Reviews by Matt

There have been a plethora of superhero movies for close to a decade now, but this coming year may be the biggest offering of comic book/super hero movies ever. This summer there are three of them coming out within a few weeks of one another. But that is six months away--right now we have “The Green Hornet.”

When his father dies, Britt Reid (Seth Rogan) abandons his playboy ways and sets out to clean up the city. He enlists the help of his father’s friend Kato (Jay Chou) and dons the mantel of the Green Hornet. Where Batman and his ilk fight crime by standing for good, Reid’s Hornet fights crime by being the bad guy.

One man has a problem with this, Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz) a gangster who has a stranglehold on the crime in the city. He sets out to take out the would-be crime lord before his empire crumbles.

Rogan does a good job and is pretty funny, but his character is not even remotely likable. He is a rich, spoiled, jerk who does not earn any of the character moments the movie tries to give him.

Jay Chou is known to in Taiwan as a pop singer and movie star. In the past few years a few of his movies have been released here in the States. This is his first big movie role and he does a pretty good job. He is the sidekick in the partnership, but is really the one who does all the heavy lifting. He is a skilled fighter and designed the Black Beauty that the Hornet and Kato drive around in.

My biggest grip with the movie is Cameron Diaz. She adds nothing to the movie. All she is there for is to add tension between Britt and Kato. Even then it is forced and only hurts the movie.

Long story short, this movie is only worth it only if you catch it on cable on a lazy afternoon. Other than that, don’t worry about it. You are not missing much.

7 out of 10
Rated PG-13 for sequences of violent action, language, sensuality and drug content
119 min