Over the years, Hollywood seems to have developed a formula for producing the classic superhero film. In each plot, regardless of premise, powers or costume, the main character is typically a noble figure, wrestling with the ethical concerns of his or her hidden life. They are blessed with unnatural powers or incredible resources, which allow them to fight the scourges of society. In some instances, a sidekick exists to help in this timeless quest. However, the hero inevitably makes a final stand when the story reaches its climax.
A similar formula seems to exist for creating a movie based on a comic book. The writers must decide which protagonists and antagonists to include and how to portray the world the artist has created with the risk of alienating the target audience if a wrong choice is made.
In these circumstances, it seems the new film The Green Hornet is fighting an uphill battle.
The film tells the story of Britt Reid (Seth Rogen), the lazy heir to a Los Angeles newspaper. Following the death of his disapproving father, Reid meets Kato (Jay Chou), a genius mechanic and martial artist who empathizes with Reid's relationship with the "complex" man. When the duo accidentally thwarts a robbery while taking some post-mortem revenge, they decide to pose as villains and defeat the true lawbreakers from inside the criminal underworld.
Unlike its predecessors, the movie attempts to incorporate humor into its standard action storyline. The movie was funny, but it wasn't witty or wildly entertaining. Like many of the movie's qualities, it was fine, but barely good, and definitely not great.
Many of the problems seem to originate with the script. If the humor was substandard, the plot would have benefitted from a second look to improve dramatic pacing and development. But the characters-flat and with few personal dimensions-are a bigger concern. While the antagonist, a psychopathic crime lord in the middle of an identity crisis, was somewhat likable, Rogen's character was not. As a stereotypical dim playboy and accidental superhero, the main character seemed more like a distraction from the action.
One of the film's positive attributes can be found in Jay Chou, who plays Rogen's brilliant sidekick, Kato. Dominating every fight scene and building the team's weapons and equipment, Kato seems more like the obvious pick for the superhero. However, he is known throughout the film as the Green Hornet's nameless sidekick, and little more.
The Green Hornet, with its long history, deserved more. In the end, the film is not unbearable. The technology is entertaining, and the jokes, while not the epitome of comedy, can be enjoyed by college students. It won't win any awards, but at least the classic superhero movie lives on, in some form.
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