There are some films you just watch without knowing an awful lot about them. For me, ‘The Green Hornet’ was one. Okay, so I generally like superhero movies and Seth Rogan’s brand of crude/adult humour always tickles the more immature side of me. Plus I’ve never even read a Green Hornet comic (or did it originate on the radio? See, I don’t even know that!) so I can’t really compare the film to the source material. Anyway, in short, I really enjoyed it and went round recommending it to anyone I happened to stumble upon. It was only after a few weeks of it being released did I realise that it was almost universally not liked. Did I watch the same film?
I’ve had a look at a lot of the negative criticism and it seems that much of it revolves around Seth Rogan himself. Yes, he’s normally that chubby bloke who smokes too much in all those comedy films that sort of roll into one. Yes, I would agree that he’s not exactly the first leading man you’d think of when you were about to sit down to a superhero movie. People seemed to only see Seth Rogan playing the same old Seth Rogan character he always does. I guess that could be seen as a fair point. However, I argue that ‘The Green Hornet’ isn’t your average superhero movie. Our protagonist wasn’t bitten by a radioactive spider and therefore attained superpowers. He’s just a rich guy. And not particularly fit. However, anyone – even a rich guy in a mask – can land a devastating blow to a thug if he whacks him hard enough with a piece of lead piping (this is basically what our ‘hero’ does). Therefore, Rogan’s ineptitude is actually the whole point. He knows nothing and isn’t physically intimidating. So how come he’s a hero? Enter ‘Kato.’Kato is the guy who makes The Green Hornet’s cups of coffee in the morning. However, making a swirly leaf pattern isn’t his only skill. Arguably, he DOES have superpowers (not that they’re ever really explained). Not just is he a wizard with a wrench and can knock up an armed vehicle to the standards of ‘The A-Team’ but he also sees dangerous situations practically in slow motion, meaning he can use his martial arts powers to defend his employer (and part-time buddy). Not only does this lead to Kato saving The Green Hornet’s (not particularly toned) backside on numerous occasions, but also makes for quite an entertaining way of filming a fight scene in a genre saturated with simple whacking people and the occasional ‘bullet-time’ effect.
Other criticisms are levelled at the supporting cast, namely the (obligatory) baddie and love interest (Christoph Waltz and Cameron Diaz, respectively). Yes, Chudnofski is the villain, but he’s actually poking fun at the usual bad guys you get in superhero-based movies. He’s constantly striving to be one, but quite often getting the overall feel wrong, despite being more evil and violent than anything you find in your average Marvel movie. I suppose that I can see how Cameron Diaz hardly has an awful lot of ‘character development’ put into her role. She’s kind of only there for ‘star power.’ She’s well used to action and comedy and yet never really gets to do either here. However, at least she never sinks so low as to just be the ‘damsel in distress’ that are so commonplace in the genre.
Basically, ‘The Green Hornet’s’ biggest weakness is that it is probably too many things to appeal to one mass audience. It’s not just a superhero film, it’s also an action movie, a comedy and a satire that pokes fun of the conventions and clichés you’d normally find with the genre. I guess if any sort of superhero film wants to evolve from a stand-alone film to a profitable franchise it needs to have plenty of merchandise to go with it. This film is mainly aimed at adults (even though there’s not that much violent/drug use/profanity so it never got the obligatory computer game, McDonalds Happy Meal tie-in or action figures for the kids to play with. However, if you’re generally a fan of Rogen’s work/sense of humour, plus you’re up for a little fun being made of all those ‘shared universes’ out there right now, then give this one a try. It’s simple, but fun.
8/10 The Force is definitely strong with this one
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