it’s hard to not laugh. Much of the laughs come from the fantastic play between Chandler and Pierre. Their line deliveries and interactions are brilliant and make a dry and serious show in tone, entertaining and fun.
Of course, the series has a grand conspiracy involving invading aliens on some sort of mission, local conspiracy militias, murder, and the Lanterns’ special powers. In many ways, the series has more in common with HBO’s other DC superhero series Watchmen, than it does with a DC Studios production like the recent Superman.
Overall, it’s an interesting series that fits right with many of the prestige shows on HBO. It might feel like a departure from the superheroes one might expect from DC Studios, but it shows DC is far more than tights. If this is more of what we can expect in the revamped DC live action world, it’s a welcome addition and direction for live action comic adaptations.
Overall Rating: 9.0
