Lanterns is an extremely strong return to the DC Universe for a character that many felt suffered an injustice with its last major on-screen adaptation. It comes at a time when the future looks murky for the franchise, following a difficult period for Supergirl and the put-on-hold status of several shows. It might even be arguable that it comes, almost poetically, given the character’s oath, in DC’s blackest night (although, realistically, that came when Ryan Reynolds was in the role).
The eight-part show follows Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) as he investigates a murder in Rushville, Nebraska, whilst also training new recruit John Stewart (Aaron Pierre). Jordan believes that the murder is linked to an extra-terrestrial incident, but the folks of Rushville, led by local Sheriff Kerry (Kelly Macdonald), think otherwise. They soon discover darker mysteries and reckonings amidst the community that help form the core mystery within the show.
One of the elements that really stuck out to me from the start was how grounded the show feels. We live in an era where the evolution of CGI/AI within media has led to a lot of the superhero product feeling too otherworldly and, in turn, not feeling as realistic to audiences. Lanterns doesn’t have any of those problems, despite the alien-linked storylines, which really helps the show to stand out amongst other recent releases. It’s really a detective show at heart, with the superhero elements being in the background. The story is as much about Stewart’s attempts at achieving his perceived destiny as it is about Jordan coming to terms with his potential mortality after years in the role. This creates some really interesting moments throughout as a very serious Stewart is tasked by the Guardians with working alongside Jordan, who is reckless and brash after years of doing the job solo.
After years of being stuck in development limbo, this show could have easily not worked, but I’m really glad it did. It’s easily the biggest success of the DC reboot so far (although the bar is fairly low). At one point, it was going to be a project by Greg Berlanti, known for the dearly departed Arrowverse, with actors like Jeremy Irvine cast in the lead roles. After James Gunn and Peter Safran took over the studio, that plan soon changed with this brilliant show being commissioned. Created by Damon Lindelof, Tom King and Chris Mundy, it looks very likely that the events of this show will impact the main storyline for the DCU for years to come.
A lot of credit for the show’s success has to go towards Pierre and Chandler, who are both phenomenal in their roles. When we first meet the two characters, Jordan is a lone wolf with no interest in working with Stewart. They’re almost tonally complete opposites thanks to Stewart’s strict army background and Jordan’s relaxed approach to the rules. Yet there’s something weirdly enticing about watching the two go back and forth. It almost feels like we’re watching a game of chess, even if often they’re working together.
It helps that the writing is incredibly strong, giving the actors and the wider ensemble cast plenty to play with. Shows are often defined by the relationships between the main characters, and the dynamic between the two is undoubtedly one of the successes of the show. Interestingly, we’re still left with lots of unknown answers by the time the show ends, despite the impressive, clear world-building, and it will be fun to see how the story pans out over the course of the DCU.
Importantly, the show is incredibly accessible to all, with no wider background needed to understand the story. It does link to the films released so far, but not enough that you need to have seen everything to fully enjoy the programme. When the Marvel Cinematic Universe first broke through, I remember one of its biggest pros was how it managed to successfully weave different genres into its stories. This feels like an attempt by DC to do something similar.
By creating a grounded detective epic that just happens to be about one of the founding members of the Justice League, DC have really struck gold with a must-watch programme and potentially even one of the best releases of the year so far, superhero and in general.
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Streaming on HBO Max from Sunday 16th August / Kyle Chandler, Aaron Pierre, Kelly Macdonald, Nathan Fillion / Damien Lindelof, Tom King, Chris Mundy / DC Studios
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