The Green Hornet

Starring: Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Cameron Diaz
Directed by: Michel Gondry (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”)
Written by: Seth Rogen (“Pineapple Express”) and Evan Goldberg (“Pineapple Express”)
 
There are some major problems with a superhero movie when the best thing about it (and only real evidence that the 3-D effects actually work) is the stylish end credits.
 
As far as superhero movies go, “The Green Hornet” finds itself suck somewhere in the middle of a genre that has been as amazing in recent years as “The Dark Knight” and as abysmal as “Elektra.”
 
In “Hornet,” Seth Rogen (“Knocked Up”) plays rich brat-turned-vigilante Brit Reid, the son of a powerful newspaper publisher, who must take over the business after his father passes away. Teaming up with the family mechanic Kato (Jay Chou), a role made famous in the 1960’s TV series by Bruce Lee, the duo set out to clean up crime in the city much to the dismay of veteran crime boss Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz in a wasted role) who demands respect and doesn’t want to see anyone treading on his turf.
 
Despite some fun martial arts choreography and a few inventive weapons, “Hornet” still has to be chalked up as a disappointment. While visionary director Michel Gondry (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”) has his hands on the project, he’s only able to muster the usual fanfare that makes many of these action movies so ordinary.
 
Comic-book fans will be hard-pressed to remember this one especially with other entries coming soon like “Thor,” “The Green Lantern,” and “X-Men: First Class.” Those movies might end up being just as mundane, but at least they weren’t relegated to the cinematic dumping ground known as the month of January.