The Green Hornet

The Green Hornet was the first movie released in 2011 with the superhero classification. The Green Hornet is campy, the story corny and this makes it a wannabe super hero movie trying to be original with the superhero perceived as a criminal to the public. Based on the plot and the dialogue,it is far from being a great movie, but it does not try to be. The movie could have been written more seriously which may have taken it into the same arc as a Christopher Nolan Batman film, but instead, it wen on the road to be a comedic film with lots of explosions.

Seth Rogen plays Britt  Reid a.k.a The Green Hornet and while he does deliver some great humor, it just did not work for me. I can not really tell you why it was not for me but I just did not buy Rogen as The Green Hornet, his body type and persona onscreen just did not radiate through but instead for me came across as someone just dressing up and playing with friends. While Rogen wrote the script he ended up playing the same type of character he has played dozens of times already it is just this time he is rich, has a sidekick and weapons, devised by the sidekick. He plays Britt Reid as a super loud and obnoxious character without being endearing to the audience.

Where Seth Rogen failed, it is really the supporting cast that carry the movie. I loved Jay Chou as Kato. The martial arts background along with his great one liners truly made me wonder why Britt Reid was not the sidekick. This role in and of itself would be very challenging and tough in a whole new way in the sense that Bruce Lee played the original Kato in the TV series. So to step into this role for a virtual unknown here in the U.S. he had some big shoes to feel. Chou delivered with Kato in ways that I was not expecting and I was surprised that he was so understandable with his lines. Similarly, I loved Christoph Waltz as Krudnovsky the villain. He played the villain with such ease and his characterization of almost being insecure with "not being" scary enough was brilliant. The interaction between Waltz and a surprise cameo by James Franco at the beginning of the movie was probably my favorite scene and I would have loved to have had James Franco in the movie longer.

There were moments throughout the film that paid homage to the TV series that I thought were spot on for such a campy film. At the time of the TV series Kato almost had no lines and just having an Asian onscreen was pushing the boundaries. I found it quite original how they used this as a running gag throughout the film as Rogen and Chou argued about who truly was the sidekick. Also I thought it was great that with "The Black Beauty" they did not go with any updated vehicle but instead kept the same vehicle that is now just a vintage car. Even though I did not see the movie in 3D, from what I have heard, this is one of those films that the 3D did not benefit. While there could have been some great action scenes in 3D, particularly those moments when we get the Katovision, apparently the filmmakers did not focus on those moments.

The Green Hornet is a movie full of campy and corniness. I think the biggest flaw in this movie was that Seth Rogen was not endearing to the audience in his portrayal of Britt Reid. Had they found an actor that could have been more endearing and believable as the superhero it would have helped make this movie more then just a below average superhero movie. The supporting cast was perfect and really carried the movie. I am giving the Green Hornet three and a half buckets of popcorn out of five.This movie had the potential to be great, but the potential was not met in too many areas. While you may not want to add this to your DVD collection, it is an enjoyable movie for those nights when you are really in the mood for something campy.

-The Movie Man