On the colorful spectrum of self-aware hipster films featuring unconventional heroes, The Green Hornet falls somewhere below Kick-Ass and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. This isn’t bad company to keep, but there’s something wrong with this movie and it’s pretty obvious: Seth Rogen. Rogen was fine as the flustered everyman headlining stoner flicks The Pineapple Express and Knocked Up, but he’s out of his depth — and almost repellent — as an upstart superhero. But it ain’t all bad news. The imaginative imagery from director Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Be Kind Rewind), keeps it visually stimulating when it needs to be, though there are way too many lulls, and actor Jay Chou steals the film as Kato. Cameron Diaz, unfortunately, is equally as miscast and annoying as Rogen, and Gondry wastes the talents of Oscar winner Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds) as the esteem-challenged lead villain. You can tell that a lot of effort went into the production of this film, but the rambling performances and almost accidental plot are reality checks for Hollywood when it comes to reinterpreting lesser-known heroes no one really cared about in the first place.
Video: 1080p 2.35:1; Audio: 5.1 DTS-HD MA; Special Features: "The Green Hornet Cutting Room" (Blu-ray exclusive), deleted scenes, “Awesoom” (gag reel), filmmakers’ commentary, director Michel Gondry featurette “Trust Me,” "Writing The Green Hornet," "The Black Beauty: Rebirth of Cool," "The Stunt Family Armstrong," "Finding Kato," "The Art of Destruction," movieIQ, two Easter Eggs: Jay Chou Audition and "Double Barrel," DVD copy of the film.
