{"id":2871,"date":"2013-11-14T15:03:09","date_gmt":"2013-11-14T21:03:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.revolutionsf.com\/revblogs\/geekcurmudgeon\/?p=2871"},"modified":"2013-11-14T15:03:09","modified_gmt":"2013-11-14T21:03:09","slug":"lost-review-green-hornet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.revolutionsf.com\/revblogs\/geekcurmudgeon\/2013\/11\/14\/lost-review-green-hornet\/","title":{"rendered":"Lost Review: Green Hornet"},"content":{"rendered":"

Beginning in December 2005 with my history of apes in film essay \u201cGorilla of Your Dreams\u201d (the\u00a0substantially\u00a0update and\u00a0revised\u00a0version\u00a0appears in\u00a0The Apes of Wrath<\/em><\/a>), I regularly contributed to\u00a0Moving Pictures Magazine<\/em>. First in the print incarnation and then for primarily the website. I contributed reviews and essays for the last three years of the publications existence. Following the June 2011 demise of both the print and website editions, all of the digital work for\u00a0MPM<\/em>\u00a0disappeared into the ether. In the coming months (years?), I plan on reposting many of my reviews and articles.<\/p>\n

I often reviewed the more geeky offerings and thus I muddled my way through the forgettable Green Hornet.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"green_hornet_ver3_xlg\"<\/a><\/p>\n

‘Green Hornet’
\nReviewed by Rick Klaw
\n(January 2011)
\nDirected by: Michel Gondry
\nWritten by Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg based on \u201cThe Green Hornet\u201d radio series by George W. Trendle
\nStarring: Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, and Cameron Diaz<\/p>\n

Beginning with its April 12, 1938 radio show premiere and on through a pair of successful movie serials, \u201cThe Green Hornet\u201d featured prominently in the American pop culture of the 1940s. Since the radio show’s 1952 demise, only the short lived 1966-1967 TV series, primarily remembered for the first American appearance of Bruce Lee, and a smattering of comic books have attempted to continue the once popular character’s legacy. Director Michel Gondry (\u201cBe Kind Rewind\u201d) with the aide of star and screenwriter Seth Rogan (\u201cFunny People\u201d) attempts to re-energize the franchise in the lackluster \u201cGreen Hornet.\u201d<\/p>\n

After the death of his father, irresponsible playboy Britt Reid (Rogen) inherits his family’s media empire which includes the once powerful LA daily newspaper The Sentinel<\/i>. Reid remains rudderless until he meets his father’s private mechanic\/barista Kato (Jay Chou), who also excels in martial arts and weapon design. After realizing that he and Kato are wasting their talents, Reid decides that they should become crime fighters. Posing as a criminal to mislead bad guys, Reid assumes the identity of the Green Hornet. With the help of his new secretary, Lenore Case (Cameron Diaz), Reid and Kato challenge Russian mobster Benjamin Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz), who controls the city’s criminal underworld.<\/p>\n

As with other similar fictional partnerships (see Lone Ranger and Tonto), the minority sidekick offers the more fascinating and essential role within the tandem. Overcoming the hackneyed dialogue and background story, the charismatic Chou, much like Lee in the TV show, dominates his scenes with the less intriguing leading man. One wonders if Kato, who develops all the gadgets and supplies the combat savvy for the duo, or Chou really need the Green Hornet or Rogen.<\/p>\n

The Black Betty, the duo’s super car, dazzles with a fantastic array of weaponry and speed, rivaled only by the far more famous Batmobile. Green Hornet’s gas gun supplies some of the films better humorous moments and actually proves an effective weapon. The primarily martial arts action sequences, though well choreographed, all last for far too long and offer and an abundance of hits to the crotch.<\/p>\n

The poorly written script by Rogen and Evan Goldberg lacks any true motivation behind any of the character’s decisions. The bad guys, two dimensional representations of cardboard cutouts, rely on the stereotypical assumptions of villainy. An inferior reinterpretation of Lois Lane, Case displays none of the subtly and complexity of her inspiration.<\/p>\n

After an entertaining opening act\u2014complete with an uncredited James Franco as a wannabe villain, Gondry unwisely reigns in the more over the top elements as the film quickly descends into the purgatory of other unsuccessful superhero parodies. Ultimately a string of mediocre Saturday Night Live<\/i> skits, The Green Hornet<\/i> produces the occasional chuckle but mostly leaves the viewer bored, wondering where the past 90 minutes went.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Beginning in December 2005 with my history of apes in film essay \u201cGorilla of Your Dreams\u201d (the\u00a0substantially\u00a0update and\u00a0revised\u00a0version\u00a0appears in\u00a0The Apes of Wrath), I regularly contributed to\u00a0Moving Pictures Magazine. First in the print incarnation and then for primarily the website. I … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-movies","category-reviews"],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n