I am your average movie goer (though as a person I am also exceedingly sarcastic...and I have a very loud laugh) but in general, I like what your average movie watcher likes. I want to be entertained in that I like good acting, great humor and high-octane action, especially when sh*t blows up in new and interesting cinematic ways. Therefore I had high hopes for The Green Hornet. The plot summary of this comic book turned movie can be found HERE.
What struck me watching The Green Hornet is though it ticked all of those boxes I just wasn't blown away. And I still can't quite put my finger on why. Perhaps my expectations are just too high? But it still had all the major components to a satisfactory degree. Let's break it down based on my aforementioned criteria:
Acting
I think casting is absolutely key in a movie like this. Because our main protagonist (Britt Reid) a la The Green Hornet is a spoiled, thoughtless, entitled arse, the film requires an actor who can be those things but also somehow be sympathetic. Seth Rogen (also co-writer and producer) nailed it. His lines were often laugh-out-loud funny, even when he was being a jerk. As sidekick (plus hidden weapon, inventor and barista) Kato, Chinese pop sensation Jay Chou does a great job. I could mostly understand him and he held his own against Seth Rogen. And that can't have been easy. So kudos to the casting director for pairing Rogen and Chou as the crime-fighting (or maybe crime-inciting?) duo! And then there is Cameron Diaz. I wonder, what in the world does she bring to this film? Why did they cast her? Did they think they needed an A-list actress? They didn't. Her role was just functional, one-dimensional, could've been done by anyone. I hate to be cruel but time has not been kind to Cameron. It's not that she looks older, it's that as she gets older, her face becomes harsher and harsher. Not a good look and not enjoyable to see on the big screen.
Humor
As I mentioned, Seth Rogen strikes the perfect balance as sympathetic, childish and endearing all at once. And that's achieved through delivering his lines with perfect comedic timing. I also got such a kick out of Christopher Waltz as Chudnofsky, the gangster villain of the movie who forever questions why he isn't considered scary and how he might be able to compete against the far scarier Green Hornet.
Action
Oh yes, Green Hornet has all the action you'd expect. There's plenty of martial arts thanks to Kato, high tech gizmos (fart gun - hilarious!) and cool chase scenes with Black Beauty (Green Hornet's car). It's hard for film makers to find innovative ways to create action sequences. I'm not sure Green Hornet's action is anything special but it's still entertaining nevertheless.
I think...it has all the elements you'd want from this type of film. It's not amazing or terribly impressive, but it is enjoyable, funny and plenty of sh*t blows up!
Yep. I would agree. I enjoyed the movie, but was not blown away by it. I was mostly just happy that they made a funny movie without going total camp like the 60's Batman.
ReplyDeleteThey did turn some Green Hornet story elements around which was fun for some of the fans. The District Attorney has always been one of the people in on the Green Hornet secret identity. But not in the movie. The secretary character is also in on the secret and sometimes helps out with investigations, but she is not the brains of the outfit. And because this is a story that has its Origins in the 1920's, Kato was seldom more than am Asian house boy and driver. His nationality changed depending on who we were at war with at the time.
The Green Hornet has always been the story of one brave man standing up to injustice with the support of a few others. But the movie story is much more Team Green Hornet. One member has the money and the desire to help, one has all the needed skills, and one has the knowledge of how things work and how to find stuff out.