Green Hornet brings new kind of superhero to the screen

The Green Hornet

Director: Michel Gondry

Starring: Seth Rogen, Jay Chou and Cameron Diaz

Traditional superheroes wear capes and tights and fight evil villains.

But in Michel Gondry’s latest film, The Green Hornet, so-called hero Britt Reid opts for a suit and mask and often decides to run away from his enemies instead of confronting them.

The Green Hornet hit theatres last Friday, showing audiences a new, lazy and incompetent breed of superhero. The Green Hornet, based on the radio series from the ‘30s, stars comedian Seth Rogen as Britt Reid, a spoiled rich-kid who inherits a newspaper empire after his father’s death.

After realizing his newspaper, The Daily Sentinel, has drastically declined in quality reporting, Britt decides to take it upon himself to create some controversial news and creates an alter ego for himself — the Green Hornet. Along with his trusty mechanic and coffee brewer Kato (Jay Chou) and his new secretary Lenore Case (Cameron Diaz), Britt creates his own news by breaking the law to protect the law.

Throughout the film, Britt and his sidekick Kato avoid police arrest while at the same time attempting to dethrone Benjamin Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz) from his evil reign over Los Angeles.

The Green Hornet impresses with its special effects, fight scenes and witty dialogue, but ultimately these are just used as tools used for covering up the film’s lack of a coherent and interesting plotline. While many of the scenes are amusing, there are an equal amount that are tedious and unnecessary.

The film relieves heavily on Britt and Kato’s comedic banter and in scenes where both Rogen and Chou aren’t present, the film seems to lack energy and plot movement. Chou is particularly memorable, coming close to stealing scenes from Rogen.

Fans of the series will be satisfied with this big-screen adaptation, but after watching Michel Gondry’s latest film viewers will be left wondering if Seth Rogen was the appropriate choice to play newspaper heir and masked vigilante Britt Reid.

The film does feature some cleaver dialogue, but overall the film is forgettable. The Green Hornet is definitely a one-time watch.