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Review: Lanterns is a truly unique twist on the superhero genre
Gritty HBO series is a beacon for what’s possible when one is allowed to get creative with the tropes.
The trailers for HBO’s DC Universe series Lanterns teased a show that eschewed the usual superhero hijinks in favor of a gritty realism more in the vein of True Detectives or Slow Horses. Personally, I liked the change. My verdict: Ignore the review bombing; it’s wonderful. The season wrapped with an emotionally charged, almost elegaic finale that fully delivered on that initial promise. I’ve found the rebooted DC Universe films released thus far to be enjoyable but rather forgettable, even when the positives outweigh the negatives. But Lanterns is a shining beacon of what is possible when someone is allowed to get really creative within the genre.
There are two primary storylines. The first takes place in 2016 with a mass shooting at a local football game in Rushville, Nebraska. Current Green Lantern Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and his new trainee, John Stewart (Aaron Pierre), get involved in the investigation, to the annoyance of Sheriff Kerry Kane (Kelly Macdonald), who initially doesn’t think the case has any extraterrestrial connection. She is soon proved wrong when the suspect (an alien) self-detonates. Hal’s power ring controls the damage, but the mystery remains.
Hal and John soon discover that the suspect was one of a group of aliens who survived a genocide on their home planet committed by so-called Manhunters: a race of extraterrestrial beings created by the Guardians of the Universe as a forerunner to the Lantern Corps. The Manhunters rebelled against the Guardians, and most were killed; the sole survivor is hiding out in Rushville disguised as a human. The alien leader, Antaan (Paul Ben-Victor), gives Hal and John 48 hours to locate the Manhunter and hand them over, or they will destroy the town.
The second storyline takes place in 2026 and concerns the murder of none other than Hal Jordan, who returned to Rushville as a social pariah after the terrible events that transpired 10 years before. That mystery becomes the focus of the second half of the series, as Stewart teams up with the sheriff to solve Hal’s murder.
The entire cast brings their A game to their portrayals, and you couldn’t ask for better leads than Chandler and Pierre, both of whom have plenty of meaty, substantial material to work with. Showrunner Chris Mundy has said that one of the major themes of the show is deciding when it’s time for one person to step aside and let a replacement take over, embodied in the push and pull of Hal and John’s relationship. The two men are very different personalities: Hal is cocky, arrogant, and trusts his gut instincts; John is controlled, disciplined, logical, and methodical. Hal has no intention of giving up the power ring; John questions whether Hal really deserves it. Naturally they’re going to clash, and given the stakes, that conflict has severe consequences, both for them and the town.
But there is so much more to these characters than their surface personalities. Both have daddy issues, for instance: Hal because he lost his father at a young age, John because his father was passed over to be a Green Lantern and made John’s entire childhood about making up for his failure. John has been groomed by his parents—under the watchful eye of the Guardians—to eventually replace the rule-defying and frequently reckless Hal, who lost both parents. It’s to the writers’ credit that exploring these issues doesn’t come off like a cliché therapy session, instead adding depth and emotional resonance.
Lanterns works so well in part because it was conceived as a standalone complete story, albeit one with ramifications for future DCU projects, thereby freeing up the writers to create something truly unique, with no forced, awkward tie-ins. Even Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner, aka Green Lantern 2026, fits seamlessly into the plot. Nor do you need to be a fan of the Green Lantern comics and associated lore to follow along,