Green Hornet: Friend or... No, That Phrase is Taken...

Comic-book movies have become a staple in American theaters. But what happens when a movie is made that's based on a comic that's based on a radio program?

Green Hornet happens.

In this action-packed, comedy-filled film, Seth Rogen plays Britt Reid, a party-hardy slacker that takes up the mantle of the Green Hornet and editor-in-chief of the Daily Sentinel after his father's death.

As far as storylines go, Green Hornet was as strong as any comic-based movie could be, and parts of it reminded me of the early Batman movies, which is a nice break from the darker comic-based movies that have come out recently. Even the twist at the end was something that took me by surprise.

While the storyline was surprisingly great, the actors made the story slow down a lot, and overall the sloppiness of comedy actors going dramatic bogged the entire film down. Rogen had some really strong moments in the film, but his weak points were a thousand times more prevalent. Rogen also produced and wrote Green Hornet, and that fact could have definitely affected his performance. Too much stress takes a toll on everyone, and when those people are working on a project of this magnitude, a lot can go wrong.

Co-starring with Rogen was Jay Chou as Kato. According to IMDB.com, Green Hornet was the first American-made movie he had been credited in. This definitely shows up in his acting as he struggles with his lines near constantly.

Of course, with all comic-based movie, the time comes to have action. Green Hornet is no exception. Their action scenes apply the use of a strange, near-bullet-time system where Kato (Chou) sees all of the items or people he will use in combat to win a fight in slow motion and then strike with precision all foes. While the concept is strong, the application ended up being choppy and ineffective, resulting in a mash-up of techniques that, while most likely were effective in the 3-D version of the film (I saw the 2-D version), ended up being an eye-sore.

Overall, the movie's plot and premise were great, and with a different actor choice the film would have been solid.

Theater, buy, or rent?

Rent. Just rent.