The Green Hornet

I remain unenthusiastic about Michel Gondry's "The Green Hornet," a mash-up of superhero action and slacker comedy. I wouldn't say I was particularly anticipating the feature (the marketing garnered mixed reactions from me), and I walked out of my screening mildly satisfied, but the experience itself was underwhelming for the most part. Forgive me if I sound confused, but "The Green Hornet" rendered me entertained as I acknowledged that the film was generally mediocre. If that makes sense.

"The Green Hornet" marks the third feature-film writing collaboration of Seth Rogen and Evan Golberg, the filthy-minded individuals behind 2007's "Superbad" and 2008's "Pineapple Express." Here, they've penned an adaptation of the fairly well-known '30s radio show and '60s TV series of the same name, writing under the constraints of a PG-13 rating. They still get to put some "shit" and "bitch" in there, though.

Britt Reid (Rogen, "Knocked Up") is a partier, a drunken buffoon and a disappointment to his father, James (Tom Wilkinson, "The Full Monty"), the owner of Los Angeles newspaper The Sentinel. When the big-time publisher dies from a bee sting, his playboy son is left with the mansion and responsibility of running the paper, for which he is unprepared.

He discovers Kato (Jay Chou, "Kung Fu Dunk"), his late father's Asian mechanic and coffee-maker. As they drink together in one of the many cars in his papa's garage, they realise that they both hated the stuck-up James, and decide to remove the head from the publisher's statue. They do so, and come across a gang of thugs tormenting innocents.

They fight the crooks, Britt sees Kato do some slow-motion kung-fu shit, and they outrun the cops when mistaken for the thugs. Surged with adrenaline, Britt excitedly tells Kato of a plan for them to become superheroes, but to pose as bad-guys to get close to the villains. What could possibly go wrong?

The behind-the-scenes pairing of Gondry and Rogen is an odd one. The French filmmaker is known for his bizarre, mind-bending works ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," "Be Kind Rewind"), while the Canadian chubby chuckler is renowned for his juvenile sense of humour (the Judd Apatow side of filmmaking), this incongruity very much coming across in the movie itself.

"The Green Hornet" is a little unfocused as it juggles laughs with action, characters with explosions, and light comedy with unexpectedly sinister humour. The plot and hue of the film get a little muddled as Rogen and Gondry apply their distinct and different styles, resulting in a movie that looks a little perplexed as to what it really is.

Rogen and Goldberg's script is as sluggish as the characters the "40 Year-Old Virgin" actor is prone to playing. Laughs are non-existent as dialogue provides comedy that falls flat on its mask-sporting face. I like the "Superbad" scribers, they do have skill, but "The Green Hornet" really should have a heck of a lot more laugh-out-loud moments.

Gondry brings the razzle-dazzle of some visual flair, action scenes shot with some imagination intact. The self-titled Kato Vision is a treat, as we see the Asian fighter plan out battles as they happen in slow-motion, visibly highlighting objects he can use to his advantage. There's also a scene in which we watch word spreading across town through the use of an increasing amount of split-screens reproducing on-screen like cells multiplying through a microscope. It's a fascinating sequence, a pleasure for the eyes, and a definite high point.

Rogen and Chou are a dynamic duo (see what I did there?), their relationship in the film (which they strain is platonic) worthy of our attention as they fight and fall out. Reid's irresponsibility and incompetence is a neat opposer to Kato's talents and capabilities, despite Rogen's approach being a far cry from that of the TV series' Van Williams. The big-screen adaptation's two main stars aren't quite Williams and Lee, but they're an adequate pair.

As the head villain, Christoph Waltz ("Inglourious Basterds") has much fun, taking advantage of the silliness required for the heinous role. His character, a Russian named Chudnofsky, is going through a mid-life crisis, afraid that he's not scary anymore, mocked by drug lord Danny "Crystal" Clear (James Franco in an uncredited cameo) in Chudnofsky's first scene. The Oscar-winning Austrian actor brings a sense of class to the proceedings as a crime boss unsure of himself, though Chudnofsky ain't no Hans Landa.

The movie's main saving grace is the heart-racing climax, an action-packed bonanza riddled with explosive warfare. Bullets tear through buildings, cars speed through the streets, and chair legs go through eye sockets as the heroes take on the vicious villains. It's a thrilling finale, and one that bravely rescues the film.

"The Green Hornet" may be disappointing, but it's worthy of a light recommendation. The comedy requires much fine-tuning, the tone begs for more focus, and the script needs more of a sting. Still, it's worth the price of a 2D ticket for a slice of not-so-serious entertainment, and to hear Seth Rogen's distinguished cackle once again. If only the post-converted 3D weren't so flat and dim.

6/10