The Green Hornet

September 24, 2011 - Superbad's Seth Rogen enters the world of superhero in this 2011 take on the masked crime fighter from radio and comic book fame. Rogen co-wrote the script and stars as Britt Reid/The Green Hornet. Taiwanese pop star Jay Chou kicks ass as the sidekick, Kato. The rest of the cast includes Cameron Diaz, Edward James Olmos, Tom Wilkinson and Christoph Waltz (an Oscar winner for Inglourious Basterds).

Britt Reid is the hard-partying son of a powerful newspaper publisher (Wilkinson) in Los Angeles. When his father dies suddenly, Britt finds himself alone in the family mansion and in charge of a business he knows nothing about. His reluctant friend is Kato, a brilliant inventor who makes a mean cup of cappuccino.

Britt wants nothing to do with the newspaper. But, when surveillance cameras capture him and Kato rushing to the aid of some mugging victims, the story makes front page news and the Green Hornet is born. Britt and Kato decide to use their newly found notoriety and a tricked-out car to take down a diabolical drug lord (Waltz) in South Central LA.

Overall review: ** This movie should really be called "Kato" because he is, by far, the most interesting character in it. I can't buy Rogen as a do-gooder because every line he speaks is said in a manner which implies that Britt is awed by his own awesomeness and that that's just so awesome that you should be awed by it, too.

Not only did Rogen not strike the right tone with his character, but his script left a lot to be desired. Mostly, he seems to rely on foul language – particularly on words that are derogatory toward women – to get laughs. He aims low when he would be so much better off if he set his sights a little higher.