Green Hornet Review!

2011 is shaping up to be quite a year for comic book movies. We have three very high profile comic adaptations coming out this summer, but kicking off the year was none other than Seth Rogen's much talked about "Green Hornet" movie. From early on the buzz was pretty bad on this flick, everything from Rogen's physique to the film's comedic tone was subject to fanboy scrutiny. After several delays, the film has finally premiered and the big question is: Did it prove naysayers wrong or did fan boy fears come true?

Well in my humble opinion, it proved naysayers wrong. When it was announced that this film would have a comedic tone, I think many fanboys flashed back to when Warner Brothers announced a comedic "Green Lantern" movie with Jack Black as the star. But unlike Green Lantern, Green Hornet does not have a large fan base to please, in fact Green Hornet is best known for the television show from the sixties, which in itself is best known for introducing us to Bruce Lee. But other than his television show Green Hornet has pretty much faded away, though Hollywood has been trying to get a feature film off the ground for sometime.

But I think that if it was a less obscure character than Rogen probably wouldn't have been given the creative freedom that he had with this film, and I think that if this film was taken seriously it than it would have come off as a pretty big Batman rip off (which the Green Hornet basically is). So I think it was a wise move on Rogen's part to play up the comedic aspect of the character.

From early on we get that this isn't meant to be a groundbreaking superhero film but is in fact just meant to be a fun action/comedy, and it delivers both in spades! Starting off with a hilarious surprise cameo and ending in a truly insane chase scene, this movie balances the action and humor just as well as Rogen's previous effort, "The Pineapple Express". The action is pretty fun, we get some cool car chases with the Black Beauty, and most of the comedy comes from the interaction between the Hornet and Kato.

Judging from early trailers, I was worried about whether or not Rogen had the presence to pull off a superhero role. Thankfully, Rogen knows his limitations and sticks to his standard "Guy eternally stuck in adolescence" role. As Britt Reid, Rogen plays him as an angry rich boy just out for kicks and attention, and we see that he really isn't that at what he does, hence his need for Kato.

Much like the original show, Kato is pretty much the muscle of the group and focus of most of the action scenes. But Kato is played as more than the usual sidekick, in fact we get the sense that he sees himself as the hero and the Green Hornet as the true sidekick. Jay Chou gives a good performance as Kato, being able to go toe-to-toe with Rogen in the comedic segments as well as carry a good action scene.

But one of the film's big flaws is it's supporting cast. All actors in the supporting roles give great performances, but all are criminally underused. Christoph Waltz does his best with what he was given but his role seems just like a typical villain role and doesn't really give Waltz much to do until later in the film. I was actually surprised at how small and underdeveloped the villain of the film was seeing how at one point Nick Cage was attached to the role and I can't see a high profile actor like Cage taking a role like this.

Cameron Diaz is likable as usual as Reid's secretary but is given even less to do than Waltz, making me wonder why they got her for such a pointless role that any actress could play.

Another flaw is the story of the film itself. It serves as an origin story for Hornet and Kato but I think both characters could have used stronger motivation to become heroes. The film has it that both men do it pretty much for kicks and attention, and I just had a hard time buying it. The film drags about after the Hornet and Kato establish themselves and they don't even come across the main villain until late in the movie, making parts of the movie seem directionless. In the end, a bit of story is thrown together seemingly to tie it all up but it feels rushed and shows that the movie could have greatly benefited from some sort of stronger driving force to keep it moving forward.

But overall, "Green Hornet" is a fun and comedic superhero movie. While it doesn't break any new ground in the superhero genre, it was a cool modern update on a more obscure character. So if you're just looking for a fun ride at the movies, check out "The Green Hornet"

Rating - 7/10