If you were expecting the new project from the revamped DC universe to immediately dazzle you with acid-green CGI and intergalactic journeys with inventive battles, then I have a surprise for you: 'Lanterns' from HBO starts on the dirty roadsides of the American hinterland, where the special effects are mostly autumn fog. Let's break down what we were shown in the debut episode of this promising project and how well it lives up to expectations.
What the series 'Lanterns' is about
We've lived too long with the trauma of the film with Ryan Reynolds, so the decision by James Gunn and showrunner Chris Mundy to confine cosmic cops to the setting of a provincial town seemed at least an intriguing move. In reality, the pilot episode makes a strange impression. On the one hand, we have a solid television product with the iconic logo of the cable giant, but for now it suspiciously resembles a budget replica of another prestigious crime drama, which for some reason was given alien rings.
The plot starts without unnecessary preludes with the fact that Green Lantern Corps veteran Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler), who has long lost his youthful fervor and turned into a cynical grump on the verge of retirement, is forced to take under his wing the newcomer John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) — a former Marine with a strict moral compass and a complete lack of a sense of humor.
The newly formed duo finds themselves in a godforsaken town in Nebraska to investigate a mysterious mass murder on a football field. Local police dismiss the tragedy as ordinary fan clashes, but Jordan instantly senses an extraterrestrial trace. Now the two completely dissimilar men will have to travel along dreary roads, look for clues in dusty motels, and along the way figure out which of them will drive the other to a nervous breakdown faster.
Sources of inspiration are obvious and incomprehensible at the same time
The first thing that catches the eye when watching is the total stylization after the first season of 'True Detective'. Here you have backwater landscapes, greasy diners, and partners with diametrically opposed views on existence. But the magic of Nic Pizzolatto has not happened here yet: the series desperately lacks that very viscous, stuffy, and in a good way hypnotic atmosphere of Southern Gothic. The narrative moves faster, the dialogues sound simpler and more mundane, and the mystery of the first episode does not draw you into an existential abyss, remaining a standard procedural quest in the spirit of an ordinary episode of 'The X-Files'.
Against his background, Aaron Pierre as John Stewart looks painfully constrained and wooden — his character resembles a walking function that was forgotten to prescribe at least some living human reactions.
Because of this, the chemistry between the partners is in its infancy. The classic trope of a grumpy mentor and a righteous newcomer still looks unconvincing, and there is no guarantee that by the middle of the season this dynamic will not turn into a dull tug of war, especially given that the screen life of Chandler's character is clearly measured only by the introductory part of the story, given the ending of the first episode.
Is it worth watching 'Lanterns'
In the dry residue, the pilot of 'Lanterns' leaves more questions than delights. The series loudly declares its ambitions to become the new flagship hit of HBO, but so far it cannot clearly explain to the viewer how it intends to hold attention further. One groundedness and charm of Kyle Chandler is clearly not enough for eight episodes of runtime, and the global plot setup in the first episode remains too vague.
It is definitely worth watching further, if only to see the development of the detective line, but it is better to immediately lower the bar of expectations to the level of a decent streaming detective with a light fantastic touch. One way or another, even this is enough to be better than the recent 'Supergirl', which clearly set the entire cinematic universe back a step.
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