The Green Hornet
It appears that this superhero thing has been hit at all angles and every possible approach exhausted. Take the ever-popular Batman for an example. The campy television show of the late 60’s gave way to Tim Burton’s classic, straightforward approach, which was followed by the revisionist rebirth of the Dark Knight helmed by Christopher Nolan. Add to that the newsreel serials from the 30’s, Joel Schumacher’s neon coated demolition projects (the hideous Batman and Robin) and the Scooby Doo guest spots and all you have left to cover is parody. Now we have a big screen version of The Green Hornet to turn over that last stone. While Seth Rogen and the boys try to be taken seriously and achieve acceptance as legitimate action heroes, Hornet is mostly imitation that plays closely to spoof. Instead of embracing the similarities to other hero franchises and creating something new, the film basks in it’s familiarity making for an extremely average and predictable experience. All in 3D, of course.
Brit Reid (Rogen) is a spoiled rich kid who is the heir apparent to a media empire located in crime-ridden Los Angeles. His father (Tom Wilkinson) is a hard-nosed, successful man who wants Brit to reach his full potential so that one day he can step into his shoes and run the family newspaper. But Brit just wants to party. Brit doesn’t want obligations and responsibilities. But when his father dies from an allergic reaction to a bee sting, Brit’s wants and needs shift. Reaching his potential (this is a major thematic element) quickly becomes his main focus.
Brit is still a selfish brat, however, and when his morning coffee isn’t to his liking, he goes and finds the one responsible. That would be Kato (Jay Chou), a martial arts expert that worked in his deceased father’s garage and is whiz at making many things, the least of which is a cup of coffee. After Kato shows Brit some of the wonderful modifications he has made to the Batmobile, I mean Black Beauty, (bullet proof windows, rockets and machine guns mounted), Brit decides they should fight crime and do good by the citizens of Los Angeles. But instead of being perceived as heroes, they will be mistaken for villains. Why? I don’t really know. Call it an attempt at originality.
Violence follows and the Hornet and Kato quickly catch the attention of Chudnofsky (Inglorious Basterds’ Christoph Waltz), a horrible, bad man with an inferiority complex that cause much harm to those around him. The power struggle begins and it isn’t pretty. Can The Green Hornet overcome the Villain? Will he reach his full potential? And why is Cameron Diaz in this movie?
Seth Rogen co-wrote this with his usual partner, Evan Goldberg (Superbad, Pineapple Express) and I respect the effort. Mr. Rogen is obviously trying to take his career in a different direction and establish himself as a versatile actor. The problem is he’s the same exact character in The Green Hornet that he’s been in every other film on his resume. It’s distracting and is a major reason why things don’t really come together. Waltz as the quirky criminal is underused and underdeveloped. His scenes are flat and do not deliver what seems to be intended. Chou is a great Kato, however, and he does Mr. Bruce Lee proud (Lee was the original Kato from the 60’s T.V. show). Most of the films bright moments involve Kato’s flying feet and acrobatic leaps. The 3D effect is best used in these action moments and Chou gives the film what life it has.
One last Batman parallel. In 1989, Tim was a far out, visionary director that seemed an odd choice to direct a major blockbuster like Batman. The same could be said here, with director Michel Gondry coming from the indie film world and being known for original and bizarre work. With films like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep, Gondry is a master at unconventional imagery and surreal storytelling. Here, much like Rogen, he is out of his element and only shows glimpses of his talent. With the action, Gondry has a few new elements to show us and some of the transitions from scene to scene are brilliantly presented but these are to far between. From fantastic to flat, The Green Hornet is just uneven.