Karry Best movie of this year hands down!

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

ChicDragon It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

Aubrey Hackett While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Bruce Corneil It was remarkably tough, comparatively sophisticated and genuinely action-packed.Comparisons will always be made between "The Green Hornet" and its TV stable mate "Batman". So what were some of the similarities?To start with, both were made by 20th Century Fox. In keeping with the time-honored super hero tradition, the "real-life" identities of the respective title characters were successful, well-connected and highly respected members of the community. When in character as their alter egos, both drove amazing custom-built cars that were veritable killing machines on wheels, armed with a vast array of deadly, concealed weapons. Both had capable, intelligent and gutsy sidekicks who could more than hold their own when the chips were down and the fists were flying.But there were some major differences as well.Where "Batman" was decidedly over the top and essentially in the business of extracting squeals of the delight from the younger set, "The Green Hornet" was deadly serious when it came to crime fighting. In the former show, the resident bad guys were exotic fantasy figures who wore crazy and colorful costumes and had cute names like "The Joker" and "The Penguin". Indeed, the Art department at 20th really pulled out all the stops on "Batman" to cash in on the newly-arrived novelty of color TV.In "The Green Hornet", the villains of the piece were traditional bad guys and girls.Star Van Williams handled the dual role of Britt Reid, Editor of "The Daily Sentinel" newspaper and the Green Hornet with panache. Creating a stern-faced 007 type of character, Williams proved to be no slouch when it came to manufacturing his own brand of ice-cube intensity in the style of James Bond.Bruce Lee, as Kato, the Hornet's faithful Chinese partner in crime busting, was there primarily to handle the ultra rough stuff. And, indeed, when he made with the high kicks and karate chops he created some for good television.Generally well-written, sharply directed and competently acted by all those in the cast who really mattered,"The Green Hornet" flashed across our TV screens only fleetingly but it made a lasting and favorable impression on a lot of us.What it lacked was true fantasy and humor - the two key ingredients that made "Batman" a classic."The Green Hornet" was good - very good in fact. But it didn't have those special qualities that guarantee immortality.

DICK STEEL No, there wasn't any movie made of the Green Hornet, rather, this DVD is a combination of 3 of the television episodes put together. There wasn't any attempt to splice the movie into one long narrative, nor come up with original material like its sibling Batman series (also executive produced by William Dozier).Created by George Trendle, the story of the Green Hornet is similar to many other masked vigilantes created before, like Batman (very similar, with their characters wealthy background and the use of a sidekick), the Shadow, and The Lone Ranger. And who can forget that hypnotic and iconic theme song with its blaring trumpets and similarity to the flight of the bumblebee? Van Williams stars as the Green Hornet, aka Britt Reid, a wealthy man who runs the Sentinel newspaper as well as a television station. Like all rich folks with plenty of money and a deep sense of justice, he investigates crime as his alter ego, the Green Hornet, with his green mask, black hat, and the Hornet's sting, aside from his gun. Naturally, he has a sidekick known as Kato, kung-fu master extraordinaire, played by none other than the best in the business Bruce Lee.Of course the action sequences all belong to Lee, with his exhibition of martial arts. The Hornet himself fights with the usual fist-only punches like a boxer, but with Kato, the action is spiced up. And that is basically the appeal of The Green Hornet.In this DVD, the three stories are forgettable - the first deals with a club whose members develop their own agenda to rid crime, the second has aliens who want to take over and detonate a H-bomb, while the last deals with Chinese Triads. While the stories might seem ordinary, you'd still glued to the screen just to watch Lee in action.And if it's action you want, then it's action you'll get. Instead of sitting through the stories to glimpse the action, this Code 3 DVD has a "fight" menu for you to zoom in on the action sequences only. It's a pity though that there's no preview or description to describe what you're about to see.Also included in this DVD is a set of photo gallery, as well as a documentary of the Green Hornet's transport - the Black Beauty, as built by Dean Jefferies using a Chrysler Imperial.

powersroc I was a huge fan of The Green Hornet TV series when it premiered in the fall of 1966.Several years ago I bought the complete set of tapes for the show & watched it with great interest having not seen it since it went off the air in '67.It has many wonderful qualities to it.A fine cast,intriguing hardware,and a serious approach.I am still impressed with The Black Beauty,loaded with an array of clever weapons, as it revolves out of its hiding place.The Hornet Gas Gun is a nifty,non-lethal device that originated with the character when he first came to radio.I always loved The Hornet Sting as it telescoped outward in order to use its sonic waves.And what an imaginative premise it was to have a crimefighting duo "appear" as mastermind criminals in order to infiltrate the bad guys orginizations,and thus break them up from within.Yes, the series does have its drawbacks.The 30-minute format does not allow much character development of the cast or guest stars,as well as the plot.Bruce Lee's superb martial arts skills are underutilized,and he was never happy that Kato was a servant.Some of the scripts are formulaic and the crooks of the week routine.Van Williams who played Britt Reid,a.k.a.the Green Hornet,said that the show was renewed for a second season.But there was a dispute between the ABC network & the producers of the show.One wanted to have the series return as an hour show,the other wanted it to remain in its half-hour format.As an hour series it could have corrected its flaws & become a cult classic.Come to think of it,it already is.

Brian Washington You often wonder why this show only was on for one season and how Batman outlived it. This has to be one of the best superhero shows to ever be shown on television and the thing that made it work was that it didn't rely on camp or the crazy quilt of villains that Batman did. Instead, it pretty much was, more or less, a straight crime drama with very little frills unlike other similarly themed shows that were on the air at the same time. Also, Van Williams and Bruce Lee showed that you can have good acting in a superhero show. Too bad that this show never really was given a chance to catch on. If given the time it deserved, it probably would have outlived Batman.