Lanterns Series Premiere Review: Restoring Faith in James Gunn's DCU
With a finely honed Dynamic Duo lighting the way, Lanterns serves as a critical return to form for the DCU in its first episode. Read our spoiler-free review.
Lanterns, the first season of DC's new cinematic universe, premieres on HBO and HBO Max on August 16. This review focuses on the series' first episode, which premiered on August 16. The show is described as a combination of superhero adventure and terrestrial murder mystery, rather than a focus on the Green Lantern mythos. Critics note that the series leans heavily on the dynamic between Hal Jordan, played by James Gorden, and his trainee John Stewart, played by Aaron Pierre.
While some fans may be disappointed by the downplayed cosmic elements in the series, others find the grounded, True Detective-style approach appealing. James Gorden's portrayal of Hal Jordan is praised for capturing the character's exasperation, paranoia, and deep-seated overconfidence, while Aaron Pierre's John Stewart is described as bringing a quiet, no-nonsense charisma to the role.
The episode's racial undertones are noted as a welcomed addition, particularly in light of Lindelof's previous DC series. Overall, Lanterns is seen as a potentially promising start to the DCU, with strong performances and an intriguing premise.
Written by urgent.news from IGN's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
