Netflix has become known for its audacious marketing spectacles in recent years, but what it conjured up for its new thriller film might just take the cake, writes streaming c columnist NICK OVERALL.

Crowds on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles swarmed a billboard in recent weeks after they realised a person was actually living inside it.

Netflix actually built a house into the structure and from below people could peer up into the windows to see a person unable to get out.

Cue the flood of phone footage.

No surprises it went viral and so did the new film the stunt was concocted for.

It’s called The Last House and it follows a family of four who mysteriously get sealed inside their own home.

The doors don’t open, the windows don’t break and resources are quickly dwindling.

The big question: is something trying to stop them from going out? Or is the danger lurking within? 

It’s certainly a fun premise for a 100-minute thriller flick.

With Past Lives star Greta Lee and recent Oscar nominee Wagner Moura up front and centre, there’s also no shortage of talent on screen. 

Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite execute as well as it could have.

Cooking up a great concept like this requires a hell of a pay off and, sad to say, the ending to this one is pretty divisive.

There’s still enough tension to be wrung out of the experience for those who find themselves particularly intrigued by the premise and its marketing.

They may just find themselves frustrated by some dumb writing decisions though. 

Home is where the heart is but in this case maybe not where the brain is.

IN the age of superhero supremacy the DC comics character Green Lantern has become somewhat forgotten.

Perhaps for good reason.

The 2011 film starring Ryan Reynolds is widely regarded as one of the worst comic book movies ever.

While popular on its glossy, coloured pages, the character has never really taken off on the screen.

But that’s not going to stop Warner Bros finding a way.

Streaming must leave no stone unturned in giving every possible superhero their own movie or TV show in the name of profit and despite Green Lantern’s track record, he is no exception.

How then, does one reinvent it for a modern audience?

Enter the moodily titled Lanterns, a new series on HBO Max that tries to flip the script for the era of subscriptions.

This one doesn’t put its main character in emerald tights, but instead a worn out corduroy jacket, depicting him as a grumbly space cop trying to solve a dark mystery on earth.

So essentially a gritty crime drama, but with superpowers.

Truth be told, I don’t hate it. Bloodline star Kyle Chandler plays the lead role of Green Lantern here (aka Hal Jordan), the wielder of a magic ring that  allows him to create tools and weapons through sheer willpower.

He’s not flying through the atmosphere on other planets and fighting tentacled aliens though.

In Lanterns, the hero has to use his wits and his powers to crack open a murder case right here, down on Earth.

The whole thing’s got a dusty, grimy True Detective feel about it that works surprisingly well.

Since Chris Nolan’s incredible Dark Knight trilogy wrapped up and spawned a million attempts at emulation, people complained about superhero adaptations becoming too dark.

In response, the style actually shifted. Most of these blockbusters are now brightly coloured quip fests.

In an ironic full-circle moment, the gritty, grounded superhero escapade now feels like the exception rather than the rule and, despite Green Lantern being considered one of the lamest heroes out there, perhaps this finally represents a chance for him to become “cool”.

The road is laid for this to be a hit. Let’s hope the producers commit to the unique creative choices here, rather than hitting the brakes right at the green light. 

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