The Green Hornet

Starring: Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Christoph Waltz, Cameron Diaz, Tom Wilkinson, Edward James Olmos, Edward Furlong, James Franco (cameo)
Directed by: Michel Gondry
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime
2011

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: After his father (Tom Wilkinson) dies, Britt Reid (Seth Rogen) decides to change his carefree, careless lifestyle. He pairs with Kato (Jay Chou) to become superheroes (posing as villains) to take down a crime kingpin (Christoph Waltz).

Review:

Tim: The Green Hornet is an interesting superhero movie because it feels so different than the films we've come to expect from the subgenre. So many superhero movies are designed as the big tentpole summer films that they have come to resemble each other in various ways. We know what we'll get before we go into them. Michel Gondry's film is unique and feels fundamentally different. This happens in various ways- some good, some bad, but regardless of the judgment of them, this movie exists separate from its contemporaries. That is an achievement.

The biggest controversial decision was the unexpected decision to cast Seth Rogen as the Green Hornet. This immediately angered some (like my Dad who said, "They got that stupid guy to play him?"), and bewildered others. Should Seth Rogen have been Britt Reid? This is an impossibly difficult decision. On the one hand, I give Rogen a great deal of credit- he shed 30 pounds for the role, and looks amazing. He gives a very good performance- one that is undeniably Seth Rogen, but different in important ways. I felt like he tried hard to be this character, which is somewhat of a stretch from his previous roles. I love the energy and enthusiasm he brought to the table. And yet, at the end of the day, he's still Seth Rogen. He's still a hilarious actor that is very difficult to take seriously. Could he have made an amazing superhero? Sure- but not one who is already established. The Green Hornet does come with some baggage (admittedly, very little because he's so old), but Rogen never feels right. Despite everything he did to make it work, it still feels a bit too odd and wrong. I liked him in the role, but I couldn't shake the believe that he shouldn't have been cast in the first place. That hurts the film quite a bit.

Jay Chou actually does a very good job as Kato. I was thoroughly impressed with him. Unfortunately, I couldn't quite shake the feeling that it should have been Stephen Chow in that role. Chou isn't to blame for this, as he works well with Rogen and works well in the film. Additionally, Chou suffers because he stepped into the shoes made so iconic by Bruce Lee. No one will ever be able to replace or replicate Lee, and Chou pales in comparison.

I mostly liked the casting of Christoph Waltz as the villain. Again, I couldn't help but wonder what the film would have been like with Nicolas Cage in this role. Waltz does a serviceable job, but he seems out of place- like he was slumming a bit in this role. He's too unpredictable and odd to be an effective villain. I never felt convinced of his portrayal or of his character. I also don't want to spend much time on Cameron Diaz, who I felt was woefully miscast and added practically nothing to the film. This wasn't a good fit, and I didn't like her in the role. Tom Wilkinson was finely cast, but doesn't get a chance to add anything to the film.

I have a hard time not liking this movie because it works so hard to make you like it. There are some legitimately funny scenes throughout the film that are used wonderfully to break up the action and tension. Sometimes these are taken a bit too far or don't 100% connect, but for the most part, they work. The action scenes are pretty good, which surprised me. I liked them far better than I expected. A few of them are pretty outlandish (Kato moving far quicker than is possible for a human being was pretty stupid), but for the most part, they are effective. It was entertaining and fun to watch these scenes.

Perhaps this film's greatest strength is its ability to draw you into its world. For two hours, I forgot about Spider-Man, Iron Man, Batman, and Superman. I didn't compare this movie to those movies or the worlds they inhabited. I watched The Green Hornet focused completely on this world and its characters. That is an achievement. It's entirely possible that I will like this movie more on repeat viewings. It was so unconventional and so unexpected that I felt like I had to work to stay with it. I love the uniqueness of the film, but I just wish it had a little more punch. I wish I had cared about the characters more or felt more nervousness at the suspenseful scenes. I was interested, but never intrigued.

Quality might not always be the most important part of a movie. Michel Gondry and Seth Rogen have created a unique superhero movie- one that feels completely isolated from the others. I hate when people criticize the superhero movie craze, saying they are all alike. There's so much depth and so many uncharted areas that this subgenre has yet to hit. Movies like The Green Hornet remind me of the variation and the different layers possible in these movies. In the end, however, this movie was decent, but not quite good. I respect it for what it tried to accomplish, even if I didn't always love watching it.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 6.5


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