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The Family Reel Movie Reviews
Now Showing on The Family Reel with Christopher Echols
The Green Hornet
If your only memories of the Green Hornet are of him and his sidekick Kato making cameos during the Adam West “Batman” TV show, then you have about as much exposure to the character as I did prior to seeing the new Seth Rogen comedy/action hybrid. Taking on one of the lesser-known super hero properties, Rogen and Asian action star Jay Chou portray the Green Hornet and Kato, two friends who decide to fight crime by posing as villains taking over turf from LA crime lords. The film follows the forging of both their friendship and crime-fighting identities, and while it’s a bit cartoonish in its over-the-top action at times, the end result is a pretty decent popcorn flick that will likely entertain both Rogen’s comedy fans as well as the comic book movie crowd.
Rogen stars as Britt Reid, son of newspaper mogul James Reid (TomWilkinson). Britt spends most of his days and nights as a carefree rich kid partying on his father’s dime. When James unexpectedly turns up dead one day though, Britt is forced to re-examine his life in regards to how he’s wasted the vast majority of it, as well as how to deal with the media empire his father has left him. Enter Kato, James Reid’s genius-level mechanic and the man who’s made Britt the perfect cup of coffee every morning for his entire life. Kato is not only adept at the art of fighting and cappuccino-brewing, but also in armoring vehicles with extreme weaponry. The two loners spend an evening exchanging childhood memories and plan to play a prank by defacing the statue dedicated to Britt’s dad. Unbeknownst to them there is a robbery attempt nearby and after taking action and saving a couple from harm, the men decide to combine their wealth and skills and become unlikely heroes by first posing as villains. While Britt uses the newspaper to drive awareness to the new menace of The Green Hornet, he also attracts the attention of a high-powered L.A. crime lord (Christoph Waltz) who wants him eliminated.
Rogen is definitely an unlikely action star, but the film doesn’t shy away from that, instead showing how he really needs a partner like Kato to stay alive and achieve his goals as a hero. Chou is excellent as Kato, and actually plays off of Rogen’s comedy very well. Waltz takes what could be a one-dimensional character and adds some intricacies to the villain that make him interesting to watch. Cameron Diaz is really wasted in a supporting role than anyone else could have filled the shoes of.
There are a few moments of eye-roll-inducing goofy action that could have been tamed down a bit, but overall most of the comedy works and the partnership between Britt and Kato is fairly believable in the way it plays out, which makes the film work most of the time.
For the kids? Young ones not so much, thanks to some violence and adult language. The teenagers in the family should fare just fine with the content though.
Not a bad flick, but nothing incredible here either...just some big, dumb fun to be had at the theater if you’re looking for an escape for a couple hours.
Grade: B
Posted on 14 Jan 2011 by Woodlands Family Magazine
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