The Green Hornet stars Seth Rogan as Britt Reid and Jay Chou as Kato. Cameron Diaz is surprisingly forgettable as Lenore Case, a secretary for Britt Reid. It was directed by Michel Gondry, who is best known for directing Bjork and Radiohead videos, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Dave Chapelle's Block Party. Seems a bit of an odd choice for director. But, Seth Rogan also seems like an odd choice to be screenwriter.The results are mixed. Some scenes work really well, and carry with them a sense of discovery and fun. We get to see a giant garage full of utterly incredible classic and super cars. Witnessing the creation of The Green Hornet's famous car, The Black Beauty, was the highlight of the whole movie. What a sweet car.
Christoph Waltz plays the villain, Chudnofsky. After seeing his brilliance and subtlety in other roles, it was disappointing to see him ham it up to an almost unbearable degree. He didn't quite have the charm or fun to be an acceptable cartoon character (consider Jack Nicholson's crazy performance as the Joker in 1989 Batman), but I also couldn't take him seriously as a villain. (Think Heath Ledger's version of the Joker!) His character was written and performed in some awkward place in the middle. It just didn't work.
Other than Christoph Waltz's character, and the sometimes thin or weak writing of Seth Rogan (whose mismatched style was not really suited to a comic book flick), this movie was generally acceptable.
I read that Nicholas Cage was originally cast as Chudnofsky, the villain. He wanted to play the character with a Jamaican accent. See, kids? It could always be worse! I also read that Jake Gyllenhaal was original going to play the Green Hornet, and they were going to have a female Kato. Those choices could have been interesting.
But, I can't dream all day about what the movie wasn't. I can only deal with what it was. It was a marginally acceptable use of 2 hours. If you were a fan of the original tv show, watch it. Otherwise, it's okay to skip this one. There is plenty of foul language, graphic violence, and all-around bad behavior to keep kids away.
my rating: 3 out of 5
I totally agree, except I think you were being too generous. Two stars!
ReplyDeleteI also thought that this movie was hit or miss. Some scenes were interesting, while others were boring. I liked the throwback to 70s television. I do think, however, that with their obviously large budget that it should have been better.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I am being too generous. It wasn't that great. But, it makes me look forward to the Green Lantern. I actually read that comic when I was a kid. It could be really good.
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