The Green Hornet (2011) User Reviews (514)

The hornet is back...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 26 February 2011]

I watched "The Green Hornet" with a sense of skepticism. Having grown up with the original TV series, this movie really had some big shoes to fill out. And surprisingly enough, it managed to do so in a good enough way. But there were also aspects of the movie that were less than successful.

First of all, Seth Rogen (playing Britt Reid/The Green Hornet). No, no, no. I know he was involved in directing and writing the movie and all, but he is not chiseled out for an action role of this caliber. I do admire his spirit and enthusiasm, but he is more suited for comedy movies. Seeing him in this role didn't go well with me. He did bring along some comedy, but it didn't work so well in this particular movie.

And the scene at the beginning where Britt Reid was bringing home a woman and they went through the garage and sat in all the cars (showing them off for the audience, actually) in high-speed capture, what was up with that? Already at that point, the movie started to falter and crash.

Jay Chou (playing Kato) certainly had HUGE shoes to fill out after the original role was played by Bruce Lee. And actually Chou did a decent enough job, with good acting and well-choreographed action/fighting sequences. So hats off to him for that.

However, the most memorable person in the movie was Christoph Waltz (playing Chudnofsky). He was fantastic as a villain and worked his role very well and very convincingly. Plus there was also a good sense of humor to his role, and it worked well.

The story told in the movie was fast-paced, captivating and interesting enough to keep you enthralled throughout the entire feature length.

For an action movie, then "The Green Hornet" is actually quite good. But for a follow-up to the legacy of the TV series, the movie is a mediocre attempt with good intentions. Had they cast someone else for Britt Reid, it would have worked much better. Now, I am not saying that Seth Rogen is a bad actor, he was just ill-suited for this role. "The Green Hornet" is good entertainment if you are in for an evening of action, corny one-liners and a trip down memory lane.

The Green Hornet was awesome

[likeswrite2004 · 7/10 · 30 January 2011]

I am a sucker for hero type movies and I thought The Green Hornet was great. I'm not sure what some people are saying about it but I think movie goers nowadays, with all this technology, expect movies to fly off the screen at you. Give movies the credit they deserve and see it for what it is - a piece of entertainment.

Seth Rogan's character was of a spoiled son who was trying to get attention from his father, so his character being mean to Kato was not a surprise since he never had any siblings before. Anyone who knows human nature would agree.

I think the storyline was able to be followed, the dialogue was funny and the action was great. The movie industry isn't like it used to be since all these kids have so much electronics, they don't know what to do with themselves anymore so it becomes a challenge to produce movies that everyone is going to like. Instead of putting down a movie so quickly, look at all of its points.

I enjoyed the movie and recommend it to anyone who wants to go and see something good - but see it in 2D. You'll like it better.

Campy, corny, but visually entertaining.

[jccwu · 6/10 · 15 January 2011]

I've been keeping my expectations low for this film and I'm glad that I did. I was a big fan of the 60's television show, but I didn't watch any episodes until the mid 90's; so I've been waiting almost 15 years for a film adaptation on the Green Hornet.

The film is campy, the story is corny, the villain is wasted and Seth Rogen wrote the script. Based on the plot and the dialogs, it's not a well made movie; but it doesn't try to be. This movie could have been written more seriously and be on the same map as a Christopher Nolan's Batman film; but instead, it went on the road to be a comedic film with a lot of explosions. Some stuff didn't work, other stuff was clever & visually entertaining.

The stuff that I admired the most are the homage to the original television show. There were some criticism to the 60's show about how the Kato character was just a sidekick, butler, manservant, an aid or a chauffeur to the Green Hornet. Bruce Lee didn't have much dialogs and he didn't have much screen time. It was during the 60's and just having an Asian-American to be an everyday character on a show was a big deal, so I never saw that as an insult. In this movie, they make a HUGE deal about that subject as Seth Rogen & Jay Chou are constantly arguing about Kato's role throughout the whole film.

Other homage to the television show is a drawn image of Bruce Lee, Al Hirt's theme "Flight of the Bumblebee" tune, and there's even a scenario from my favorite episode that has been written into the movie. The Black Beauty is also a very awesome car! The funny thing is that in the TV show, the Black Beauty was a brand new & very recent 1966 Imperial Crown sedan. In the movie, it's the exact same vehicle; but it's now a classical vintage car.

I saw the 3D version and there were very few sequences where the 3D effects was worth the extra price of admission. I recommend saving your money and watch the 2D version instead.

To finally sum everything up; the movie isn't good, but it brought back my love for the characters inside the Green Hornet world. The film is visually entertaining for what it is. I hope there's a sequel, but that somebody else will write its screenplay.

Split Personality

[JohnDeSando · 14 January 2011]

"So this is what you want out of your life? This gives you sense of fulfillment? I spend all night, writing about the corruption in this town, and you do nothing." Jack Reid (Tom Wilkinson) to his son, Britt (Green Hornet Seth Rogen) The Green Hornet is unlike most other comic-book-hero film adaptation: Seth Rogen's slacker Hornet is a dipstick without a clue about navigating the crime world while Kato ( pop star Jay Chou), his valet/associate, pretty much plays the Bruce Lee/kung-fu role as cool, even when he's goofing with the Hornet, which is most of the time. It is also a bromance with Cameron Diaz as Lenore Case, a love interest who helps us get over the homoerotic subtext.

Geeks know the Green Hornet franchise well: radio show from 1936 to 1952; TV show in 1966 by the producers of the campy Batman TV series, while Green Hornet's greatest asset was emerging martial arts star Bruce Lee. Writers Rogen and Evan Goldberg renew that 60's camp but with it seeming out of date, as if the parodic part of the genre cycle had long ago been played out and not welcome anymore. Of course, you could argue that Despicable Me, Kick Ass, Megamind, and Iron Man 2 last year took to parody, but each one of those is more successful at marrying the satire to the action than Green Hornet.

The personality of the film is split—it's either satire or action, Hornet or Kato. The film is a bit away from the accepted concepts of this sub-genre except in Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz), the arch villain whose ironic reactions are an adept amalgam of menace and insouciance.

As he did in Inglorious Basterds, Waltz commands the screen with his charming menace. Actually he is equaled in the opening sequence, the best scene of the movie, when he faces off James Franco in a cameo, two hoods pissing about their territory. Franco is quite good as a semi-clueless drug lord.

Britt has daddy issues, specifically making something of his life while newspaper owner dad. Jack Reid (Tom Wilkinson), is a hero to the city. With dad's death, Britt decides to fight crime as the Green Hornet while letting everyone think he is a criminal (as in the original versions).

The gadgets are Bond-worthy, and Kato has the Bruce Lee charisma; it's just Rogen who seems out of place—not believable as a hero from beginning to end of the film. He can be amusing as a man-kid, but the geeks will never accept him as their hero.

The Green Hornet has lost its buzz.

Surprisingly Good

[michael_wl · 7/10 · 7 January 2011]

Ever since I heard about "The Green Hornet", I expected a bad movie. It didn't seem like it would work...boy was I wrong. I saw a screening of this recently, and walked in with zero expectations, and walked out having laughed throughout the movie and REALLY enjoyed the action and chemistry between Rogen and Jay Chou. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg did a fantastic job crafting this script, which could have been truly horrible, into a fun ride.

The true star of the movie is Jay Chou, aka Kato. His accent was sometimes hard to interpret, but he was surprisingly funny, and Kato-vision (time slows when his heart starts pumping during fights) turned out pretty cool in 3-D.

Thank goodness Nic Cage walked away from this, and Christoph Waltz came in as the bad guy, because Christoph inhabited the role better than Nic could have. I enjoy Nic Cage, but he wouldn't of worked in this movie, and with that character. Nic Cage would have been too over the top, where as Christoph went a subtle route.

The movie isn't perfect, I didn't feel Cameron Diaz added anything to the movie expect being "the hot girl" to create a rift between guys, but if you're looking for a pure escapist fun ride, then look no further than "The Green Hornet."

I was expecting a disaster

[darkmax · 7/10 · 19 January 2011]

Frankly, very few remakes are worth the time. I was expecting a disaster of a movie when I started watching, but was pleasantly surprised.

Seth Rogen is his usual self/character. He needs to learn more than one trick. I found his acting flat and his voice monotonous. So kudos to the screen and script writers for making it interesting enough that Mr Rogen's shortcomings are overcame.

Cameron Diaz.... Of the hundreds of actresses in the movie industry, why her? Is her character written in, in the last minute? Or is there some kind of compulsory need to add a female lead, so that the 2 male leads are not seen as homosexuals? She was refreshing a decade ago, now she is just.... boring and highly predictable.

Jay Chou. Being an Asian-Asian, I personally never like or dislike him. He has a zero-expression face, no matter what movie he is in. Putting him in the shoes of Bruce Lee is a tough order. Of all the characters in the movie, his is the most significant one. Ones with big expectations to fill, and I think he did alright. Do remember this is his first Hollywood movie. Other than that, I still say he can't really act.

Story/plot. The movie is fast pace enough that even the slow moments get by really fast. After a first 15 minutes or so, there is very little dull moments. One of the few things I disliked about this movie is the elevated level of gory deaths. Is it really necessary? As I said before the screen and script writers did a fantastic job in this adaptation.

For pure action entertainment, I'll give it 8 or 9 out of 10. However, overall it should only garner a 7, in my opinion.

Kato carried the film.

[OllieSuave-007 · 4/10 · 26 May 2014]

This is a below average superhero movie where Seth Rogan and Jay Chou star in the movie update to the classic TV series starring Van Williams and Bruce Lee as the masked crime fighting team.

As with any superhero movie, there are plenty of fight scenes and alter-ego suspense. The special effects were quite good and the story is average, nothing too exciting or impressing about it. Jay Chou made a pretty good Kato with his serious and die hard attitude and his skillful martial arts moves. Seth Rogan made an awful Green Hornet - obnoxious, loud, annoying and unsympathetic. His gruff, raspy and incredibly irritating voice made me glad that Kato delivered him several good punches. Cameron Diaz looked like she was thrown in for good measure.

When you end up rooting against the lead superhero, there's really not much enjoyment in this movie.

Grade D-

funny and entertaining

[psycho-adam · 6/10 · 6 February 2011]

this film has received a lot of hate, but sometimes critics get it wrong, sure its a dumb movie, but damn its funny as hell. as anything Rogen is involved in it is filled with incredible comedic moments, and also the action is pretty damn spectacular, there are always explosions going off and pretty awesome karate action sequences. the story isn't even that bad and pokes fun at some action movie clichés, for example the thing that gets the villain killed at the end is that in an attempt to become more scary and affective, he says a long speech just before he kills someone, thus giving the hero plenty of time to react. over all a very funny film, surprisingly well acted and just entertaining in whole.

Pass me the fly-spray

[Lejink · 1/10 · 13 May 2012]

Well, I recently treated myself to a 3D TV and this was the first 3D film I watched on it. Being a comic book fan too, although never having read or seen much of the original Green Hornet, either in print or on the 60's small-screen version, I vaguely anticipated an eye-popping night of superhero fantasy.

Was I ever wrong?!

This film was an absolute mess. I know nothing of lead Seth Rogan and if you told me he was indeed a top comic, my next call would be to Trade Descriptions. He absolutely ruins this film, hogging the camera and mugging mercilessly. He neither looks the part (too fat, too unkempt, too unfit) and has no chemistry either with Kato or Cameron Diaz's unashamedly eye-candy supporting role. The plotting is weak, the comedy dire, characterisation non-existent and the action sequences as underwhelming as they are overlong.

I wanted to blame my new TV for this car-crash of a movie and felt like taking it back to the shop but realised I would only have been shooting the messenger. Never mind 3D, I wish I had a 4D TV to get back the time I lost watching this nonsense all the way through.

Cameron Diaz Ditches Shreck For A Radio Tale

[DKosty123 · 7/10 · 8 May 2011]

It is important to recall history when you look at this movie and understand why the script is designed the way it is. The basis of this is actually the old time radio series, not a comic book like other movie series in this genre. Because of this, the script is trying to update the 1940's to 2011. In some ways it does so successfully. My take on the lead characters development: The Green Hornet - Seth Rogan- the writers here decide to make him into Seth Rogan. That way the script can exploit his comedy and sprinkle his usual comedy into the script. So the Hornet is an airhead trying to do comedy. Is this successful - pretty much. He is no where near the radio hero.

Kato - Bruce Lee created an interesting image in their 2 year ABC series. Most of that is scrapped here. What we get instead is a more traditional Kato. While he is still a major martial arts fighter, he is more of a tech-no geek and without him the Hornet is a dreeb. This works too and allows the technological leap from the radio dramas to 2011.

The brains- there is Cameron Diaz as Seth's secretary. Her character makes perfect sense in this context. Kato is too busy to be the brains. The Hornet is too stupid to be the brains. Diaz makes the script work & I readily accept a 39 year old Diaz playing a 36 year old. She pulls off this support role perfectly.

The film is kind of like the radio series on steroids action wise. The first half is dominated by Rogan's comedy and even Kato sneaks in some punchlines. The films two villains, the nasty drug lord and the corrupt politician are pretty much traditional types of crooks the Hornet deals with. The film even manages to pull off the fact that these guys aren't considered good guys.

It is strange, but about 2/3rds of the way through the movie, Rogan actually has a flashback episode that clears up the plot line malaise that the viewer feels in about 5 minutes. Once you see this revealing sequence, you get along with the movie a little better. This sequence is like a flashback on steroids to explain the Hornets father's death.

This is a pleasant mixture of comedy and action which should please Rogan fans and it is pretty successful at bringing fresh life into some characters which date back many years as the last time it was done was in the 1960's and it was not real successful then as only Bruce Lee is remembered from the TV series.

Awful...

[jrargonaut · 1/10 · 15 January 2011]

It blows me away that people thought this movie was, "surprisingly good." It's not. It's bad. Really really bad. Lets put it this way, I have not walked out of a movie in who knows how long, since Ishtar? And this was that bad.

Yes I did laugh a few times. But Seth Rogen, just plays himself as he has played that same character in dozens of other movies, except this time he has money, a side kick and weapons, devised by the sidekick. He plays Britt Read as a super loud and obnoxious character without being endearing. Reid's not smart or witty, but brash and annoying.

Now one could say that there are these great fight scenes thanks to Kato (played by John Cho). But there so over the top special effects laden as to be completely unreal and not enjoyable. It's like the viewer is playing a video game when we see from Kato's perspective in a fight.

The bad guy, has a bad guy insecurity complex with wanting to be perceive as scary, but has a name that nobody can pronounce and of course, owns and hide's out? at a cement/construction company.

In the end, this movie is tedious, predictable, annoying, and worse, unenjoyably campy. Save yourself the money and god forbid the 17$ it costs to see it in 3d. Because 3d does nothing but make you angrier you spent that much more money on a waste of 2 hours.

Great parody, rather than a classic super hero movie.

[scarlatov · 8/10 · 17 March 2011]

If you don't know what to expect and you haven't even seen the trailer than i believe you are going to have great fun. The movie is not a classic main stream super hero movie but a very nice parody making fun of the way super hero movies are made, emphasizing on their blank spots. Do not expect a meaningless script like "super hero movie". Green Hornet has its own storyline that is consistent, but the characters and situations are hilarious. I haven't laughed so much for a long time, which makes the movie a success judging by the result. I believe it is a great way to spent an evening if you want to relax and watch an easy entertaining movie.

A fun movie...simple as that.

[reijeanmiles150 · 7/10 · 9 February 2011]

I went to see this in the middle of the day on a weekday, and ended up being the only person there, which makes little difference in light of the fact that I enjoyed it.

A lot of reviews I've seen that are in the negative about the movie all seem to be coming from people who act like every single movie that comes out is supposed to have some deeper life altering meaning beneath it. For those people, I'm sorry to tell you, but this is simply the sit back and have fun watching popcorn movie.

It was campy, sometimes corny, but absolutely fun. It didn't take itself so seriously that felt weighed down at any point, considering it clocks in at around roughly two hours, it seemed pretty well paced to me. The story does play with the viewers consciousnes of the Hornet/Kato relationship in how it was originally portrayed in the TV show, with who the viewers saw as the star of that show, in the way that Chou's amazingly adept Kato and Rogen's somewhat Bumbling clueless Hornet interact on the regular.

Movies are supposed to be a fun break from reality, and suffice to say with the action, comedy, and camp homage made throughout this film. This is a really good break to take if you feel like one.

I saw it in 2d, which was how it was originally filmed and it was visually engaging the whole time. So either way I think you're in for a treat.

Really annoying film

[mattjohnson532 · 1/10 · 21 January 2011]

The trailer got me all excited to watch this, but boooooy was I wrong. I was really hoping this was going to be like Iron Man but instead it felt like that darn Streetfighter film with Van Damme. Like Streetfighter, the movie felt really short, because there was not much of a plot. Heroes were generic and same with the villains. You see the bad guy in the beginning, but there wasn't much character development which made the villain very generic (which also made it obvious how the story is going to end). Kato's role was generic as well, like he was a typical Asian foreigner who does all the hard work but no play. Now I understand why Nicolas Cage turned down the role of the villain and same with Stephen Chow as Kato...lame. Besides the cheesy characters, the fight scenes were done in slow motion which made it seem fake and derivative of the Matrix, Seth Rogen (green hornet) was annoyingly loud most of the time, I didn't really understand what Jay Chou (Kato) was saying sometimes because of his heavy accent (which also made his acting kind of wooden), and Cameron Diaz felt like she was there just for star power for some reason. Even the action scenes (especially towards the end) was very boring, (believe it or not I actually fell asleep during the middle of an action scene), my brother tapped me on my shoulder to wake me up. There was nothing in this movie that was really interesting other than maybe the black beauty (green hornet's car) and maybe his hornet gun, and that's about it. And what was up with the 3- D? The glasses made the movie too dark and did nothing to the experience (I am getting really sick of 3-D).

Seth Rogan surprisingly good as The Green Hornet.

[notsale_ru · 4 January 2011]

When I heard that Seth Rogan was going to play the Green Hornet, I had my doubts. He often portrays the same character, the loser/stoner/nice guy. I used to like the comic book and TV series, and I probably watched it because my dad played the trumpet, and he liked to play the "Flight Of The Bumble Bee" theme song, trying to emulate Al Hirt. "Not now Kato" was one of my early quotable phrases. "Green Hornet" was less popular than "Superman" and "Batman", but had the better sidekick with Bruce Lee's portrayal of Kato.

And with the spate of movies that have been based on comic books, the expectations were high. So many blockbusters have been superhero-based and I was wondering if this movie was made only because it was one of the few left that hadn't already been made into a movie and the producers were hoping to jump on the bandwagon. So with that, I eagerly anticipated seeing this movie.

The movie opens with a gripping and yet goofy storyline. Christoph Waltz plays the criminal mastermind Chudnofsky, a man obsessed with being scary, and quickly establishes himself as the evil villain. Amid the violence is dialog that makes you laugh aloud. It won't be the last time.

Rogan plays Britt Reid, the overindulged party animal son of a wealthy newspaper owner. He and his father have had a tough relationship, with Reid never living up to his father's impossibly high standards. After his father dies, he discovers Kato (Jay Chou), who, while devoted to the elder Reid also was treated poorly. As Britt discovers that Kato is a genius with cars and gadgets, they unwittingly become a pair of crime fighters. It's a nice back story that sets the stage well for the sometimes rivaled relationship. They also compete for the attention of the secretary Lenore (Cameron Diaz), a role that is way underdeveloped. I'm not sure about this choice for the role, and even though I enjoy Diaz, it probably was time for a younger and fresher face to have been cast.

Unlike the earlier incarnations, D.A. Scanlon (David Harbour) and the Green Hornet are not close allies. As the story unfolds, we get to see some of those great cars and gadgets. But it is the fight sequences that really sizzle. I saw the 2D version of this movie, and when it is released it will be a 3D version, and the fight sequences will no doubt benefit by being viewed in 3D, but even in 2D, they were awesome. The car chases and some other scenes will also likely be fun to watch in 3D, but I'm not sure that this movie really needed the extra special effects in order to become a classic.

Throughout the movie, I was surprised by how often there were laugh-out-loud moments, as well as some great one-liners, usually by Rogan. Of course, there is the climactic chase scene and shoot out, with some new and interesting ways in order to make it fresh. You won't be saying "I've seen THAT before" - believe me. The only problem I had was that the premise for the final car chase is a bit flimsy, and breaks the movie magic for me. ***Spoiler Alert*** I mean really, a hidden tape recorder that records on a flash drive, but you have to go back to the office to upload it? Wouldn't you build mobile communications into the car if you took the time to install a fax machine?

But I'm willing to suspend reality and forgive breaks from older story lines when it comes to the movies, and just let myself get wrapped up in the spectacle unfolding on the screen. "Green Hornet" is funny, action-packed, well-acted and gadget-filled to make this one of my favorite superhero movies. I'll probably see it again in 3D just for fun. Rated PG-13 for violence and sexual references. Keep the 10 and under kids home. Opens Jan 14, 2011. 9 out of 10.

Not a Bad Way To Start 2011

[aaronjbong · 7/10 · 4 February 2011]

It's still four to five months before "Thor" starts playing and of course, movies that go on theaters before May are not usually super anticipated. However, January's "The Green Hornet", with Seth Rogen and international pop star Jay Chou is is one good, action movie. Action? Yes. Comedy? Yes. Worth to watch? Hell yeah!

First, "The Green Hornet" is about this one guy named Britt Reid (Rogen) who is the son of the boss of a large company that runs newspapers. One day, while Britt is still having fun with his girls, his dad's name James Reid rolls on TV with the years "1948 - 2010". He's dead in the age of 62. Britt becomes the leader and meets Kato (Chou), his father's assistant who's talented in martial arts, making coffee but not in swimming. Together, they fight crime in several unexpected and silly ways against Chudnofsky aka Bloodnofsky (Waltz).

The trailer, with Jay Chou speaking English, cool cars, Britt knocking himself out and others is quite interesting. Especially when it's in 3D. The pictures themselves look exciting and with idiotic Britt Reid, it seems like it's not a bad movie.

The action. Yes, you will definitely enjoy this movie. Britt's fighting will give laughs that will make you howl like wolves and Kato's martial arts skills will leave audiences breathless. It's definitely going to make this movie likable and I'm sure you'll love the action scenes with the explosions. Oh yes, and blood.

The comedy. I know it seldom appears but when it appears, it's going to make you laugh your head off. Such as Chudnofsky being said not scary and later scaring whoever said it. Or because Britt knocked himself out with his Gas Gun.

The 3D. This was weak. There were no eye-popping effects, just depths because as I sometimes take off my glasses to compare the movie in 2D and 3D. 3D works perfectly fine without the glasses, not blurry at all, very inconspicuous. So, I recommend 2D better.

Overall, "The Green Hornet" is not a bad movie. It's not a waste of time and it's possibly a good way to start out the 2011 movie season.

Thank you for reading and hope this review is useful.

Funny action, but not going to blow you away

[justind-thompson · 6/10 · 16 January 2011]

What I expected from a Seth Rogen film. I enjoyed the goofy humor mixed in with very cool weapons, and kick butt martial arts action. I would have to say this movie targets guys and people under the age of 30 or so. You have to take the movie for what it is worth, if you are a serious person looking for A+ acting with a top-notch storyline then you should skip this movie. However, if you still have a kid inside you that enjoys laughing, not taking things to seriously, and comic's/super hero action then you will enjoy this film. The villain Christoph Waltz who also starred in Inglourious Basterds also helped make the film worth seeing in my opinion, and he had one of the sweetest gun's I've seen in a movie. Other big actors in the film include Cameron Diaz & Tom Wilkinson.

Even though I liked this movie, I think most people would not feel liked they missed out on anything too special if they waited for DVD. It's a fun movie, with good special effects, fight scenes, and a laid back attitude, but nothing that will blow you away.

Read other reviews at: http://thompsonreview.wordpress.com/

Don't waste your money..very minor spoilers..read this ..

[med77_99 · 3/10 · 16 January 2011]

I never watched episodes of the TV series, nor have i read any of the Green Hornet comics, though i doubt they were as lame and as silly as this new movie adaptation of Green Hornet. because of the big adds and billboards this movie has, i bought into that and decided to watch it tonight, and i wish i have not !! i was expecting a cool superhero, a crime fighter type of movie with a little a humor, but i was let down and disappointed. it had too much humor it turned into a full comedy, a cartoon. it became silly and ridiculous. the plot did not have anything special, just another average superhero plot with some really silly and lame parts " Spoiler AHEAD " >>> Hornet and Kato fighting over a girl !! how silly is that <<<< END Spoiler

and i saw this in 3D, what a waste !!! nothing special about that except for small parts of the action scenes, not really worth the price. Some of the action scenes were cool, but not enough to save this movie from being a failure. Also, Cameron Diaz role was unnecessary and she was just one of the marketing aspects of this movie. the whole thing was a Hollywood joke, just too much Hollywood !! please don't buy into the big billboards and the charming adds, because this movie really isn't good.

Im also surprised that some people are giving this good reviews, probably they are either 10 year old kids, or people who watched it drunk with a group of friends !

Uninspired

[CSHaviland · 6/10 · 15 January 2011]

The Green Hornet is a very old hero character, dating back to radio dramas in the 30's, playing alongside The Shadow, Buck Rogers, and The Lone Ranger. (In fact, the Green Hornet was a spin off of The Lone Ranger... The Lone Ranger was the Green Hornet's grand-uncle, in the radio world.) Like his contemporaries he appeared in other media, including television. The television series, which featured 1/2 hour segments, starred Bruce Lee as Kato, and was his boost into celebrity. The great Bruce Lee martial arts movies might never have happened if it weren't for his gig on the Green Hornet.

The Green Hornet may have also been Bob Kane's inspiration for Batman in 1939. There are many similarities, which need not be listed here.

But alas, this feature film remake is a dull take on this old character, which deserved better treatment. I don't know exactly how Seth Rogen (who played Britt Reid and who has a writing credit) got a hold of it, but it's as though someone behind the scenes mistook the Green Hornet for a farce comedy like Get Smart and then failed to even make it funny.

The dialog had no horsepower at all, and while there were a few funny moments, after a while I got aggravated at the desperate attempts to make me laugh. Sometimes it seemed like the actors were derailed, trying to improvise, and it wasn't working.

There were two cool things about the TV series. 1) Kato, because he kicks butt. They got lucky, because Bruce Lee really was one-of-a-kind. 2) Black Beauty, their armed car that flips up from the garage floor and has guns built into it. While both of these aspects remained pretty cool in this movie, they were also elevated a little too far into the realm of fantasy. And it didn't need to be that way.

Not a good offering by director Michel Gondry, who gave us the brilliant and original Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind years ago, and it may mean that he's one of those directors who cannot improve -- or does not see improvements in -- a script. He therefore shines when he gets a great script and fails when he gets a bad one. Tim Burton falls into that category.

The movie villain was played by Christoph Waltz, whose character was no less dumb than Seth Rogen's. A bad choice for an actor who just won an Oscar for his brilliant role as Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds. What was his agent thinking? In all fairness, Waltz and his agent couldn't have known beforehand that The Green Hornet was going to be a sloppy script, and a sloppy execution. The super-hero wave is a big one at the movies these days, with one hit after the other, but they fail to remember other sloppy remakes of old radio heroes, such as The Shadow in 1994 starring Alec Baldwin, and The Legend of the Lone Ranger in in 1981 starring Klinton Spilsbury (who??).

The Green Hornet should have been a much more serious period movie set in the 30's about a man who is inspired to fight the mob in the fashion that his grand-uncle did as the Lone Ranger years earlier. That would have led to a serious Lone Ranger tie-in (a prequel as it were). Missed opportunities.

Save your $8, this movie isn't worth it.

The Boring Green Bee

[jonnyhavey · 3/10 · 17 January 2011]

"The Green Hornet" is a wanna be superhero movie trying to be original by following the scheme of Seth Rogan's character Britt Reid to become a superhero that is perceived as a criminal to the public. The problem is that Britt Reid doesn't even deserve to be a superhero because his coffee maker Kato (Jay Chou) is the one with "super powers". The only things Britt Reid can do is be very obnoxious and use his money and power of the press to sensationalize his character while giving no credit to Kato. The origin of this story comes from "The Green Hornet's" debut in 1936 on the radio. The character was created by George W. Trendle and Frank Striker and has taken a journey through various mediums in time including a comic book and television series in the mid 1900s. However, its newest medium in 3D fails to capture the spark that lit the character's way to fame. The lackluster film begins with showing the bad relationship that Britt had with his father James Reid (Tom Wilkinson) when he was a kid. This scene is followed by a very special cameo appearance of James Franco while establishing the ego of the character of criminal Benjamin Chudnofsky (Cristoph Waltz, "Inglourious Bastards") and his aspiration to rake over the streets. Chudnofsky later changes his name to "Bloodnofsky" in order to sound scarier in his pursuit to take down Britt's alter ego "The Green Hornet" which forms after his father dies from an allergic reaction to a bee sting. As Britt's alter ego begins to take over the street solely because of Kato who does not receive any recognition and their car "The Black Beauty", a secret about Britt's father unfolds along with a love triangle between Britt, Kato and Britt's new secretary Lenore Case (Cameron Diaz)

The most memorable scene in the film is James Franco's cameo of the criminal mastermind of the city. He receives a little less than five minutes of screen time with Cristoph Waltz's character Chudnofsky who work together to create a scene with great acting and a subtle comedic undertone. After this scene it is an uphill battle for the characters of Kato and Chudnofsky to salvage the remains of the film. Kato does this with his skill and gadget repertoire while Chudnofsky strives to boost his ego with decent one-liners.

The problems with the film do not necessarily stem from the subject because the film really could have been a decent superhero movie. Instead the two biggest problems fall into the categories of casting and entertainment. Seth Rogan is actually a very funny guy and a decent actor when he is cast in the right film as a supporting character ("The Forty Year Old Virgin", "Funny People"), but when the spotlight is on him in a film outside his genre repertoire bad things happen. Rogan is completely out of his element with the role of Britt Reid and is not able to do anything about it. He is not a likable character at all and is completely overshadowed by Kato. The film should have been saved from its entertainment factor, but fails on this account as well because the film is downright boring.

Boring is the word of the day when it comes to "The Green Hornet" which should have abused the 3D medium with "The Black Beauty" and Kato's heightened senses. However, a better name suited for the film is one spoke of by Britt himself when he talks about his alter ego being named "the Green Bee" exemplifying a boring undertone that would help keep you away from theaters and waiting for DVD.

Rogenized

[TourettesPersonal · 6/10 · 22 January 2011]

"The Green Hornet" is your same old typical Hollywood remake. Non-stop explosions, CGI, shot in 3D. And it is also your same old typical Seth Rogen comedy. Seth Rogen acting like a retard and scattered raunchy humor. While "The Green Hornet" is a ridiculous movie it's also an enjoyable one. It's not painful to watch. The action scenes were awesome. It's not really as bad as anyone else is saying. "The Green Hornet" is completely fun and ridiculous.

The biggest problem here in "The Green Hornet" is Seth Rogen's portrayal of Britt Reid. He's not playing Green Hornet. He's just playing himself all the time with fighting. If he's not around in one scene the movie is quite serious. The slow-mo fights and the car chases were awesome. How about the 3D? The 3D was good especially when there are sparks coming out the screen.

The merit here is Jay Chou. He practically steals the show although he needs to improve his accent. Christoph Waltz is like playing Hans Landa again in a different manner. Cameron Diaz is too old for her role. Overall "The Green Hornet" is entertaining, hilarious and absurd. It's the same old Seth Rogen comedy with explosions. It's a good movie to watch... For a while.

Stupidly Dumb!

[Reviewer5 · 1/10 · 13 March 2011]

I don't know why I went to see this, but I wish I could get my money back. Wow, this movie was really irritating me. First of all, being of an Asian descent myself, I expected Jay Chou's character Kato to be somewhat represented fairly (with respect to Bruce Lee), but most of the scenes have him doing all the hard work and not getting any action from the ladies. There was a brief scene with Cameron Diaz, but nothing happened. I find that kind of odd because Kato seems to be more of the superhero than Seth Rogen's character Britt Reid as The Green Hornet, and aren't superheroes suppose to get the ladies? There wasn't even a romance other than a brief flirtation in the office. No offense to Jay Chou fans, but his Asian accent wasn't very flattering either because his role is of a stereotypical Asian martial arts expert that drives Seth Rogen's character Britt Reid around as a chauffeur. And I understand that's how the story goes with the characters, but I find that kind of ironic because Bruce Lee tried to avoid the Asian stereotype with the heavy accent. Besides the stereotypical Asian accent, the fight scenes with Kato were interesting and pretty to look at, but the fancy special effects also made the martial arts seem a little fake. Instead of the real thing like Jackie Chan's or Jet Li's fight scenes, I felt like I was watching a video game of a player going through the motion. And I understand the fight was stylized to be funny, but it felt more campy than funny (like all that was missing were those big letters that said "POW!").

I also found Seth Rogen as The Green Hornet awkward to watch with his overacting, obnoxious personality (which wasn't very likable throughout the movie) and I understand he was trying to be funny too, but there wasn't anything really all that humorous, despite some funny moments. Overall, the film felt lazily produced and I agree with critics like Ebert, there wasn't a well structured plot. It's as if Rogen wrote the story to fit his type of characters that he portrays in every movie (which also kind of ruins it for the followers of the comic) and I understand it's just an adaptation but still, even a big time star like Cameron Diaz's role seemed to be in the movie just for her name only. And Christoph Waltz's portrayal of the villain wasn't very inspiring either (kind of a waste of his talent), not like Inglourious Basterds.

Also, I question the morals of the story. I'm not sure what Rogen and Goldberg were thinking when they were developing the script considering The Green Hornet TV show in the 60's wouldn't have been popular without Bruce Lee. One of the themes about the movie was inequality between The Green Hornet and Kato, and when the movie ended, the two decided to be equal but it didn't seem like it. It felt like Kato is always going to be in the background doing all the hard work without getting any credit which is kind of a slap in the face to Bruce Lee because like I mentioned, he did not want to be portrayed as a stereotypical Asian man. That's one reason he left the U.S. for Hong Kong to pursue his passion for cinema. One last thing, the 3D glasses made the movie too dark, (it felt like a first shooter game) and did nothing to the experience.

Not groundbreaking, but an entertaining superhero movie nonetheless

[HideYoKidsHideYoWife · 8/10 · 10 February 2011]

Despite some impeding flaws, The Green Hornet not only delivers as an action film, but goes one better by providing comedy and is an enjoyable movie overall. Comparing it to other superhero movies is an invalid way to assess the quality of the film; it's a more light-hearted take on the genre without becoming a fully fledged comedy, allowing it to fall into a class of its own.

Superhero movies usually consist of the main character(s) either having superhuman powers, or just money and initiative. This film falls into the latter category and is unique in the sense that they're heroes who pose as villains in order to fight real villains, but the concept doesn't advance any further than that. The idea isn't revolutionary, but good enough to be entertaining and in a sense, unique.

The wealthy and immature newspaper publisher Britt Reid teams up with his butler Kato to form a crime fighting duo, who begin by cruising the street to find criminals to beat up. Kato is essentially both the brains and the brawn, doing most of the fighting, creating their equipment and filling their cars with ejector seats, explosives and guns. Britt on the other hand is rather incompetent, but still arrogantly considers himself to be just as valuable to the duo and provides most of the humour. Both of the main characters are likable and the contrast between their actual superhero ability is often amusing. The plot eventually evolves enough to end in a standoff between the duo and the main villain, after some not very surprising plot twists.

The action sequences contain fighting with and without guns, the majority of it being Kato jumping in slow motion and kicking people in the face. The balance between the two different types of fighting is excellent; too many gunfights would ruin the not-so-serious nature of the movie. The action scenes aren't repetitive and keep things fresh with varied environments, Kato's ability to identify danger (weapons glow red while Kato surveys the situation in slow motion), martial arts expertise and creative use of their Chrysler turned killing machine.

Superhero movie buffs might consider the film to be 'lame' or say that Seth Rogen wasn't fit to play the role of a superhero, but it's supposed to be more light hearted than other movies of the genre. Most heroes intend to help society with their superhuman powers or avenge the death of a loved one etc., whereas the Hornet duo fight crime because they're bored. Those expecting a deeper storyline will be disappointed, but this film accomplishes what it's supposed to. It doesn't take itself too seriously and despite a few issues, it's an entertaining movie overall and definitely something to look into if you're willing to appreciate it.

Reckless, but Amusing

[Samiam3 · 6/10 · 14 January 2011]

The Green Hornet has one of the best cars in the movies. It's bullet proof, fire proof, has built in war heads and machine guns, its tires can't be shot out, and it has an ejector seat which could shoot you half way to the moon...and yet an elevator door can cut the vehicle in half. The car is a good metaphor for the movie as a whole I think. The Green Hornet, is fast an exuberant but it feels overstuffed and structurally flimsy. I'd say it could use a rethinking, but as it stands, it's not unwatchable.

The best I can say for this movie, is that it's amusing. It is able to sustain it's energy for a hundred plus minutes, with a fair dose of humarous action, sprinkled with some delicious visual effects shots. The picture I think lends itself quite nicely to a 3-D transfer.

As a superhero satire, The Green Hornet, works in pieces but the big picture seems off. Whats ironic is that this movie about an egomaniac is written somewhat egotistically. Seth Rogan seems more like a burden than a benefit to the production. He tries way too hard to hog the spotlight. The Green Hornet has been written so that the majority of the humour is based off him. That would be fine if he was funny, but he's not. He is juvenile, and nasty, and as a superhero, he is painfully useless without his partner Cato and his car. I suppose that in itself, is kind of humorous, but it makes me wonder if his intention is to have the viewer laugh at him not root for him. Rogan gets most of the one liners, but a few are given to the villain he fights. I like my villains with a little humour or wit, and judging from Inglourious Basterds, anyone can see that Christoph Waltz is the man to do this. But he doesn't get it right here. He doesn't crack jokes, he IS the joke. Waltz' function is stripped down pretty much to satirical narcissism.

The film has an ending which makes me think that the makers just got lazy, but at least they avoided the mistake of asking the audience to anticipate a sequel. The Green Hornet is kind of fun to drive around with, but it only works on a superficial level, and is not nearly clever enough to be memorable. If nothing else, at least offers a way to spend two hours on a Friday night in the season of cinematic junk and apocalyptic hodgepodge.

A stinker : green hornet - dog poo cornet

[Anton_Ego · 1/10 · 21 January 2011]

Where do I start ? See how long we can take one joke and stomp it to death again and again and ( voice gradually fades ) ..Arrogant rich kid blundering through life ; Smart sidekick does everything for hero who doesn't get it .... The casting is so far off wack in this, Seth Rogen who is supposed to be core of this film is just not convincing either as rich playboy buffoon, or as a prospective crime fighter. He spends the whole film being unsure of what he is doing there. The arch villain even when he is shooting people is not the least scary. The humour is crass, directing appalling. The few decent actors Tom Wilkinson, Edward James Olmas just look embarrassed.

I notice there is no DC logo at the beginning, and someone should have stopped this mess a long time before release. I guess having Mr Rogen as producer probably didn't help.Its not that I don't like these type of films; Iron Man is one of my all time favourites and Kick Ass does what it says on the tin. Really - buy yourself a tin of Dulux, a 4 inch brush,find a wall and slap it on. You'll find watching it dry a lot more fun..