Green Ghost and the Masters of the Stone

Needless to say that I hadn't heard about this 2021 movie titled "Green Ghost and the Masters of the Stone" prior to sitting down and watching it here in 2023. I stumbled upon the movie by random chance, and seeing that the movie had Danny Trejo on the cast list, then of course I opted to sit down and watch it.

Writers Charlie Clark, Michael D. Olmos, Brian Douglas and Rafael Antonio Ruiz put together a fair enough script and storyline for the movie. I will say that the movie was watchable, though it wasn't particularly much a movie that appealed much to my liking and preference in entertainment.

The acting performances in "Green Ghost and the Masters of the Stone" were okay, and they had some good actors and actresses on the cast list.

Visually then "Green Ghost and the Masters of the Stone" was actually a nice surprise. The special effects and visuals in the movie were good, and definitely added a layer to the movie and thus helping to make it more watchable.

I am sure that there is an audience out there for a movie such as "Green Ghost and the Masters of the Stone", I just happened to not be a part of that particular target audience. While the movie is listed as an action comedy, I have to say that director Michael D. Olmos failed on the comedy aspect, because it was hardly present throughout the 82 minutes that the movie ran for.

My rating of director Michael D. Olmos's 2021 movie "Green Ghost and the Masters of the Stone" lands on a five out of ten stars.

For a silly vanity project, this comedic fantasy may be worth a look as family entertainment. A Texas Nissan dealer named Charlie Clark stars in and co-wrote the tale of a wannabe luchador (masked Mexican wrestler) who finds himself in the middle of a supernatural struggle among ancient powers. He's far less prepared to become THE ONE than Keanu was in The Matrix. His training and the big battle ensue, per the usual course of events for these things. They even play Eye of the Tiger behind the training sequences. The rights to that song may have been the most expensive part of the production.

There are a few laughs along the way, variably offering a fantasy adventure and spoofing the genre. Telling the two apart from moment to moment may be up for debate. Perhaps the basis for one of those drinking games of downing a shot whenever some trope appears. The cast is largely unknown, except for a supporting role from the legendary Danny Trejo as one of Charlie's mentor immortals. He gets in one line during the second half that's almost worth whatever time his fans spend watching this on its own. Someone named Marko Zaror plays the biggest baddest villain with a typical sort of plan to rule the world and eliminate all humans. He looks like a young Arnold Vosloo, which should serve him well for landing a string of heavies' roles in low-profile flicks. Clark's acting career seems less likely to thrive than his dealership, though he comes across as a likeable lug. They show clips of his actual family, adding to the warm-fuzzy factor of the project.

Think of this as plying the Spy Kids franchise waters, on a lower budget, and with a quality somewhere between the delightful first and lamentable third installments of that series.

It's never good when the producer of an action movie is also the star- in this case a guy who's 50-something thinking he can play the brother of 20-somethings- but I watched this cuz Danny Trejo. Imagine Big Trouble in Little China but without good actors or a good script. The plot revolves around setting up supernatural fights, which themselves are well done, but there's nothing new or imaginative in this story or its characters. (Is anyone else tired of magic + kungfu movies?)

IN A NUTSHELL: In a Texas border town, car salesman Charlie moonlights as a masked Lucha libre wrestler going by the name "Green Ghost." When unknown assailants arrive seeking an otherworldly emerald, Charlie discovers that he has superpowers. As he learns to fight from the unconventional Master Gin (action film legend DANNY TREJO), Charlie is told that he's part of a secret warrior "triad of light" with his childhood friend Marco and Marco's sister Karina led by La Nana. Together, they've been chosen to protect humanity from Drake, the embodiment of the Mayan apocalypse.

As a stargate is opened in a Mexican pyramid, Drake seeks the power to destroy humankind - and Charlie, linked to the power of the emerald, is the only one who can stop him. Charlie must harness both his physical and mystical strength to save humanity and go from Gringo to Green Ghost. In the style of comedy-horror martial-arts movies of the 1970s and '80s, director Michael D. Olmos' GREEN GHOST AND THE MASTERS OF THE STONE is a comedic anti-hero action movie filled with adventure for the entire family.

THINGS I LIKED: Danny Trejo is the star power granted to this amateur movie. The cast includes new faces that will be mostly unfamiliar to audiences: Charlie Clark, Kuno Becker, Marko Zaror, Renee Victor, Sofia Pernas, Pepe Serna, and Elpidia Carillo.

Some of the action sequences are pretty funny.

The feature film is based on an old TV show called "Green Ghost and Mexsican" (not a typo).

We get to hear some popping Hispanic music.

Don't expect a professional movie like Marvel's Avengers flicks. Be prepared for a lot of goofy, slapsticky fun.

I love a good, funny, inspirational training sequence.

Lots of goofy humor, both spoken and visual. The cast seemed to be having a lot of fun making this movie. That always makes it more fun for the audience to watch.

The story is about a guy who owns a car dealership and then has an amazing adventure. What's fun is that this movie was also created and produced by a guy who owns a car dealership! He is partly telling his real-life story, particularly about his love for the Mexican culture and his adopted Mexican mother who had a tremendous influence on his life. At the end of the movie, we get to see pictures and video clips of them together, so keep watching during the rolling credits. You can see his genuine love and appreciation for her. He's a gringo, but his Spanish is excellent because he really did grow up with his adoptive Mexican family!

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: There are four very long scenes of exposition in Act 1, but they're actually necessary to understand what was going on. It's just a lot of talking.

There are some bad acting moments.

The costumes look like costumes. Of course, they're meant to.

The movie looks like a fairly low-budget movie, although some of the special effects are pretty entertaining.

TIPS FOR PARENTS: You see a man in his boxer briefs. Another time, you see a man's rear end.

A lot of Spanish is spoken without subtitles A lot of violent fighting.

THEMES: Family Identity How we influence others Hope Belief in one's self Working together Greed Good vs. Evil

Was it worth the wait? The first Green Ghost trailer was uploaded to YouTube in 2016, giving the impression of a brawl tournament type of movie. In the trailer, Charlie Clark/Green Ghost was actually featured and named last. A few years later a second trailer surfaced which was a bit longer than the previous one and again, made it look like a fight tournament movie. Both trailers have been removed by Charlie Clark ever since.

Well, Green Ghost and the Master of the Stone is nothing like the two old trailers suggested, and it is nothing like the campy but fun zero budget Green Ghost mini series from the, I assume 2000s, also starring Charlie Clark.

The movie version is a PG-13 rated action adventure martial arts fantasy family comedy, and it is a drag. The plot is silly, the characters are shallow and the fights are mostly overlong and look like a martial arts stunt demonstration. I didn't care for the fantasy elements, I'm here for the fights and they are literally lacking punch. If anything, the best fight was the first fight with Bobby Lashley. What should've been the highlight was Marko Zaror vs. Cain Velasquez, but it turned out to be the worst fight. I don't even remember if Charlie Clark/Green Ghost had any fights at all. In the mini series he was beating up and knocking out huge muscle guys by the minute. In the movie version he is in training, like the Karate Kid.

There's really nothing else to say about this film. It's not good and not memorable. If you like Danny Trejo it might be worth a rental but watch at own risk.