-=*-=*-=* MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD!! *=-*=-*=-
First off, I'm more of a fairweather fan of the Hornet. My first viewing of him was probably like many of you, as his guest appearances on Batman and his regular TV show (the latter which I never got a chance to see until the late 80s).
Without spoiling too much, the shoe is now apparently on the other foot with this new movie. Back in the 60s, Batman was tongue-in-cheek and The Green Hornet was serious. Seth Rogan took the character and turned him into more of a bumbling trust fund baby... which sounds sacrilegious, but really makes the character shine. Jay Chou's "Kato" is an accomplished engineer, mechanic, artist (Rogan flips through his sketchbook and pauses on a page featuring a sketch of Bruce Lee) as well as brewing one helluva cup of coffee. Cameron Diaz's "Casey" came across as pretty much like all of her other characters she tend to play, two-dimensional.
The film's baddie, Christoph Waltz's "Chudnofsky"... PHENOMENAL!! He did not get enough screen time!
The Black Beauty... I will own one. The Batmobile no longer holds first place as "First Car to Buy when Lottery is Won!"
The dialog is true to form with most of Rogan's other movies, a lot of one-liners, innuendo, and what feels more like improv at times, but they aren't outright corny (unless it is, and when it is they take it to EXTREME outright corny!) and really do help round out the characters (see above Exception: Diaz, C.). The fight scenes are wonderfully thought out (I don't want to say choreographed because they involve quite a bit of CG), fast paced, and in the aftermath The Hornet takes all the credit, which is one of the major plot points of the movie.
All in all, it was a wonderful buddy-comedy-action flick, that even if you aren't a fan, or know very little of the character, it was still thoroughly enjoyable.
First off, I'm more of a fairweather fan of the Hornet. My first viewing of him was probably like many of you, as his guest appearances on Batman and his regular TV show (the latter which I never got a chance to see until the late 80s).
Without spoiling too much, the shoe is now apparently on the other foot with this new movie. Back in the 60s, Batman was tongue-in-cheek and The Green Hornet was serious. Seth Rogan took the character and turned him into more of a bumbling trust fund baby... which sounds sacrilegious, but really makes the character shine. Jay Chou's "Kato" is an accomplished engineer, mechanic, artist (Rogan flips through his sketchbook and pauses on a page featuring a sketch of Bruce Lee) as well as brewing one helluva cup of coffee. Cameron Diaz's "Casey" came across as pretty much like all of her other characters she tend to play, two-dimensional.
The film's baddie, Christoph Waltz's "Chudnofsky"... PHENOMENAL!! He did not get enough screen time!
The Black Beauty... I will own one. The Batmobile no longer holds first place as "First Car to Buy when Lottery is Won!"
The dialog is true to form with most of Rogan's other movies, a lot of one-liners, innuendo, and what feels more like improv at times, but they aren't outright corny (unless it is, and when it is they take it to EXTREME outright corny!) and really do help round out the characters (see above Exception: Diaz, C.). The fight scenes are wonderfully thought out (I don't want to say choreographed because they involve quite a bit of CG), fast paced, and in the aftermath The Hornet takes all the credit, which is one of the major plot points of the movie.
All in all, it was a wonderful buddy-comedy-action flick, that even if you aren't a fan, or know very little of the character, it was still thoroughly enjoyable.
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