They aren't badass enough to walk away from explosions yet...
I’ve been looking forward to The Green Hornet for some time now. Not necessarily because I’m into super hero movies, it’s more of a man crush on Seth Rogan than anything. He lost a ton of weight for the role, but he still retains all of his old charm. Rogan plays Britt Reid, the protagonist in The Green Hornet, serving as the film’s lead writer. It definitely shows.
Tim Allen would be proud
The film introduces Britt as a fun loving party boy who gets by on his father’s money, but not his father’s love. Britt’s father runs the largest independent newspaper in the United States, priding themselves on printing unbiased truth, but when Britt’s father dies unexpectedly, the future of the paper falls on him. Britt has a hard time with the responsibility, but soon meets his father’s amazingly talented mechanic Kato(played by Jay Chou), and that’s where the fun begins.
Surprisingly, the film is much more comedic than I expected. It’s basically what would happen if all the weed in Pineapple Express was replaced with high tech gadgetry. Scenes featuring both Kato and Britt bickering incessantly are hilarious. Kato is extremely modest, and Britt is ridiculously clumsy and far too confident. Both actors give great performances, but due to Jay Chou’s inexperience with the English language, a few of his lines feel forced.
How exactly is he looking down those sights?
The action scenes are great, with surreal, almost video game esque effects that pop with the 3D. It seems they were going for a kind of Scott Pilgrim meets 300 feel. Kato is a martial arts master, and is so quick he can basically slow down time, while Britt is all brute force. Christoph Waltz from Inglorious Bastards fills the shoes of the film’s protagonist, Chudnofsky, but his performance is a bit lackluster here.
Kato puts together some sweet gadgets that rival those in Batman’s aresenal, including a gas gun he gives to Britt to make up for his lack of martial skill, and the numerous modifications on their vehicle. Car porn is prominent throughout the film, as Britt’s father owns quite a collection featuring rare Ferraris, McLarens, and Bugattis, and Britt takes them out on the town often.
Holy shit, I didn't mean literally shoot his dick off!
Cameron Diaz also plays a main character in the film as Britt’s secretary. She puts up with far too much sexual harassment, and a strange love triangle develops between her and the two heroes. She gives a strong performance, but as an object of affection her age is unfortunately beginning to show.
The Green Hornet is a fun action comedy, finding a middle ground between Scott Pilgrim and Kick-Ass that works, but isn’t necessarily worthy of a sequel. Maturity is lacking, and that’s fine with me, but I’m sure some will be turned off.
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