Superheroics go green
By Xu Wei |
February 20, 2011, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
From childhood, it seems as if every boy has a superhero complex in which he feels responsible for saving the world.
That has been proved once again in fun action-comedy "The Green Hornet," in which an American playboy teams up with an Asian kung fu expert and genius mechanic to fight crime.
Over the past decades, the "superhero" film has become a mature and important genre in Hollywood. However, compared with the recent "Superman," "Spider-Man" and "Batman" series, this film is a rather contrasting production due to its distinctive combination of suspense, physical combat and tons of humor.
After the sudden death of his father, Britt Reid (Seth Rogen), heir to Los Angeles' newspaper "The Daily Sentinel," transforms his life of depraved party days into breathtaking superhero adventures.
Posing as masked superhero "The Green Hornet," along with his driver and assistant Kato, the two start a risky new career of fighting crime.
They discover the real reason behind Reid's father's death and then proceed to stop crime with the aid of "Black Beauty," a luxury 1965 Chrysler Imperial Crown newly equipped with guns and gadgets.
The film directed by Michel Gondry is based on a classic radio series and among its subsequent incarnations a 1966 TV version is particularly famous for introducing Bruce Lee to the world. In this new version, Lee's character Kato is played by the multi-talented Taiwanese pop star, composer, singer and actor Jay Chou.
As the faithful sidekick to Reid, the 32-year-old Chou successfully displays his cool appearance, Oriental humor and Bruce Lee-like fighting skills for his Hollywood film debut.
Chou used to tell Western media that his appearance in the movie fulfilled a childhood dream to imitate Lee's kung fu genius. But he doesn't want his role to simply mirror Lee's one-dimensional kung fu charm. Instead, the role presents a wide showcase for his musical talent. In addition to martial arts, Chou has put a lot of musical elements into the role of Kato - performing a rap with Seth Rogen and playing piano with Cameron Diaz.
However, the comedic acting of the characters, the funny lines and scenes still can't make up for the plain heroes-versus-villains plot of the film, a common weakness of the "superhero" genre. Diaz's role in the film as a secretary to Reid is more like a vase. And the ending offers no surprise - superheroes always laugh last and laugh longest.
That has been proved once again in fun action-comedy "The Green Hornet," in which an American playboy teams up with an Asian kung fu expert and genius mechanic to fight crime.
Over the past decades, the "superhero" film has become a mature and important genre in Hollywood. However, compared with the recent "Superman," "Spider-Man" and "Batman" series, this film is a rather contrasting production due to its distinctive combination of suspense, physical combat and tons of humor.
After the sudden death of his father, Britt Reid (Seth Rogen), heir to Los Angeles' newspaper "The Daily Sentinel," transforms his life of depraved party days into breathtaking superhero adventures.
Posing as masked superhero "The Green Hornet," along with his driver and assistant Kato, the two start a risky new career of fighting crime.
They discover the real reason behind Reid's father's death and then proceed to stop crime with the aid of "Black Beauty," a luxury 1965 Chrysler Imperial Crown newly equipped with guns and gadgets.
The film directed by Michel Gondry is based on a classic radio series and among its subsequent incarnations a 1966 TV version is particularly famous for introducing Bruce Lee to the world. In this new version, Lee's character Kato is played by the multi-talented Taiwanese pop star, composer, singer and actor Jay Chou.
As the faithful sidekick to Reid, the 32-year-old Chou successfully displays his cool appearance, Oriental humor and Bruce Lee-like fighting skills for his Hollywood film debut.
Chou used to tell Western media that his appearance in the movie fulfilled a childhood dream to imitate Lee's kung fu genius. But he doesn't want his role to simply mirror Lee's one-dimensional kung fu charm. Instead, the role presents a wide showcase for his musical talent. In addition to martial arts, Chou has put a lot of musical elements into the role of Kato - performing a rap with Seth Rogen and playing piano with Cameron Diaz.
However, the comedic acting of the characters, the funny lines and scenes still can't make up for the plain heroes-versus-villains plot of the film, a common weakness of the "superhero" genre. Diaz's role in the film as a secretary to Reid is more like a vase. And the ending offers no surprise - superheroes always laugh last and laugh longest.
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