Ending B

Wow, it's been a while. Eh, that's life. Anywho, welcome to another addition of "So I've Been Watching." Today, we will be talking about new movie, The Green Hornet.

When there's a double barreled pistol involved, you know you're in for a good time

Now, I know some of you are thinking, "But Craig, it's Wednesday (or at least it was when I started writing this). How could you have possibly seen this movie?" The answer is simple; I won tickets for an early screening (actually, Steve was the one who won the tickets... actually, it was our friend Tim, but he couldn't make and he gave the tickets to Steve who invited me along. Wow, it would've been a lot easier to say I got them from Tim... oh well, I'm rambling). I'm going to take this rare opportunity to tell people about a movie (or game... or something). So, without further ado, here is my review of The Green Hornet.

Please note this review contains MINOR spoilers.

If I had to sum up this movie in one word, I would have to say "fun." After the first... five minutes (which shows a young version of the main character, Britt Reid, being emotionally abused by his father), this movie is pretty much nonstop fun. Action, laughs, pyrotechnics and a cool soundtrack help put this package together.

Cameron Diaz (left) as Lenore Case & Seth Rogan (right) as Britt Reid/Green Hornet

The movie starts off with Britt Reid, party dude extraordinaire, inheriting his father's newspaper. He later meets Kato, his father's car mechanic/personal barista/martial artist/genius/maker of cool gadgets, and the two bond over mutual feelings of Britt's father being a dick (their words, not mine). While getting a little "postmortem" revenge, the two (and by two, I mean primarily Kato) inadvertently save a couple from being mugged by a gang. Soon after, they decide to become superheros. However, the twist is Britt suggests they pose as villains as to not be easily lead into traps. The premise is a little strange (and feels a little forced at times), but it works.

Kato doesn't need to look where he's shooting.

The movie is well cast. Seth Rogan makes a fun (yet bumbling) Green Hornet. Cameron Diaz also does a nice job as the hard-nosed and intelligent Lenore. However, the most impressive of all was Kato, played by Jay Chou (birth name Chou Jie Lun). According to IMDB (unless I read in incorrectly, which is always possible), The Green Hornet is his first American movie. Not only his he a great martial artist, but the man can actually ACT. He was serious, funny, and jovial all when it was appropriate to the situation. I hope to see him in more movies stateside. Check out what he's done on IMDB.

It wouldn't be an action movie without jumping over a table

The Green Hornet is an enjoyable movie. Though the overall plot is pretty standard for an action/superhero movie, it still manages to be clever. If action movies/comedy movies aren't your thing, then... well... you probably won't like this movie. For everyone else, I'd recommend giving this movie a shot. If you've yet to see a movie in 2011, this would be a fun way to start of the movie viewing year.