I kinda liked Green
Lantern. It struck me as goofy
fun. All the goofy fun in the
world, however, can’t mask its profound distastefulness.
Here’s the deal: Ryan Reynolds plays Hal Jordan, a test
pilot with deep-seated insecurities who gets selected to be Flashlight Guy, er,
Green Lantern, a space-cop who can use Lantern Power to focus his will into
stuff like really big machine guns.
After bilging out of Space Cop Academy, he returns to Earth. Once home, he’s confronted with Capital
E Eeevil, overcomes his insecurities, and saves the day. On the face of it, this makes for a
good time at the movies. My
kindergartner enjoyed it, and I rocked along relatively happily.
But I can’t see how any self-respecting nerd can support Green Lantern. As played by Ryan Reynolds, Hal Jordan is that jock you
probably hated in high school.
He’s good looking and in great shape and has a ridiculously hot
girlfriend whom he neglects. As if
that weren’t enough, he has an awesome car, the ability to lose his job without
freaking out, and Space Cop powers.
But that’s not so bad.
Here’s the killer: his nemesis is you. His nemesis is Chess Club Guy, the nerd with the crush on
Ridiculously Hot Girl.
{Aside: it just kills me that it always comes back to Ridiculously
Hot Girl. By whining about the
fact that he’s invisible to Ridiculously Hot Girl, Chess Club Guy marginalizes
all the Chess Club Girls. In a
sense, he’s marginalizing his own analogue and, thus, himself. I hear you, Evolutionary Scientist Guy:
Ridiculous Hotness often comes down to symmetry of feature, perfect
averageness, and physical fitness, thus suggesting a good reproductive
choice. Nevertheless, the
self-loathing inherent in the envy of the one whom Ridiculously Hot Girl finds
attractive strikes me as both unjust and uncomfortable.}
So, what are we supposed to do? Root for the Alpha Beta over the Tri Lamb? Cheer Ryan Reynolds because he finally
gets in touch with his inner Ted McGinley? Not going to happen. The best we can do is quiet our
misgivings and enjoy the pretty pictures.
And plot our revenge. Mu ha ha.
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