Green Hornet. Despite all the negative reviews out there, I thought that the movie was very, very, very… okay. It had good action, it provided some good laughs, thus satiating the crave for an action comedy. The story wasn’t the greatest, but I liked their approach to the concept. It was their attempt at turning the story into a buddy action comedy that I liked. Superheroes are sort of wacky as it is (the original Green Hornet not withstanding), so going for the comedy angle was appreciated. But that said, it was probably the weakest movie written by Seth Rogen and childhood pal, Evan Goldberg, and an even weaker attempt by mastermind director, Michel Gondry. It didn’t feel as polished as any of their previous efforts.The story follows Britt Reid, the son of a wealthy newspaper owner, who lives the highlife as a socialite of sorts; sleeping by day and partying by night. One day his father dies from a freak bee sting, and Britt is handed the reigns as the new owner. He disregards his responsibilities until he meets his father’s enigmatic mechanic/coffee maker, Kato. Kato is sort of like Britt’s gateway drug into the world of ass-kicking. The first time they fend off a group of thugs, he gets a little bloodlust and craves for more. This fuels an idea he has to become a superhero who poses as a villain in order to get closer to the true villains, and eventually take them out. Unfortunately for him and Kato, the biggest crime lord in the city, Chudnofsky, sets off on a tear against them for disrupting his business.
The action in the movie is fun, with its video-game-like slow motion and visual style. It’s definitely the strongest point of the movie. The comedy itself is sub-par and definitely not as risque when compared to other Rogen movies, but that might be because of the more lax rating. It has its moments though! Story-wise, it’s very ‘meh’, nothing that will blow you away, but I will say that I was thoroughly entertained during the last 15-20 minutes. The way they tied up the loose ends had me rolling!
Seth Rogen (a really trimmed down Seth Rogen) plays the same sort of Seth-Rogen-character you find in his other movies. He’s still the bumbling, non-alpha male hero, but this time around adds an arrogant edge, based on his character’s wealth and fame. What really made the movie for me (and I think most people) was Jay Chou as Kato. He kicked all sorts of butt throughout the whole movie, with his Matrix-like fighting skills. Unfortunately, it was sort of ruined anytime he had to talk. God bless the guy, but there were times when I didn’t catch a single word he said because his accent was so strong. But really, he made up for his lack of oratory skills with his ass kicking skills. While Christoph Waltz is an outstanding actor, his role as the main villain wasn’t given much. He was a one-dimensional, I-want-to-do-crime-type character that more filled out a role than embodied one. But, it’s not his fault, he was great doing what he was given, which for me, wasn’t enough.
The biggest surprise of this movie was a cameo from someone I would have never expected: Edward Furlong!!!!! John Connor himself! And boy, he didn’t look good. I’ve heard that he’s an addict of sorts and it shows. That’s the type of makeup that Hollywood can’t buy! I get the feeling that the producers found him going through the garbage in the alley of the film lot and yelled to him, “Hey Eddie, is that you? Wanna be in a movie? Just say these lines!”. And away he went!
So yah, if you're going to see this movie for any reason, see it for Edward Furlong! Just for the shock factor! If you're going to watch this, go on a Tuesday when tickets are cheaper and also, forget the 3D, that will save you a few more bucks. Til next time, later geeks!
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