By Jared Curtis jared@dmcityview.com

‘Green Lantern’

Directed by Martin Campbell

Rated PG-13, 114 minutes

With a rich back-story and plenty of outer space locales, “Green Lantern” had so much potential. Unfortunately, the movie sucked, and the two or three things that worked were lost in a ridiculous, bloated tale of a cocky pilot who is given a ring filled with superpowers. Ryan Reynolds is a great choice to play the pilot, but once he is given the ring, he becomes a mopey, sulking loser. Why the film spent so much time on the “will he/won’t he” story makes no sense, as audiences know he’ll become the Green Lantern. But through all the muck, two things stood out: the members of Lantern Crop — especially the brute Kilowag and their home planet Oa — and Peter Saarsgard as the creepily mutated, Hector Hammond, who should’ve been fleshed out more to create a true villain. In a summer full of superhero movies, “Green Lantern” was hardly bright. CV

‘Superman’

Directed by Richard Donner

1978, Rated PG, 143 minutes

A super hero movie done right, “Superman” was the first — and one of the best — superhero films to ever grace the big screen. Although Superman can’t compare to today’s crime fighters, the film holds up, thanks to a great story, outstanding visual effects, an amazing score and some terrific performances from both Christopher Reeves as Superman and Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor. Thanks to “Star Wars” creating a love of fantasy, director Richard Donner (“The Goonies”) was able to portray his superhero as a true savior of mankind, rather than the hokey, one-liner spewing superhero movies that came before. The story follows Kal-El, the son of Jor-El (Marlon Brando), who is sent to Earth from his home planet of Krypton. After growing up as the ordinary Clark Kent, he is drawn to the fortress of solitude, where he learns about his past and the protector he must become. Although today’s stories might be flashier, nobody messes with the Man of Steel. CV