Friday, January 14, 2011

Box Office Review - The Green Hornet


I was trying to think up a clever opening involving my history with The Green Hornet, but I couldn't, so I will do the worst thing one can do in a review and just say right off the top that I loved the film. The Green Hornet is exactly what I expected from director Michel Gondry and writers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. The film is full of fantastic visuals and at the centre is the relationship of two male friends.

Seth Rogen plays the title character Britt Reid aka The Green Hornet. Reid is the spoiled selfish son of billionaire newspaper mogul James Reid. All Britt does is party and not take responsibility for anything. After the death of his father things don't really change that much for Britt except that he decides he wants to fight crime. He decides this after meeting mechanic/coffee maker/martial artist/ladies man Kato played by Jay Chou. Together they raise trouble for the local self esteem lacking crime lord played by Cristoph Waltz.

This film is the superhero equivalent of a buddy movie and I can't think of another film like that. The entire film is about the relationship between Britt and Kato. Britt is a self obsessed jerk, and Kato is calm and good at everything. These are perfect characters for a buddy film. Seth Rogen and Jay Chou play off each other wonderfully and there scenes are hilarious.

While the film is one of the funniest films I have seen in a long time it also contains some of the best action scenes in recent memory. The Green Hornet puts most other action comedies to shame. Director Michel Gondry spearheaded the “bullet time” effect that was popularized in The Matrix, so my expectations for highly stylized and breath taking action was high. I was not disappointed. There are multiple slow motion scenes that are unbelievable with multiple bad guys getting destroyed in long takes. The car scenes involving the Chrysler Imperial aptly named “Black Beauty” are so inventive that I doubt much more could have been done with these scenes. Easily the best car related stunts since Death Proof.

The Green Hornet is the modern equivalent of the greatest 80s buddy films. I had a huge smile on my face for the entirety of the film. If this film is any indication of the quality of films to come in 2011, it is going to be an amazing year.

A Gold Banana

1 comment:

  1. I whole heartedly agree with your review. Easily one of the best comedy's and/or superhero films made to date. The chemistry between the two main protagonists is remarkable and the action was spot on. However, I did find Seth Rogen's self-centered personality become slightly abrasive as the film progressed. Personally I think it was slightly overdone. Despite this I think the film has easily ascended into one of my all-time favorites and already has a spot waiting for it on my DVD/Blu-ray shelf.

    ps - Elephant Prostitutes Rock...

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