You may not have noticed it but there's a huge battle ongoing in our universe. A war raging between two behemoths; both wanting to prove once and for all who is the most powerful. This fight is, of course, between Marvel and DC, as their roster of superheroes (and not forgetting their villains too) continue to bring on the fight to the big screen.

Marvel may well have a larger number of their heroes out there, including Spiderman, The Fantastic Four and the X-Men, but DC have the history with both Batman and Superman in their corner.

This year saw the debut for one of DC's lesser known super guys, with Hal Jordan AKA Green Lantern, putting on his super ring and fighting evil in the multiplexes.

It takes a lot of nerve to be a fighter pilot, and it's got to be said that Hal Jordon (Ryan Reynolds) has got plenty of that. And a whole lot more besides. He's a cocky son of a gun, that's for sure. Much of it is bravado however, as he's still haunted by his past; as a child he witnessed his father's demise in front of his very eyes.

Meanwhile, in another part of the universe, Abin Sur (Temuera Morrison) is struggling to defeat an evil being that he's had dealings with before. Abin is a member of a group known as the Green Lantern Corps, who are dedicated to keeping peace in the universe. Abin is one of the greatest of the Green Lanterns, so it was left to him to defeat the evil Parallax. With his foe now free from his prison, the Parallax is out for revenge.

Abin is injured in a skirmish with the beast, and lands on Earth in the hope of recruiting the latest member to the team. He instructs his ring to go off and find a suitable candidate; it finds Hal.

Unbeknownst to Abin, in his injured state he also brought another alien energy with him that attaches itself to scientist Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard). Hector undergoes an unusual change, with a surge of superpowers within him.

Hal is also discovering amazing powers that come from the ring. The problem is, he doesn't think he's the right man for the job. But with evil knocking hard on Earth's door, Hal has little choice but to do his best as the latest Green Lantern if mankind is to be saved.

So doc, I just sneezed real hard and this is what came out. Should I be worried?

It could be seen as a brave move for DC to release a Green Lantern film; unlike your Batman's and Superman's, the Green Lantern is hardly a character that the average cinema goer is likely to have heard of. He's not helped either by having a back story that is born out of convolution, nor superhero powers that can easily be described; if he concentrates hard enough, he can visualize objects that come to life from his imagination. Not quite as catchy as faster than a speeding train etc.

At the same time, his relative anonymity kind of works in his favour. After all, if you're unaware of his back story, there's an interest in how he got to be the way he is. As much fun as Spiderman is, for instance, having recaps of him being bitten by a radioactive spider is just dull; who doesn't know about that bloody spider by now?

Luckily though, you don't have to be Comic Book Guy to appreciate the worlds in which the Green Lantern operates in. Thanks to director Martin Campbell (GoldenEye, Casino Royale), the story is conveyed in a logical fashion. Well, as logical as it can be for a superhero adaptation. The story is pure gobbledy-gook, but if you're a fan of the comic book world, it's nothing that will lift either eyebrow in surprise. Campbell does well in not only creating the other worldly worlds, but in filling them with curious characters.

Much of the film relies on the talents of Reynolds however, but he delivers the superhero experience with no effort at all. As Hal, Reynolds imbues his character with equal measures of cheek and charm, managing to keep the audience entertained, even during the science-heavy bits. He's the all-American Superhero you can root for, which is more than can be said for that arrogant man-in-a-can Iron Man.

Green may not be quite the new black – Christopher Nolan is taking the Caped Crusader in a whole direction after all, which you simply can't expect of all comic characters – but Campbell injects ample amounts of action, humour and all-round super-heroics into the exploits of the Green Lantern to make it a surprisingly entertaining experience; particularly for a superhero that many have never heard of. And more power to him for that.