Last night I saw the movie The Green Hornet. The quick version of my review is that I loved it. I have the original tv show with Van Williams as Britt Reed and Bruce Lee as Kato in my DVD collection, and I even have the original radio show episodes in mp3 format. So yes, I am a nerd. And I am a big fan of superheroes. But those early episodes, while groundbreaking at the time of their original release, seem flat nowadays. No offense. Even the old Superman tv show is dull, and Superman is my favorite. I love it when a new spin is put on an old character, making it relevant to today. I don’t mean simply adding the line “I miss my Nintendo” to William Golding’s Lord of the Flies for the movie version, either.

Seth Rogen plays Britt Reed, who is also the title character, as a lovable buffoon who figures things out eventually, but doesn’t lose that childlike naivety that let’s us relate to him.

One of my favorite messages to dole out in life is “Believe in yourself,” but Seth’s character believes in himself to the point that it made me cringe and fear for his safety. His unspoken reliance on Kato (played by Jay Chou) is like a comic book version of a guardian angel, and I kept routing for Britt to recognize and appreciate his need and Kato’s ability and willingness to help, even though it put his own safety in jeopardy.

So yes, I can see it as a story of redemption. Of love. Integrity. It’s also a really fun way to spend a couple of hilarious hours of entertainment. And I just wouldn’t be Timouth if I didn’t mention the 1965 Chrysler Imperial. The Black Beauty is a star of the movie. It’s cooler than the original but maintains the identity of the car from the TV show.

It’s campy, ridiculous, beautiful and my favorite movie I’ve seen in the theater for a long, long time. Bear in mind, however that my favorite movies include the Austin Powers and Brady Bunch films. I came into this movie with low expectations, while I couldn’t wait to see The Voyage of the Dawn Treader which, for me, bordered between tedious and anesthetic.

The 3-D in Green Hornet was unnecessary, and distracting in my opinion, but a lot of people seem to like it.