Quick Review: The Green Hornet

I mentioned somewhere (maybe on Twitter) that I was confused by the promotional campaign for "The Green Hornet." The theatrical trailer had some comedic elements but concentrated more on the main story: ne'er-do-well playboy Britt Reid (Seth Rogen), affected by the death of his newspaper-publisher father, takes up the mantle of the Green Hornet to fight crime in Los Angeles. The TV commercials in the days immediately before the film's release, however, made it seem like more of a comedy or a spoof than the typical superhero movie. I suppose, in retrospect, the presence of Rogen (and the fact that he co-wrote the screenplay) should have tipped me off from the start. He's never been so annoying, and the entire thing is basically Britt Reid being a boorish, incompetent jackass from start to finish. Even at the end, when a hero in movies is typically at his or her best, he's pretty much completely lost without his sidekick Kato, his father's mechanic who's also got mad martial arts skills. Even Kato's not immune to buffonery at times, though, especially when the two clash over Lenore (Cameron Diaz), hired by Britt Reid as an assistant at the paper. Kato is played by Jay Chou, a Taiwanese singer/actor making his Hollywood debut, and it's clear he's still learning to speak English. It does not go well, and almost comes off as a little racist. The best part of the movie was a cameo at the very beginning by James Franco. When the best part of the movie ends in the first five minutes... My grade: D.