The Green Hornet is a barrage of punches and punchlines.  Action and comedy both get top billing in this highly anticipated movie.  A slimmed-down Seth Rogen takes the lead as The Green Hornet / Britt Reid and Jay Chou joins him as his sidekick Kato in this modern take on the classic Green Hornet franchise.  Britt is the heir of a newspaper business and Kato was employed by his late father.  They met, and after a night filled with soul searching, vandalism, and impromptu heroics, formed a less than traditional crime fighting team.

The duo embarked on crime fighting adventures that usually resulted in Kato showcasing his martial arts abilities and The Green Hornet lightening the mood with one-liners and a far less sophisticated range of fighting skills.  Director Michel Gondry took advantage of these action scenes to slow down the action and add some of his own signature style to the film.  Gondry was able to balance these action shots with heavy doses of Seth Rogen’s comedy stylings to come up with a story that features the friendship of the two main characters front and center.   For his half, Chou doesn’t disappoint despite his limited experience with the English language and the obvious disadvantage of trying to fill Bruce Lee’s shoes.  Rogen can best be described as Seth Rogen with a mask.  He keeps the movie funny and doesn’t let up, even in the dramatic sequences of the film.  There is a unique dynamic between the pair where the sidekick is actually the “cooler” of the two.  In this take Kato is not a servant to the Green Hornet like before.  The two are more like brothers, one having money and flash, the other being more of a silent assassin type.  Kato’s moves in the action sequences are amazing, it takes a solid effort by Seth Rogen to keep up with him.  They make a great pair and the other performers around them help create an entertaining cast.

Cameron Diaz plays Lenore Case, a secretary hired by Britt at the newspaper, that unknowingly is masterminding The Green Hornet and Kato in their adventures with her research.  She also serves as the “love interest” of this film, but that label barely applies.  Britt and Kato both chase after the girl in this one, even coming to blows over her.  However, implying there is a “love triangle” between the heroes and Lenore is a stretch.  Lenore was as clueless about them chasing her as she was about sending them into increasingly worse danger seemingly everyday.

Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz plays the crime boss Chudnofsky who seems to be caught in a midlife crisis.  The movie opens with (a surprise cameo appearance) an up-and-coming criminal challenging Chudnofsky on his outdated methods, his looks, his age, and most of all how intimidating he was.  From that point on, Chudnofsky’s motives appear to shift towards not only being the top criminal but also raising his profile in the underworld.  Having Kato and The Green Hornet stealing headlines from him did not help his new inferiority complex.

Fans of the original comics, radio serials, and short lived television series will be happy to see many of the core elements to franchise remain in tact.  Most notably is the other star of the film, The Black Beauty.  This vehicle is loaded with gadgets and gizmos that would make James Bond jealous.  This car, much like the costumes worn by Kato and Britt, remain strikingly similar to the originals seen on screen.  There are some obvious changes to modernize but none that lose the spirit of those that were symbolic of the classic franchise.  The familiar theme song is unchanged and joins Coolio’s “Gangster’s Paradise” as recognizable music in the film.

There are a few cool things to look out for in this film.  The cameo mentioned before is a really good one, you won’t miss that unless you get there late.  Bruce Lee gets some attention in drawings as well as in a certain famous move he was known for being able to do.  There is also at least one Lone Ranger poster up in Britt’s room which is a nod to the fact that The Green Hornet is a descendant of The Lone Ranger and also essentially a modern version of the iconic masked man.

This movie is not without its flaws but none of them kept me from having a good time watching this movie.  I found it funny and the action sequences awe inspiring at times.  If I had any complaints they would be that the pace slowed down for awhile and that some of the plot seemed thin at times.  If you are only looking for an Oscar nominated Best Picture, then skip this film.  But if you are a fan of comic books, the old Green Hornet franchise, action and/or comedy movies, or Seth Rogen / Evan Goldberg comedies, then don’t miss this one. The Green Hornet hits theaters this Friday, January 14th, 2011.