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- RecensitoFall 2: Deadpoint2 gg faSometimes the scariest thing isn’t falling thousands of feet. It’s the people stupid enough to climb up there! Let’s get one thing straight: the original Fall was a nerve-shredding, palm-sweating, stomach-in-your-throat nightmare. It took a relatively simple premise and turned it into one of the most uncomfortable survival thrillers in recent memory. Every rusty bolt, every shifting ladder, and every gust of wind made you question your own relationship with gravity. It was an anxiety attack disguised as a movie. So naturally, Hollywood decided we needed a sequel. And honestly, the very concept of Fall 2: Deadpoint sounds a little ridiculous. Think about it. Your sister dies attempting an incredibly dangerous stunt thousands of feet in the air. You experience the trauma, the heartbreak, and the consequences of that decision. So what’s the logical way to honor her memory? DO THE EXACT SAME DAMN THING! Seriously, Jax, have you considered therapy? Maybe a nice vacation? Perhaps a pottery class? Anything that doesn’t involve dangling over a 1000 foot drop! The story follows Jax Hunter (Harriet Slater), who, still grieving the death of her adventurous sister Shiloh, decides to complete an item from her sister’s bucket list. She teams up with Shiloh’s friend Luce (Arsema Thomas), and the two travel to Thailand to attempt a terrifying plank walk along Mount Kwan. They hire a local guide, Jon (Tom Brittney), but a sudden rockslide turns their adventure into a desperate fight for survival. Because apparently a relaxing holiday was simply out of the question. Harriet Slater does a respectable job portraying Jax, a woman struggling with grief, guilt, and unresolved family issues. There’s an interesting emotional foundation here, and her relationship with her deceased sister gives the story some much needed heart. Arsema Thomas brings plenty of personality as Luce, Shiloh’s seemingly adventurous friend, although there’s considerably more going on with her character than initially meets the eye. Tom Brittney’s Jon starts out as the obligatory handsome mountain guide, but his character eventually becomes part of the film’s increasingly complicated criminal subplot. And that’s where things start getting a little wobbly. The original Fall worked because of its simplicity. Two women, one enormous tower, limited supplies, and an absolutely terrifying situation. The suspense came from watching ordinary people desperately trying to survive an extraordinary predicament. The sequel attempts to recreate that magic, but the novelty has worn off. We’ve already experienced the original nightmare, so the filmmakers need to work considerably harder to make us feel that same sense of dread. There are still some genuinely nerve racking sequences, and the scenery is beautiful, but the screenplay starts throwing increasingly ridiculous developments into the mix. What begins as a straightforward survival thriller eventually introduces a drug smuggling operation, questionable motivations, betrayal, and enough lame plot twists to make you wonder whether you accidentally switched movies halfway through. The revelations surrounding Luce’s real identity, Billie, and Jon’s involvement in a fentanyl smuggling operation are clearly intended to raise the stakes. Unfortunately, they also make the story feel unnecessarily convoluted. Instead of strengthening the survival elements, these developments distract from them. And then there’s that ending. Without getting too deep into spoiler territory, the final confrontation results in Jon and Billie meeting their rather unfortunate ends, while Jax manages to survive and secure her rescue. It’s an eventful conclusion, but emotionally, it just doesn’t land. The original film delivered an ending that was genuinely devastating and memorable. Here, the filmmakers seem so determined to surprise the audience that they forget to give the story a satisfying emotional payoff. By the time everything wraps up, the twists have piled up so high that the impact gets buried underneath them. And just when you think we’re finally finished, there’s another tease involving Becky and a potential memorial for Shiloh at yet another dangerous location. Because apparently nobody in this franchise has heard of a cemetery. Look, Fall 2: Deadpoint isn’t a complete disaster. It has some effective suspense, a few genuinely uncomfortable moments, and performances that are perfectly serviceable. There are flashes of the original’s claustrophobic terror, and anyone with a fear of heights will probably find themselves gripping the armrests. Unfortunately, the original Fall was lightning in a bottle. This sequel takes the same basic formula, changes the location, adds a drug cartel, and hopes we won’t notice that we’re essentially watching another round of extremely questionable decisions at ridiculous altitudes. My biggest problem is that the entire premise feels unnecessary. Shiloh died doing something dangerously reckless. Her sister knows the consequences. And somehow, the best way to honor her memory is to put herself in almost exactly the same position. Girl, your sister left you a cautionary tale, not an invitation!
- RecensitoApocalypse Z: New World2 novembre 2026The sequel to 2024’s Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End, based on Manel Loureiro’s bestselling Spanish book series, takes us to the Canary Islands, Europe’s last supposed safe haven. When a military expedition heads back to the infected mainland in search of supplies, things predictably go south. Leading the mission is Roberto (Carlos Alcaide), alongside a group of survivors who quickly discover that the mainland isn’t exactly rolling out the welcome mat. The action scenes are intense and yes gore is used effectively instead of excessively. Unfortunately, underneath all the blood and guts is a pretty familiar zombie movie that leans heavily on the same tired tropes, predictable scenarios, and questionable character decisions we’ve seen countless times before. It’s not a bad film by any means. It’s entertaining enough, but in a world already drowning in zombie movies and television shows, a little originality wouldn’t hurt.
- RecensitoClayface27 ottobre 2026Well, slap some foundation on my decomposing face and call me shocked! Because I walked into DC Studios’ Clayface expecting a DC Studios film equivalent of Sony’s Morbius and I walked out wondering how the hell a movie about a shapeshifting lump of Play-Doh became one of the most surprisingly effective entries in James Gunn’s DCU. It’s not quite Venom. It’s not quite Joker. It’s somewhere in between those two films and I honestly kinda liked it. But Seriously, DC Studios? We’re getting a Clayface movie before Batman, Wonder Woman, or the Flash have properly established themselves on the big screen? Hell, let’s just focus on Batman for a second. The majority of this film takes place in Gotham and there is no mention of Batman, James Gordon, Arkham Asylum, NOTHING. The only other comic book connected nugget thrown our way is the mention of Coast City. So having a fully established Gotham (that actually looks pretty impressive and not just b-roll shots of Chicago or New York) without any crime fighters or any other crazy costumed psychos running around is very odd especially when this is supposed to be apart of the same shared universe as Peacemaker, Lanterns, and Superman. And yet, against all reasonable expectations, Clayface is a hell of a lot better than it has any business being. Directed with a distinctly unsettling horror sensibility, this twisted tale of identity, obsession, and bodily disfigurement proves that sometimes the weirdest comic-book characters have the most interesting stories to tell. At the heart of the film is Matt Hagen played by actor Tom Rhys Harries, a man whose transformation into the monstrous Clayface becomes both a physical nightmare and an emotional tragedy. The lead actor deserves serious credit for making Hagen feel like a real person rather than a walking special effect with anger management issues. The film understands that Clayface’s powers shouldn’t merely look cool. They should look wrong. Deeply, instinctively, stomach churning wrong. To be clear, Clayface isn’t a nonstop splatter extravaganza. This isn’t a movie that mistakes gallons of fake blood for a personality. The violence is used selectively, and that restraint makes the nastier moments land harder. When the film decides to get ugly, it commits. The result is a handful of genuinely effective horror sequences that feel disturbing because of their context, their physicality, and the horrifying implications of what Clayface can do. For a DCU that’s barely gotten its superhero boots on, this is one hell of a way to establish that the franchise can venture into darker, more disturbing territory even if the timing is drastically off. You can feel the influence of Mike Flanagan’s character-driven horror sensibilities throughout the film. Beneath the disturbing transformations is a story about identity, obsession, and the terrifying prospect of becoming something you no longer recognize. Hopefully one day Flanagan will be allowed to fully take the wheel of another of DC’s more horror centric characters. Swamp Thing perhaps? The stand out set piece of the film is the club sequence which is a terrific showcase for Clayface’s abilities. Between the pulsing lights, crowded dance floor, and shadowy atmosphere, the setting becomes the perfect playground for a creature that can literally become somebody else. The paranoia is delicious. In a place where everyone is surrounded by strangers, how do you know who’s actually standing beside you? Clayface’s ability to manipulate his appearance turns an ordinary night out into a disturbing game of deception, and the threat of violence makes the entire environment feel increasingly unsafe. When the scene embraces the character’s grotesque physical capabilities, it delivers exactly the sort of unsettling spectacle this movie does best. The contrast between an ordinary nightclub and the horrifying reality of a shapeshifting monster is wonderfully effective. Clayface works precisely because it doesn’t try to be a conventional superhero movie. It embraces horror, gives its central character room to develop, and uses his unusual powers in inventive and genuinely disturbing ways. The lead performance is excellent, the body horror is gloriously grotesque, and the gore is effective without becoming excessive. The club sequence is a standout, and the film’s exploration of identity gives the gruesome spectacle an emotional core. Sure, the supporting characters could use more development, Gotham deserves a deeper exploration, and the conspicuous absence of Batman raises questions about how this DCU is supposed to function. It’s also undeniably bizarre that Clayface is getting this kind of spotlight before some of DC’s biggest names have even made their theatrical introductions in this new universe. But you know what? I’ll take an unexpected, well-made horror film over another assembly-line superhero adventure like Supergirl any day of the week.
- RecensitoCrystal Lake25 ottobre 2026Peacock’s Crystal Lake proves there’s still plenty of life left in Camp Crystal Lake, provided you don’t mind a few counselors getting dismembered along the way. Grab your weed, hide your beer, and somebody PLEASE keep an eye on the kids! Condoms optional. Crystal Lake, A24’s 2026 series for Peacock, brings the Friday the 13th franchise back from the cinematic equivalent of drowning in the lake. Starring Linda Cardellini as Pamela Voorhees, the first season explores the twisted history behind horror’s most infamous mother-son duo, delivering a surprisingly compelling mix of character drama, franchise nostalgia, and gloriously gruesome kills that the franchise has been missing. One of the show’s biggest strengths is its familiar aesthetic. The period setting feels like Friday the 13th, from the clothes and production design to the grimy atmosphere that makes Crystal Lake feel like a place where something terrible is always just around the corner. The opening credits and musical cues evoke the original films beautifully, while subtle Easter eggs reward longtime fans without constantly screaming, “REMEMBER THIS?” Episode titles like “The New Blood” and “The Final Chapter” are particularly fun nods to the franchise’s history. It’s a love letter to the films that understands the difference between honoring a legacy and simply photocopying it. The bigger gamble is the decision to demystify Jason Voorhees. Exploring his backstory could easily turn the machete wielding madman into a misunderstood victim audiences are expected to pity rather than fear. Thankfully, the writers mostly strike the right balance, adding emotional context without entirely robbing Jason of his monstrous mystique. That’s no small achievement for a franchise that has traditionally prioritized creative dismemberment over character development. Let’s face it, the original films gave us plenty of horny counselors, questionable life choices, enormous breasts, and protagonists who apparently never learned that running upstairs while the killer is downstairs is a terrible survival strategy. Crystal Lake retains that gloriously trashy DNA while giving us characters worth remembering and in some cases actually rooting for. Chief Brooks provides a grounded investigative presence in a community seemingly determined to ignore every red flag until the body count becomes impossible to overlook. Officer Dorf, meanwhile, brings some welcome comic relief with his kung fu obsession, making him an eccentric standout amid the escalating horror. Misfit child Grace Snell adds an unsettling emotional dimension to the story, highlighting the vulnerability of children in a world where the adults responsible for protecting them are often spectacularly ill equipped to do so. Investigative reporter Brianna Brooks rounds out the ensemble with curiosity and determination, helping connect the mystery’s many threads. And then there are the camp counselors, who remain completely irresponsible. Apparently, supervising children is a minor inconvenience when there’s pot to smoke and unprotected sex to be had. They’re exactly the sort of walking HR violations that make you wonder how the camp ever received its operating permit. But the real MVP is Linda Cardellini, who absolutely carries this show. Her Pamela Voorhees is chilling, volatile, and heartbreakingly unpredictable. One moment she’s a loving mother; the next, she’s a lonely, depressed recluse; and then, seemingly out of nowhere, she’s chopping, stabbing, or maiming some unsuspecting local. Cardellini gives the series its emotional anchor, elevating what could have been a straightforward slasher prequel into something considerably more compelling. Of course, this is still Friday the 13th, so the body count must be fed. Fortunately, the kills deliver the goods. The nose slicing sequence is wince inducing, the blood bag victim is memorably gruesome, and the diner kill proves that even an ordinary meal can turn into a thoroughly unpleasant experience. The deep throat drill kill is exactly as horrifying as it sounds, while the ninja star to the face kill is absurd in the best possible way. These are nasty, inventive set pieces worthy of the franchise’s reputation, with enough visceral impact to satisfy fans who came for the splatter rather than the family therapy. Not everything works, though. The show occasionally threatens to go off the rails when it attempts to explain Jason’s extraordinary durability through secret experiments. Apparently, he’s essentially a cockroach who can withstand absurd amounts of punishment. I’m all for expanding the mythology, but sometimes explaining the monster makes him less frightening. At this rate, even the demonic worm from Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday doesn’t sound so ridiculous anymore. Thankfully, this detour doesn’t sink the season. The finale brings the major storylines to a satisfying close while leaving the door open for a second season that could lead directly into the events of the original Friday the 13th. Better yet, fans get to see the iconic Baghead Jason return to wreak havoc before the credits roll. It’s a welcome reminder that the series knows its history and isn’t afraid to embrace the weird, wonderful mythology that made the franchise what it is. Ultimately, Crystal Lake succeeds because it delivers more than nostalgia and a parade of creative murders. Its atmospheric production design, memorable supporting cast, sly franchise references, and Cardellini’s phenomenal performance make this a confident return to a series that has been dormant for far too long.
- RecensitoDon't Move23 ottobre 2026Written by Impractical Jokers’ own James “Murr” Murray, Don’t Move takes a group of churchgoers into the Ozark wilderness, where they discover that nature has a few unpleasant surprises waiting for them. And by unpleasant, I mean a prehistoric giant spider. Director Maclain Nelson delivers a decent little creature feature that knows how to have fun with its premise, even if it occasionally gets tangled in its own web. The biggest selling point here is the spider itself. The creature design is genuinely creepy, with enough monstrous detail to make you reconsider that upcoming camping trip. The film also delivers some excellent jump scares that caught me off guard more than once. Credit where credit is due: the filmmakers squeeze a surprising amount of suspense and entertainment out of a modest budget. Lyndsy Fonseca anchors the story as Megan, a grieving mother struggling to move forward after a devastating personal tragedy. Fonseca brings genuine vulnerability to the role, giving the film an emotional center. Tom Cavanagh plays Pastor Rizzo with an earnestness that helps ground the increasingly ridiculous proceedings, while Rob Riggle adds some welcome comic relief as the overly enthusiastic Paul. Hunter King and Joseph Lee Anderson round out the group, with the ensemble providing enough personality and interpersonal tension to keep things moving while the movie slowly spins its web. The pacing takes a little patience, though. The film spends a fair amount of time establishing its characters before unleashing its eight-legged headliner. I appreciate building suspense, but at times I was ready to send a search party into those woods just to find the damn spider. Thankfully, once the creature finally gets down to business, the movie finds its footing and delivers the goods. Unfortunately, the ending feels a little hokey and tacked on, as though the filmmakers ran out of webbing just before wrapping everything up. It doesn’t completely ruin the experience, but it does leave the film stumbling across the finish line rather than landing a satisfying final bite. Still, Don’t Move is a perfectly decent horror flick. It has effective scares, an imaginative creature, a solid lead performance, and enough low budget charm to make up for some of its rough patches.
- RecensitoBelow21 ottobre 2026Netflix’s Below starts with a fun creepy premise: a remote Newfoundland fishing village, a giant squid terrorizing the locals, and a mystery box full of supernatural possibilities. Unfortunately, around episode four, the series begins to lose the plot, and not even a giant sea monster can save it from itself. Thankfully, the performances are solid. Josh Hartnett brings weary intensity to Calvin Penney, Mackenzie Davis adds intelligence and credibility as marine researcher Fonda Howander, and Charlie Heaton delivers an unsettling performance as Calvin’s troubled son, Wade. The cast does its best to keep things grounded while the story starts swimming in circles. Initially, Below builds an intriguing mystery, dangling clues that suggest something genuinely supernatural is lurking beneath the waves. But halfway through, the giant squid takes a backseat to corruption, land grabs, and corporate greed. Suddenly, we’re watching a small town political drama that occasionally remembers it has a monster in it. Then there’s Calvin’s connection to his original homeland and his other son Jay being chased by mobsters over his debts. Because apparently, a murderous sea creature wasn’t enough trouble for one fishing village. By the midpoint, the show feels like three different writers’ rooms crammed their scripts together and hoped nobody would notice. The ecological message is interesting, particularly as the series suggests the squid might be misunderstood and humans are the real villains. But there’s one inconvenient detail: the creature has BRUTALLY murdered several townspeople and the ice it brought with it poisoned the rest. Asking us to sympathize with the oversized aquatic menace while glossing over its body count makes for some questionable moral gymnastics. And the ending? A cliffhanger that seems designed to set up another season rather than deliver a satisfying conclusion. Instead of leaving me desperate for answers, it left me wondering whether I cared enough to come back. This show reminded me a lot of a movie from the late 90s that also featured a big sea monster and ultimately disappointed viewers, Godzilla (1998). Everything from the giant monster killing people to trying to hatch its offspring to trying to make you feel sorry for the monster at the end. Bottom line, if anything makes you think of or remind you of that horrible movie it’s bound to absolutely SUCK!
- RecensitoStreet Fighter17 ottobre 2026This film has the subtlety of a roundhouse kick to the face, the narrative complexity of a character-select screen, and the unshakable confidence of a man wearing a headband while challenging a seven-foot-tall opponent to mortal combat…I mean street fighting. And I mean all of that as a compliment. Set against the gloriously loud, neon-soaked backdrop of the 1990s, this latest adaptation of Street Fighter understands something that far too many modern video game movies seem to forget: sometimes, the source material isn’t asking to be elevated into high art. Sometimes, it just wants to throw a fireball at somebody’s face and yell the name of the move while doing it. These films needs to be fun. Street Fighter doesn’t apologize for its absurdity. It embraces it, puts on fingerless gloves, cranks the volume to eleven, and proceeds to kick the living shit out of good taste. And God bless it for that. One of the film’s biggest strengths is its commitment to that gloriously over-the-top ‘90s action-movie aesthetic. This thing practically smells like a Blockbuster rental, a fresh pack of batteries for your Super Nintendo controller, and a VCR that hasn’t eaten your copy of Mortal Kombat yet. The era isn’t merely window dressing. It helps establish the film’s entire personality. The fashion is loud, the attitudes are louder, the characters are walking testosterone factories, and subtlety is completely ignored. This is old-school action filmmaking, where the men are swaggering, muscle-bound badasses, the women are smoking hot and look like they could stop traffic simply by walking into a room, and practically everyone has the cheekbones, wardrobe, or combat skills of someone who has never once worried about paying a mortgage. Is it ridiculous? Absolutely. Is it occasionally shameless in its treatment of its female characters as eye candy? You bet your ass. And I’m completely here for it. The cast is a mix of fantastic fighters (Andrew Koji, Raya Vallandingham) musicians (50 cent, Orville Peck) and WWE superstars (Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns). The fights are fun and exciting set to banger needle drops from the 90s courtesy of White Zombie, 2Pac, Offspring, and Soundgraden to name a few. Is it the best movie you’ll see this year? Probably not. Is it one of the most fun? Absolutely. This is dumb, unapologetic popcorn entertainment, and it accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do.
- RecensitoCarrie13 ottobre 2026Mike Flanagan definitely this new iteration of Stephen King’s Carrie to life. Instead of simply retelling it, this version digs into characters, motivations, and possibly a bigger universe. Summer H. Howell captures Carrie’s torment and innocence in a very relatable way. You want to protect her one moment and then run away from her screaming. Flanagan gives the whole ensemble room to breathe; even the teachers feel layered and human. Samantha Sloyan’s Margaret White is chilling and resolute, which makes her devotion so unsettling. And Alison Thornton’s Chris burns with attention hungry menace, while Sienna Agudong gives Sue real moral weight. The social media angle lands cleanly; modern but not cringe. Very timely and even more tragic. And that rumored King Universe tie-in? It’s intriguing but they have to keep the heart. If they don’t, it could get messy. But this Carrie feels meaningful and maybe even the best live-action take yet.
- RecensitoOther Mommy12 ottobre 2026Other Mommy has a creepy premise and a terrific double performance from Jessica Chastain, but it rushes through its story like the filmmakers had a midnight deadline. The movie relies on relentless jump scares instead of building tension, practically explains its own mythology upfront, and then throws in CGI so wonky the demon starts looking like a rejected kaiju. Chastain is genuinely unsettling, but here’s the kicker: her character is arguably more evil than the demon! She cheats on her husband, abandons him for another man, and admits she never wanted to be a mother. Meanwhile, the demon is practically begging Bela, Chastain’s daughter in the film, for a hug. When the monster seems like the better parent, you know this family needs more than an exorcist. An unnecessary ghost-hunter detour, rushed writing, and an unearned climax drag things down further. The ambiguous ending wants us wondering which mommy is real, but honestly, I was more interested in finding the exit. Chastain deserves better. The premise deserved better. And this screenplay desperately needs an exorcism.
- RecensitoLanterns4 ottobre 2026There are two genuinely great things about HBO Max’s Lanterns: Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as John Stewart. The casting is damn near perfect. Chandler has the weary, seasoned swagger you want from Hal Jordan, while Pierre has the presence, intensity, and physicality to make John Stewart feel like someone who could carry the weight of the Green Lantern Corps on his shoulders. Unfortunately, that is pretty much where my praise for Lanterns ends. Because somewhere between the casting table and the writers’ room, someone apparently looked at one of DC Comics’ most colorful, hopeful, cosmic superhero franchises and said: “You know what this needs? Depression. Murder. Family trauma. A mystery box. And absolutely no fun.” Welcome to Lanterns. James Gunn’s new DC Universe has already had a rocky launch. Superman proved polarizing, and what should have felt like the beginning of an exciting new interconnected universe increasingly feels like a franchise still trying to figure out what the hell it actually wants to be. And Lanterns might be the clearest example yet. The biggest problem with Gunn’s DCU isn’t necessarily the characters. It’s the creative direction surrounding them. Lanterns takes one of DC’s most inherently cinematic concepts and strips away much of the imagination, adventure, optimism, and larger-than-life superhero mythology that makes Green Lantern special. Instead, we’re given a grim, grimy detective story desperately trying to convince us that putting Green Lanterns in a True Detective-style murder mystery automatically makes them sophisticated. It doesn’t. It just makes them Green Lanterns who aren’t having any fun being Green Lanterns. And then we get the characterization. Hal Jordan is introduced as an angry, bitter veteran who appears more interested in killing his own trainee than mentoring him. This is supposed to be one of the legendary heroes of the DC Universe? John Stewart isn’t much better. Rather than presenting Stewart as the inspiring, principled hero audiences have known for decades, the show piles on so much family dysfunction, betrayal, questionable decision-making, and morally murky behavior that you start wondering whether somebody accidentally handed the writers a villain’s character arc. John is supposed to be the hero we’re emotionally investing in. Yet he’s lying. He’s scheming. He’s participating in a plan involving Hal’s ring. And, because apparently the writers decided subtlety was for cowards, there’s even a bizarre romantic subplot involving an older woman who ultimately turns out to be connected to the villainous side of the story. It’s not edgy. It’s not groundbreaking. It’s just weird. And that’s the problem with Lanterns from beginning to end. The show constantly mistakes being cynical for being mature. There is nothing inherently wrong with giving superheroes flaws. In fact, great superhero stories are built around flaws. The problem is that these flaws are supposed to lead somewhere. That’s called a hero’s journey. You give a character weaknesses, temptations, failures, and moral conflicts, and then you watch them overcome those things. Lanterns seems much more interested in watching its characters drown in them. Then there’s Hal. When Hal finally does what a Green Lantern should actually do and chooses to save an entire town, the story somehow manages to frame him as the problem. The guy shows up and prevents innocent people from being slaughtered, and the reward is basically: Congratulations, Hal. You’re under arrest. And then John takes the ring. Hal is left behind. And eventually the show delivers the ultimate “Are you freaking kidding me?” moment: Hal Jordan is murdered. Because naturally. Why develop one of DC’s most recognizable superheroes when you can kill him off and turn his death into another giant mystery box? And that’s where the Damon Lindelof influence becomes impossible to ignore. The show seems less interested in telling a great Green Lantern story than in making you ask: “Who killed Hal Jordan?” Then: “Why did they kill Hal Jordan?” Then: “What does this have to do with the Guardians?” Then: “What’s really going on?” Then, eventually, probably: “Does any of this actually matter?” Mystery-box storytelling can work brilliantly when the mystery exists to serve the characters. But when the characters exist primarily to serve the mystery, you get exactly what Lanterns feels like: A very expensive question with a superhero logo attached to it. And that is especially frustrating because Green Lantern has enormous potential. This franchise could be DC’s answer to Star Wars. Think about it. Aliens. Intergalactic civilizations. Space battles. Ancient cosmic mythology. The Guardians. The emotional spectrum. Sinestro. Oa. The Corps. Thousands of Lanterns from across the universe. A gigantic mythology built around one incredibly simple concept: Anyone can become a hero if they can overcome fear. That’s an incredible foundation for a television universe. Instead, Lanterns looks at all of that and says: “What if we made it True Detective, but everybody has glowing jewelry?” And somehow, it doesn’t even manage to reach the best seasons of True Detective. The tragedy is that Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre are good enough to make you desperately wish the material around them were better. Chandler brings the right kind of weathered charisma to Hal. Pierre has the screen presence necessary to make John Stewart feel like a major DC icon. These two actors deserved a story that understood why people love these characters. Instead, they are trapped inside a series that seems embarrassed by the superhero mythology it’s supposed to be celebrating. And that’s perhaps the most frustrating thing about the new DCU. Where is the inspiration? Where are the heroes? Where is the sense that these characters are supposed to make us want to be better? You don’t need every superhero movie or television show to be sunshine and rainbows. Give me darkness. Give me tragedy. Give me flawed heroes. But eventually, let the damn heroes be heroes. Hell, at this point, I genuinely believe Marshall from PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie has a more convincing hero’s journey than some of the characters in James Gunn’s current DC Universe. And that’s not a compliment to PAW Patrol. That’s an emergency flare. Lanterns isn’t merely a disappointing Green Lantern adaptation. It’s a frustrating example of what happens when a potentially enormous superhero mythology gets buried underneath cynicism, trauma, mystery-box storytelling, and the desperate need to make comic-book material feel “prestigious.” Give me Kyle Chandler. Give me Aaron Pierre. Give me the costumes. Give me Oa. Give me the Corps. Give me aliens, constructs, space battles, impossible worlds, giant cosmic threats and a hero who actually believes something. Give me Green Lantern. Because what Lanterns gives us is a bleak detective drama wearing a Green Lantern costume and hoping nobody notices. And honestly? I’d take Ryan Reynolds’ Green Lantern over this. At least that movie understood that Green Lantern was supposed to be fun.
