The green hornet
Direction: Michel Gondry
Cast: Seth Rogen, Cameron Diaz
Rating:**
He has been around for a long time. The hero of a radio show dating back to 1936 as well as a popular TV series of th e late '60s, the titular crime fighter has seen a lot of action. And while there’s plenty of pyrotechnics in the first big screen leap of The Green Hornet, there’s just no sense of fun or excitement.
No slouch when it comes to cinematic inventiveness, French-born director Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) stumbles with this mega-budget testament to Hollywood gloss. The plot is mostly incidental filler that sets up one effects-laden action sequence after another.
Following the untimely death of his publisher father, the playboy scion (Rogen) realises that he can now do something worthwhile with his life.
Accompanied by a martial arts meister-cum-genius mechanic (Taiwanese pop star Jay Chou in the role made famous by Bruce Lee in the TV show), the duo embark on a double life as masked vigilantes.
They face up to a battalion of baddies led by the Los Angeles crime lord (Oscar-winner Christoph Waltz from Inglourious Basterds, bland beyond belief).
The gags-strewn screenplay is more liable to evoke groans than guffaws. Worse, the director often utilises archaic devices such as fast motion and split screens. The extra dimension conversion, a la Clash of the Titans, is shoddy.
{{/usCountry}}The gags-strewn screenplay is more liable to evoke groans than guffaws. Worse, the director often utilises archaic devices such as fast motion and split screens. The extra dimension conversion, a la Clash of the Titans, is shoddy.
{{/usCountry}}Seth Rogen doesn't act so much as he strikes heroic poses. In the throwaway role of a brainiac secretary Cameron Diaz is underwhelming.
A superhero spectacle that falls short of its potential, The Green Hornet isn't really buzz-worthy.