Expectation lowered when I arrived at the theatre 30 minutes later. As we entered, we were directed to end of a very, very, very long line. When we arrived at the front of the line 35 minutes later, the studio rep let us know that the only seats left were in the front row. I checked with my moviegoing companion and we decided that since we drove so far and waited so long to see a free movie, that yes, the front row would be acceptable.
So, imagine my delight when I found that The Green Hornet did not suck. It was a nice little popcorn film that didn't take itself too seriously (a death nail for many comic book adaptations), there was good chemistry between the two male leads played by Seth Rogan and newcomer Jay Choa, and plenty of the visual flair you would expect from Michel Gondry (director of External Sunshine of Spotless Mind).
The film, from a screenplay by Rogan and writing partner Evan Goldberg, tells the origin story of the Hornet and his sidekick Kato. Without going into any detail, all you need to know is that Kato is the real brains, brawn, and talent in this dynamic duo and Choa steals the show as the martial arts master / genius behind the gadgets and the cool cars that give them their powers.
The plot is traditional bad guy / corrupt city official fodder that we are used to and the supporting performances are thinly drawn, but adequately protrayed by Tom Wilkenson, Cameron Diaz, Christoph Waltz (in his first role since winning an Oscar for inglourious Basterds),and Edward James "Tough Guys Don't Do Math, Tough Guys Deep Fry Chicken For A Living" Olmos.
The action sequences are well staged and many of the visual tricks used are a lot of fun including a panelled montage bridging the second and third acts and the final credit sequence (which utilized the 3D well).
The film also alerted me that Edward Furlong (of T2 fame) was still amongst the living. I sure thought he had overdosed. I guess I must have confused him with Brad Renfro or one of the Coreys.
Although I liked the movie, I am not sure if I would recommend it. If you are not a fan of Seth Rogan (and I am from way back to his Freaks and Geeks days), you should probably stay away. However, if you are looking for two hours of diversion, you could do a lot worse.
A good sign of whether I am enjoying a film is the watch test - how far into the movie can I last before checking my watch for the first time. For The Green Hornet, my first check was at the 90 minute mark (of a 120 minute movie). That's a long time for me.
If I had to rate it, I would say 3 out of 5.
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