The Green Hornet review thread.

[Webhead38]

Back to 41% with 39 reviews in. Only at 13% with the top critics. I wouldn't hold my breath of this one. And no, I certainly don't need the critics to tell me what movie to see. But I certainly don't have to take advice on what looks like S-H-*-T either.

 

[MadVillainy]

 

[KenK]

Pretty much. I love when people take a hard stance on gauging the critical reaction of a film to get their point across, then say, "but it's not like I'm going to let critics influence my decision to see a movie! I know it's a bad movie without even seeing it, and the people who have seen it and like just don't want to accept my truth!"

 

[Webhead38]

I am not a "hater". What I don't like is this phoney support for a film based solely on the actor who is in it. Have you spent five seconds thinking about the pointlessness of the concept? Consider it. You have Seth Rogen pulling out a hero last relevant in the late 60's, and using him as a device for a comedy to sell to his fans...right? Am I unfair in that assessment? Nope. Okay, so here's the rub. The whole film is a satire based on that last installment of the Green Hornet. Problem is the current generation (which is composed of Seth's fans) don't have any familiarity with Van Williams. And the generation that is familiar, are not interested in this treatment. So the people who would "get" the joke are not going to see it. So why base the film on that character at all? See my point?

 

[Bathead]

I am not a "hater". What I don't like is this phoney support for a film based solely on the actor who is in it. Have you spent five seconds thinking about the pointlessness of the concept? Consider it. You have Seth Rogen pulling out a hero last relevant in the late 60's, and using him as a device for a comedy to sell to his fans...right? Am I unfair in that assessment? Nope. Okay, so here's the rub. The whole film is a satire based on that last installment of the Green Hornet. Problem is the current generation (which is composed of Seth's fans) don't have any familiarity with Van Williams. And the generation that is familiar, are not interested in this treatment. So the people who would "get" the joke are not going to see it. So why base the film on that character at all? See my point?

I am of that generation, I was a big fan of the show when it was on. I even dressed up as The Hornet for Halloween once and had a HO scale slot car version of the Black Beauty and I am very interested in this film. I could care less about Seth Rogen. You're over-generalizing.

 

[MadVillainy]

DOnt even worry about it man

DOnt fuel the hater fire

 

[KenK]

I am not a "hater". What I don't like is this phoney support for a film based solely on the actor who is in it.

But that's happened throughout the entirety of the history of film. The concept of a movie "star" is as old as cinema itself. There's nothing phony about the support, if there's a genuine audience for a particular actor. No it doesn't always work, but it's not some new practice that Hollywood's pulling out of their asses.

Have you spent five seconds thinking about the pointlessness of the concept? Consider it. You have Seth Rogen pulling out a hero last relevant in the late 60's, and using him as a device for a comedy to sell to his fans...right? Am I unfair in that assessment?

Looking back on all the attempts to bring the character to the screen, I get the impression that there were plans to infuse the film with comedic elements long before Rogen was even involved.

The whole film is a satire based on that last installment of the Green Hornet. Problem is the current generation (which is composed of Seth's fans) don't have any familiarity with Van Williams.

The same way I had an awareness of the Adam West Batman Series despite being born 12 years after the show ended (and was actually my introduction to the character in general), I became familiar with the Green Hornet. And back when FX started in the mid-90s, The Green Hornet series was one of the shows in heavy rotation, when its programming was primarily reruns of FOX produced shows.

And the generation that is familiar, are not interested in this treatment. So the people who would "get" the joke are not going to see it. So why base the film on that character at all? See my point?

Honestly no. Because for the most part, I feel like all you've done is speak in absolutes as it serves your opinion. You've clearly taken a stance that you're not even going to see the film. But what kills me is that you've gone to profound lengths to devalue my opinion of the film when I have actually seen it! If you think the film is bad, and you're not going to see it, that's one think. But you've done a lot of talking to convince me that I'm wrong for liking the film. You've gone as far as the make the "oh so clever" accusation that I must be a plant for Sony. God forbid I may have actually liked the film, and found it to have merit in a certain context.

It's not that I have any desire whatsoever for you to like the film, but it's the "I told you so" approach you've taken to discussing the film that I just find rather obnoxious.

 

[Webhead38]

Honestly no. Because for the most part, I feel like all you've done is speak in absolutes as it serves your opinion. You've clearly taken a stance that you're not even going to see the film. But what kills me is that you've gone to profound lengths to devalue my opinion of the film when I have actually seen it! If you think the film is bad, and you're not going to see it, that's one think. But you've done a lot of talking to convince me that I'm wrong for liking the film. You've gone as far as the make the "oh so clever" accusation that I must be a plant for Sony. God forbid I may have actually liked the film, and found it to have merit in a certain context.

It's not that I have any desire whatsoever for you to like the film, but it's the "I told you so" approach you've taken to discussing the film that I just find rather obnoxious.

If that has been your problem in us agreeing to disagree then you have my apologies. It has not been my intent to influence your reason to see it or not see it. To like it or not like it. When it comes to what people love in movies, to each his own. We all have our favorites and some of them are ones we would probably have a hard time justifying on any measure, outside of the simple fact we like them. Perhaps this will be one of those movies for you. That's great. No argument there whatsoever.

What rubs me raw with this film, is a return to the old attitude of the genre (which kept it from the film industry for DECADES). This idea that the character is the joke instead of giving some reverence to the material and then winking back at you. Iron Man is a great example. That is an outrageous concept on paper. In the world of comics, possibly one of the harder ideas to pull off for a film without looking campy. But they pulled it off by blending the action elements while selling the technology as something that could be possible. But the genius of the film...in my opinion...were the winks they gave the audience by showing Stark as this brilliant scientist, who was also an impossible klutz when it came to understanding how all of his creations worked. That comic relief took the weight off the camp of the idea. So a person who knew nothing about that character could go in and watch it and be entertained without feeling like they needed to be a comic book fan to like it. I think Iron Man had broad appeal for those reasons.

The Green Hornet looks just the opposite. It looks like it could easily be a skit on Saturday Night Live, instead of a real effort to be a film anyone would want to see. When that happens, it lowers expectations on the whole genre. Suddenly people start thinking these characters need to be the b*tt of jokes instead of good films. They start stereotyping the genre as being a limited medium with unoriginal and childish concepts. I don't want this genre, which has become main stream entertainment, to revert back to the old days again. That is where I'm coming from.

 

[marvelman2006]

Im not a hater but I can tell this movie is nothing more then a rental from netflix if I have the time. I like rogen but I think he is wrong for this superhero genre. I also cant stand diaz anymore, she looks old and somehow along the way lost the ability to act. Its never good when they dump a movie let alone superhero movie in jan.

 

[itsleroy]

Hello everybody, I saw The Green Hornet today a day early as a part of a Microsoft-only event. This is the first I've ever seen of The Green Hornet, apart from trailers, so I'm definitely a newbie when it comes to this superhero.

I LOVED the movie though, I thought it was excellent. I seriously don't see where these negative reviews are coming from. Seth Rogen was hysterical, and Chou was awesome as Kato, his fight scenes were so fun to watch. Really great movie, nothing but good things to say about it, I will definitely see it again.

James Franco was awesome (I'm a massive Spider-Man fan), I had no idea he was going to be in the film. Waltz was also excellent. Olmos was a little odd, he just seemed a little bit distant from the role.

Still excellent though!!

 

[itsleroy]

Cameron Diaz was also super-fine.

 

[KenK]

Franco in the film WAS pretty damn good.

 

[itsleroy]

Franco in the film WAS pretty damn good.

Yeah, he was hilarious!

 

[Crockett]

Franco has a cameo in the movie? That's cool.

 

[The Caped Knight]

Wow this film is an abomination. As a fan of the classic tv series, I'm really disappointed that this spoof adaptation was even put into production in the first place . I'm not saying the film didn't have good moments or it didn't have some good homage moments to the tv series because it did. However for ever good moment their was a ton of bad moments that I feel in the end made this film bomb severely.

For starters The portrayal of the main character Britt Reid was an absolute joke that isn't fun at all it just disgraceful and a total disregard to Van Williams portrayal in the tv series as the savvy debonair playboy editor and chief of the Daily Sentinel as well as the magnificent genius crime fighter The Green Hornet. Seth version was just a complete ******* who showed no true signs of progression or character development and when he started too become a little more serious he acted like an idiot again .

Kato for the most part was very well written and his character progressed.

The Black Beauty was also very well designed and look wicked.

The supporting cast such as Lenore "Casey" Case and Mike Axford wasted wasted opportunity

Turning D.A. Frank P. Scanlon into a villain was unnecessary and a mistake

The villain was another wasted opportunity

The effects were alright

The storyline was weak .

 

[Dave McFly]

I just got back, I agree for the most part that Seth's Britt/GH was not as 'cool or playboy' as the Van version of the 60s, but he did a good job from what I saw. Jay as Kato pretty much stole the movie (me and my buddies were laughing when he was singing part of Gangsta's Paradise in the Black Beauty).

Spoiler

the Britt and Kato fight was probably one of my fave bits that and the driving the BB into the newspaper building and having it land on the newspaper printing press and it being cut in half of the elevator and busting out at the end and taking out the bad D.A (while GH and Kato use the 'ejector seat') was great!

the 'new' black beauty was awesome man for such a big and heavy car they drove it like it was a Porsche or a Ferrari! I stoped by a store that happened to have die cast 1/50 scale models of the BB in closed up and 'weapons deployed' mode and I got one of each for my collection (they are on my desk as I type this).

 

[terry78]

edit

 

[PWN3R]

I thought this movie wasn't that bad. In fact, it pretty ****ing funny in some parts.
- Bromance
- James Franco
- Waltz's character
- Great absurd action

Definitely a fun movie that doesn't take itself serious at all - which is kinda nice.

 

[terry78]

It was a fun flick, basically. It had the tone of a much more tongue in cheek Iron Man almost.

 

[PWN3R]

I thought this movie wasn't that bad. In fact, it's pretty ****ing funny in some parts.
- Bromance
- James Franco
- Waltz's character
- Great absurd action

Definitely a fun movie that doesn't take itself serious at all - which is kinda nice.

 

[Comics N' Toons]

You're kind of overestimating the fan base of the Green Hornet in its "original" form, don't you think? To believe you're going to find more people whose first thought of Green Hornet is as a pulp hero from an old radio show, versus initially thinking of the television series co-starring Bruce Lee, is highly unlikely. And after that series, how much of a prominence did The Green Hornet have in popular culture?

My first thought when someone says Green Hornet is that of a dark, Batman-esque pulp hero. The show is only "good" to me. The radio is where it's at...

AND I'M 25 ******* years old!

BOOYAH!

 

[CaptainCraig]

Grade: B

The Green Hornet at its core follows a basic Hollywood template. The Straight Guy/The Badass. This movie at its core has the same "oddball" pairing as 48 Hours with Murphy/Nolte or Lethal Weapon with Riggs/Murtaugh. That is how I see this.

I really enjoyed the first and last acts of the movie. The opening minutes set the stage as adequately as most movies do for this type film. The scene with James Franco was fun. I caught the Bruce Lee nod in the movie but missed The Lone Ranger nod, it was credited in the closing credits. I enjoyed seeing James Edward Elmos as well, for a secondary character I enjoyed what his presence added to the film.

The last act of the movie plays like a good action movie with several good sequences strung together. I also liked how they opened it with a comic book panel style transition of getting the word out about the bounty on GH's head. There isn't a post credits scene for those who might be curious.

So where did I feel like the movie faultered to land in the 'B' range. The second act. After the good bonding in the first act we are led to believe that they are fighting over Cameron Diaz's character Lenore. She very clearly isn't interested in both yet we get this "brotherly quarrel" over her and a fight sequence about which of the two is the most important part of their duo.
While a number of the quick one off jokes work in the movie(laughter in the right places at my viewing) there were 3-4 spots where a few quick fire things(shotgun affect is how I like to describe it) were said and the joke felt forced and didn't click.

Overall though I enjoyed it, saw it in 2-D, and think at minimum it's a good matinee of fun for 2hrs.

Should it get a sequel I think the character likely would've evolved and matured. The comedy toned down a few tads yet still have well timed comedic moments.

 

[Mr. Para-Normal]

I just got back from seeing this in 3D. This is coming from someone who had no prior knowledge of the green hornet other than the info given in the trailers. I liked it and I thought it was a decent flick. Seth did a decent job but the guy who played Kato was just awesome! Cameron Dias was just okay she is really starting to show her age. Maybe if they do a sequel find a better female lead. Not saying looks are everything but her acting was a bit bland in some places.

The only only other negatives was the villan was kinda weak. The story was decent but I wish it could have been a but stronger. Side note James Franco's short cameo was awesome! I really wish he was the villan instead of the guy we got in the movie. On the plus side the action scenes were all great and the comedy was great. Overall, I decent flick that I would recommend just for entertainment. Soild 7.5 out of 10.

P.S why are hardcore Green Hornet fans pissed with this movie? It's not like the the Green Hornet was super popular or anything?

 

[Comics N' Toons]

Wow this film is an abomination. As a fan of the classic tv series, I'm really disappointed that this spoof adaptation was even put into production in the first place . I'm not saying the film didn't have good moments or it didn't have some good homage moments to the tv series because it did. However for ever good moment their was a ton of bad moments that I feel in the end made this film bomb severely.

For starters The portrayal of the main character Britt Reid was an absolute joke that isn't fun at all it just disgraceful and a total disregard to Van Williams portrayal in the tv series as the savvy debonair playboy editor and chief of the Daily Sentinel as well as the magnificent genius crime fighter The Green Hornet. Seth version was just a complete ******* who showed no true signs of progression or character development and when he started too become a little more serious he acted like an idiot again .

Kato for the most part was very well written and his character progressed.

The Black Beauty was also very well designed and look wicked.

The supporting cast such as Lenore "Casey" Case and Mike Axford wasted wasted opportunity

Turning D.A. Frank P. Scanlon into a villain was unnecessary and a mistake

The villain was another wasted opportunity

The effects were alright

The storyline was weak .

YES. PERFECT POST... Finally, someone besides myself who gets the Green Hornet. You get it man, you really do!

 

[The Caped Knight]

P.S why are hardcore Green Hornet fans pissed with this movie? It's not like the the Green Hornet was super popular or anything?

Because this series is what sky rocketed Bruce Lee's career, Also Van Williams as well . Plus the series even thought it was short lived was very good and had it been given a proper chance like the 60's Batman in (season 1 and 2) or Wonder Woman series. Prehaps It would have gained more status from the public eye .

Have a look at the original series.. In the era of gangsters, mobsters gunmen and racketeering in the city. Their was a masked Vigilante fighting for justice even thought the law sees him and his side kick as villains .

Check out the series here
HornetNest1000

Start with this
The Green Hornet Corpse Of The Year 1 of 5