The Green Hornet

I wanted to embrace this movie completely. I really did. I wanted to love every second of its campiness, report that Seth Rogen had finally found the perfect role for him, and gush with love and appreciation for the first excellent superhero film of the year.

I can't.

The Green Hornet has its moments, and on balance I'm still glad I went to see it, but it is so clearly all about Seth Rogen--star and writer and executive producer--that it never lets us simply vanish into the story. Britt Reid, Rogen's character, begins the film as a young man with a cruel, inattentive father. The scene that establishes this point is so over the top that it might as well be a billboard reading "His childhood made him a dick, okay?" For the rest of the film, Reid is indeed a dick. What few improvements he makes are shallow and unbelievable, thanks to both Rogen's weak script and Rogen's weak acting.

Okay, okay, I know: why am I talking about characterization when I should be focusing on all the cool shit that goes boom?

Because Rogen makes sure to give himself plenty of time to emote and show personal growth. Those times are painful.

That said, the shit that goes boom is big fun, and Jay Chou as Kato is even more fun. Riding through the streets in a big 'ol piece of heavily armored and even more heavily armed American heavy metal is inherently fun, and the movie's good times all come when you're watching our heros shoot stuff and fight people.

If you're tempted by this one, wait for the bargain theaters or get a group to split the cost of a DVD.