The Green Hornet: Movie Review

The Green Hornet: Movie Review

The Green Hornet
Rating: 6/10
Cast: Seth Rogen, Cameron Diaz, Jay Chou, Christoph Waltz, Tom Wilkinson
Director: Michel Gondry
Another superhero movie hits the big screen.
But unlike its predecessors of Spiderman, Batman et al, this one has its tongue a little more firmly in its cheek.
Seth Rogen stars as Britt Reid, the playboy wastrel - his father (Tom Wilkinson) runs a newspaper empire and has never really had much time for his son; he even goes so far as to dispense such bon mots as "Trying doesn't matter if you always fail."
So it's no wonder that Britt isn't exactly the life leader his dad expects.
One day after a party, Britt comes home to find his father dead and suddenly, he has the empire to run.
With a resentful attitude, Britt sets about doing what little he can to keep the workload to a minimum.
However, one night, teaming up with dad's former associate Kato (Jay Chou), the pair inadvertently find themselves fighting muggers and kicking some ass.
At the same time, a local crimelord Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz) is keeping the city in his vicelike grip and that spurs Britt into taking on the crims at their own game.
Thus The Green Hornet is born.
But the birth of this villain cum hero sets Britt on a collision course with Chudnofsky&.
As I said, The Green Hornet has its tongue firmly in its cheek.
It's also brash, loud, over bearing, funny, entertaining and messy in equal measures.
There's humour in the fight scenes between Kato and Hornet with one long sequence resembling something from the Three Stooges. And there's even echoes of Benny Hill in one early scene.
Rogen (who co-wrote this) simply shouts his way through the story for the two hour duration - but there's something vaguely lovable about this waster and goofball hero who's only getting involved 'cos of serious daddy issues.
Stylistically, this film is pretty impressive - the early fight scenes are enhanced with visual effects and thanks to the eye of director Michel Gondry look pretty damn impressive. But it's also the way these have been sparsely used which make them work well and be as effective as they are.
If anything, Green Hornet is about the banter between Rogen and Chou as their jealous, bitchy bromance partnership grows. Because certainly the likes of the characters played by Cameron Diaz and Christoph Waltz are pretty much wasted and do little but serve to move the narrative along.
Which is a shame.

Overall, The Green Hornet is a bit of checking your brain at the door kind of fun - which for a superhero/ crime film, once in a while, is a pleasant change.