The ingeniously creative French director Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Science of Sleep, Be Kind Rewind) turns his hand to the superhero genre with this big screen adaptation of a 1930s radio serial.
Seth Rogen (who co-wrote the script with Evan Goldberg - Superbad, Pineapple Express) stars as debonair newspaper publisher Britt Reid, who fights crime at night as a masked superhero known as The Green Hornet. With his sidekick, Cato, and his souped-up vehicle, The Black Beauty, Reid faces nefarious villain Chudnofsky (Inglourious Basterd's Christoph Waltz). Cameron Diaz plays the female lead.
Dishevelled comic everyman Seth Rogen and French auteur Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) don’t seem like the most natural pairing, least of all for an action blockbuster. Clearly they’re going for something a little different from the standard superhero fare in this action-comedy. So, does it work?
Rogen, who co-wrote the script, clearly had the title role in mind for himself as the character fits him like a glove. Cynics might suggest that he essentially wrote it as a platform for his personal routine but it’s still entertaining, particularly the buddy comedy stanzas with his sidekick, Kato. This aspect is the film’s strongest point, with an atypical superhero/sidekick relationship that is decently fleshed out and funny. Meanwhile, Gondry shows off a new string to his bow. The fight scenes are well done, whether enhanced with visual effects or played for laughs.
Cameron Diaz is both the love interest and the glaring weakness. Her character only seems to be present so that we know the gay banter between the crime fighters is ironic and to advance the plot in jarringly obvious ways, symptomatic of the patchy script. She doesn’t have the acting skills or comic timing to compensate, so there’s a dip in quality whenever she’s on screen.
The Green Hornet is a bit shapeless as a story but relies on the charm of Rogen and a few big set pieces to connect the dots.
By Andreas Heinemann, Flicks.co.nz
What the...?! Is this the same Michel Gondry who directed "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"? Oh yeah, now I remember Jack Black in his awful "Be Kind Rewind"... This is THAT Gondry. Plays like a poor man's Batman - but less amusing. In fact this makes Christian Bale look like he's got great comic timing... Ugh. No. Why? Even my 5 year old was bored... Neither a superhero nor an action film. Neither comedy nor drama. Neither worth seeing nor reviewing... So I'll stop. Still, at least it's not Schumacher's BATMAN AND RUBBING - so one star for that!
Seth Rogen and his trademark laugh is what pushes this movie along asthe Green hornet His sidekick Kato who is constantly saving rogens backside is also very funny this is the year of comicbook action hero movies if you dont like Seth Rogen then stay away from this one as youll only get annoyed by his stoner voice and one style of acting but if your a fan then rent this one its not his funniest but still a good round film.
Pretty average, scrape the bottom of the bucket video when you have seen everything else. It provided one laugh out loud moment.
This one is so badly done we watched most of it with the fast forward button. It suffers from characters who behave stupidly, bad dialog and unfunny attempts at humor. Check out how not to have a rival drug lord come visit you in one of the early scenes. I'm pretty certain frisking them for weapons and checking any suitcases they bring in is a very good idea. However, failing to do so is a mistake most drug lords don't make twice. I'm not certain if this film is trying to be and action film or a comedy. It doesn't succeed at being either. It just makes me cringe.
The film, in all respects was OK. Fun. But directed my Michel Gondry, odd isn't it. There was the occasional, neat, classic Gondry style scene, even room for some MG stop motion. But all in all, it is a surprising film for Gondry to be appart of. Yet, an enjoyably average film.
An almost unendurable demonstration of a movie with nothing to be about.
High hopes of magic from the Gondry-Rogen pairing are dashed. Some neat touches aside, this isn't so much eternal sunshine, more superbad.
There's an uneasy sense that Rogen, though aware of the perennial need to preserve and build his brand as a comedy star, would still like to be seen as a leading man of some quirky sort or other.
Never achieves sufficient traction to go the blockbuster distance.
It comes as some disappointment – albeit no great surprise – to say that despite a few fanciful flourishes, Gondry has fought the Hollywood law, and the law has won.
We've been told the NZ release date for this flick is Thursday, 20th Jan 2011.
Release date: January 20th 2011.
We haven't received times for this movie in this location yet. However these are updated as cinemas announce them, so check back soon. Hopefully the lovely cinemas in your location will choose to play it shortly. ~Ed.
