Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Green Hornet 3D Blu-ray Movie Review

Decent 3D, an added supplement, a DVD copy, and a cool case distinguish this release from its 2D counterpart.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 6, 2011

You're a human swiss army knife!

Take James Bond, slap on the Lone Ranger's eye mask, ditch Q, pick up a cool Asian sidekick, drop 20 years, add 20 pounds, and the end result would be someone like The Green Hornet. That name doesn't really have the same ring to it as The Green Lantern or The Green Goblin or Green Peace or an OD Green Piece or Going Green or Green With Envy or Greenbacks; OK, maybe it does, but whatever, it's cool. Here he is, finally in his own honest-to-gosh movie, a few years late to the party, a couple of dollars short, and a happy meal or two too many, but it's finally the Hornet's turn to sting, to buuuuuzzzzzzzz audiences and prove that a superhero doesn't have to have a man at the end of his name, man, to be coooool. And sure enough, this ain't your older brother's mid-2000s superhero movie, either. Nope, this is something a little more unique, maybe, a movie that's not so much about crime fighting or such exciting nonsense but about relationships, real relationships, the kind born from a chance meeting and that instant spark, a chemistry that seems almost like fate but that really just happens to all come back to a really good cup of Joe. With a leaf in it. Who was it that said coffe can't save the day? Because they were wrong. Dead wrong. Because The Green Hornet's gonna getcha! Gee whiz, too much caffeine, maybe? Or is The Green Hornet really this much fun?

Fun times.

Britt Reid (Seth Rogen, Knocked Up) has never exactly been the apple of his father's eye. Britt, a young boy with a good heart but with no real praise for or results to show from his fruitless but honest efforts towards doing good deeds, grows up to rebel against his strict father, partying away daddy's money and defying his not-so-proud papa -- a newspaper magnate -- with every new babe in his bead. When dear old dad (Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton) turns up dead -- from a bee sting, of all things -- his media company suddenly falls into Britt's lap. Britt knows he's not the man for the job and makes no allusions to the contrary. He fires most everyone who's worked for his father, but when one of the last vestiges of the old guard brings Britt his morning cup of coffee, he's outraged to discover that it's nowhere near as good as what he's come to expect. He learns that his father's trusted mechanic, a young man named Kato (Jay Chou, Initial D), not only brewed his morning cup but built the contraption that makes it so good. Turns out that Kato is as brilliant with a wrench and blueprint as Michelangelo with a hunk of stone and a chisel. He's built a virtually indestructible car decked out with enough gizmos, doodads, missiles, and machine guns to give the Batmobile a run for its money. Kato's re-hired and the two hit it off and hit the town. When they break up a small-time assault, they decide that they have what it takes to become a formidable little crime-fighting tandem, but here's their catch: they'll go in from behind, posing as villains but only doing so to infiltrate the criminal element and make their job of eliminating the evildoers all the easier. Meanwhile, Britt and Kato -- with the help of a new sultry, smart, and somewhat seasoned secretary named Lenore Case (Cameron Diaz, Charlie's Angels) -- promote the exploits of "The Green Hornet" and his trusty sidekick through their own media, but will the exposure and the real criminal element be the death of them?

Forget that The Green Hornet is pretty routine both structurally and stylistically. Never mind that the plot requires from viewers about the same brain power as it takes to breathe. Director Michel Gondry (Be Kind Rewind) manages to overcome the picture's obvious shortcomings by focusing on what makes this particular story so entertainingly breezy, and that's the relationship between Britt and Kato. This is the story of a couple of guys who chum it up and discover they have what it takes to become a pretty fearsome crime-fighting duo, Britt with his wealth, name, attitude, and energy and Kato with his mechanical know-how and ability to brew the perfect morning pick-me-up. These aren't superheroes, they're friends with unique talents that aren't otherworldly, supernatural, or otherwise out of grasp by reasonable human standards. The Green Hornet is built almost exclusively on the relationship, the fun, the excitement of discovering a whole new world of crime-fighting potential and all of the inherent risks and rewards that emerge from participation in that enterprise. Much of the picture's charm stems from the bumbling uncertainty of how the hero-versus-villain universe is supposed to work, because things never go as planned, people aren't who they seem to be, and simply donning a mask, making up a cool nickname, and cruising in a hard-to-kill car can't prepare the unprepared for the realities of the deadly underbelly of the criminal world.

Both Seth Rogan and Jay Chou excel in the roles, both perfectly cast as the rambunctious party animal and the quiet intellect, respectively. Separate, they're incomplete, together, they make a great team, a top-notch tandem with only tricks of their own trade up their sleeves, depending on one another (and a few well-conceived and perfectly-executed mechanical helpers along the way) to save their own hides from the messes they make in their effort to make the world a slightly better place. Their enemy is more or less a prop, a dubiously-drawn villain named Chudnofsky (Christopher Waltz, Inglourious Basterds) who fills in the necessary gap to give the plot some wheels and the heroes a reason to ignite the screen with their witty banter and physical gags. This is an Action/Comedy hybrid in the truest sense of the genre, a movie that shoots from the mouth as much as from the barrel of a gun. While a few jokes misfire (but the guns never do) -- the script sometimes just tries too hard to be too cool -- most of them hit the mark, punctuated by the hint of realism and even practicality that's often so missing in these sorts of "Superhero" movies. The Green Hornet isn't some darkly serious movie with heavy themes or anything like that; it's a playful little romp that might not be what every fan wanted, but for pure entertainment value it's pretty hard to beat.

The Green Hornet 3D Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Green Hornet's 1080p 2D transfer was sturdy but just short of spectacular. The same may be said of this 3D version in a general sense, but it introduces a few problems that lower the score relative to the 2D version but place it as an average 3D transfer. First, The Green Hornet is one of the infamous "3D conversions" that studios have been pumping out of late; think The Last Airbender, Clash of the Titans, and Alice in Wonderland. Hornet is head and shoulders better than Airbender and Titans, but not quite as strong as Alice, which is probably the current reference-standard for a live-action 3D conversion. The Green Hornet never looks quite naturally spacious across the third plane; sure there's some strong general depth, but there's also some images that look artificially, rather than naturally, spaced. General shots of spacious areas -- the main office in the newspaper, Britt's home with its open floor plan, and the like lend themselves well to a nice sense of realistic space, but cramped or more general medium-range shots in smaller spaces appear somewhat flat. In fact, there's a few instances where characters look flat against a deep background, or vice versa where a shapely character appears in front of a seemingly flat backdrop. The transfer fails to take advantage of a few shots ripe for a fantastically intricate 3D presentation, such as the "roller coaster"-like system in the paper's printing area, which looks flat even when the camera moves and tracks all around it. Debris from explosions or sparks from a blowtorch never seems to float into the living room or hover off the screen, but a machine gun that spits out shell casings in the final extended action sequences does manage to toss the brass right at the viewer's head for what may be the best effect in the movie, as short as it may be.

The more common attributes accompanying The Green Hornet in 3D seem like a step down from the 2D version. For whatever reason, this version looks always a little soft; the softness seems increased in a few scenes, but it's certainly not quite as sharp as the natural 2D version. Black crush is more prevalent here, too, perhaps a result of the 3D conversion process and the image being filtered through the glasses. Colors, too, seem a touch less vibrant; this is a rather dark movie to begin with, and even brighter scenes are often devoid of much in the way of snazzy eye candy color. Kato wears a read sweater early in the film, which may be the single brightest element in the movie. It looks quite sharp, but as a general rule colors seem a bit more reserved in 3D. Fine detail is good, but not great, influenced by that touch of softness that runs throughout the movie. Still, clothing and facial textures are good, as are some more subtle elements, like the fine detailing on the bronze statue that's seen a few times in the movie. The image is in no way hindered by any problematic banding or blocking. This is a solid all-around transfer, and is probably a good baseline against which to compare the typical 3D conversion. There's even very little in the way of "ghosting" artifacts, but The Green Hornet never really delivers much in the way of "pop." Even though general dimensional sensations are there, the image is not always perfectly and naturally seamless. 3D definitely works better, most of the time, anyway, when filmed as such. Conversions are coming along in quality, but they're not quite capable of equalling native 3D content, at least not yet.

The Green Hornet 3D Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Green Hornet's dazzling DTS-HD MA 5.1 "3D Optimized" lossless soundtrack is every bit as good as the material suggests it would be. Maybe the track is a little hotter than the "normal" DTS track or surround effects juiced up to a higher volume than what's found on the 2D release, but frankly, there doesn't seem to be a noticeable difference in raw quality with the "enhanced" version. This version still features lots of directional activity, abundantly clear music and effects, and a hefty low end all make this track a first-class winner. Deep, rumbly, but tight bass blasts into the soundstage as things blow up with some regularity throughout the movie, the effects supported by the remaining speakers through which various objects become tossed and strewn hither and thither with great realistic effect, completing the sensation of the explosions and putting the listener in the middle of the action. Indeed, every speaker is active and ready for action with every scene; gunfire tears through the soundstage with heavy, devastating authority in chapter thirteen (and in a few other places), while the entire soundstage carries various action and ambient atmospherics alike with remarkable precision. Music is crisp and effortlessly energetic, retaining a lifelike vitality and seamless spacing that's evident in every note. Lastly, dialogue reproduction is smooth, crisp, and always center-focused. The Green Hornet is another Action movie sonic marvel from Sony.

The Green Hornet 3D Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Green Hornet's Blu-ray 3D release contains extras on both the 3D and dedicated 2D discs. The commentary track appears on both the 3D and 2D platters, and there's one additional 3D-only extra. Otherwise, the remainder of the 2D supplements are identical, and the 2D disc is identical to that found on the standalone 2D release. This package also features a third DVD disc, but no digital copy.

Disc One:

• Audio Commentary: Actor/Producer Seth Rogan, Producer Neal Moritz, Director Michel Gondry, and Writer Evan Goldberg deliver a hearty, sometimes humorous commentary that covers a wide swath of topics, including an honest look at what works and what doesn't (scenes that run too long for instance), the casting process and alternate choices for various parts, shooting locales and set construction, the long process in getting a Green Hornet adaptation to the screen, and plenty more. Despite the larger number of participants, this track never really derails, offering listeners an interesting and oftentimes contagious look into the making of the movie.
• 3D Animated Storyboards Comparisons (1080p, 8:26): Users may view segments from the final film playing over a series of storyboards, and yes, it's in 3D, with each storyboard appearing to hover off the screen.
• BD-Live.

Disc Two:

• The Green Hornet Cutting Room: A supplement that allows users to cobble together their own The Green Hornet clips and share them online.
• Audio Commentary: Same as above.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 26:33): See Yourself Out, The Big Fence, Filer Up, Dickweed, Britt's Pokerface, Taking a Punch!, Burning Down the House, Influencing Scanlon, and Let's Roll Kato.
• "Awesoom" Gag Reel (1080p, 7:18).
• "Trust Me" -- Director Michael Gondry (1080p, 9:33): Cast and crew discuss Director Michael Gondry's style, his eye for action, and the technical process of creating some of the more intricate sequences.
• Writing The Green Hornet (1080p, 10:35): Writers Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen discuss the core of the story, the writing process and fleshing out ideas, and making what amounts to an "anti-Superhero movie."
• The Black Beauty: Rebirth of Cool (1080p, 7:17): Rebuilding the series's famous 1965 Imperial for the new movie.
• The Stunt Family Armstrong (1080p, 7:39): An introduction to the family of stunt choreographers who lent their talents to the film.
• Finding Kato (1080p, 6:00): A look at the casting of Jay Chou.
• The Art of Destruction (1080p, 14:04): A detailed examination of how Hollywood destroys buildings and sets for movies.
• Previews (1080p): Additional Sony titles.
• MovieIQ.
• BD-Live.
• The Green Hornet PS3 Theme.

Disc Three:

• DVD Copy.

The Green Hornet 3D Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Green Hornet is a pleasant surprise. It falls under the "Superhero" umbrella but plays more like a Buddy Comedy. Not in the least bit thematically dark; maybe a little sloppy around the scripted edges; and featuring a lame-o villain who, in his defense, is really just a generic stand-in that gives the plot a counterpoint against whom the heroes must battle, The Green Hornet works in spite of its shortcomings thanks to excellent casting and spot-on performances from its chemistry-laden leads. The Green Hornet is best enjoyed as a laid-back brainless romp that's more about loud action, witty dialogue, and lots of punch-counterpunch antics. As a pure Superhero movie in the same vein as The Dark Knight, forget about it; this is more like Iron Man, albeit with less flash and not quite the same quality of story but certainly enjoying the same kind of innate humor and lighter side that balances out the action, except in Hornet the movie is about the laughs first, the action second, and the story a distant third, pretty much the opposite of Director Jon Favreau's modern masterpiece of the Superhero genre. Sony's Blu-ray 3D release of The Green Hornet is strong. However, the 3D presentation isn't superior to the 2D counterpart, the lossless soundtracks seem identical despite the "enhanced" monicker, and there's only one 3D-exclusive extra. Still, buyers get three copies of The Green Hornet in one box, and the 3D is worth watching, even if it's not a stellar presentation. Recommended for 3D owners.