After a number of false starts and some early, unfavorable reports, The Green Hornet has finally come buzzing to the big screen under the direction of Michel Gondry and with Seth Rogen in the title role. Surprise, surprise, the film turns out to be a splashy, colorful diversion — and in no way the disaster that some industry wags predicted. Actually, it’s quite agreeable in its own loose way. Based on the popular radio serial of the 1930s and ’40s, Rogen plays Britt Reid, the free-wheeling newspaper heir who resolves to cleans up his act — and more — when his publisher father (Tom Wilkinson) dies unexpectedly.
In an effort to stave off boredom and shore up circulation of Dad’s newspaper, Britt joins forces with his father’s assistant Kato (Jay Chou), dons the guise of the title hero, and begins cracking down on Los Angeles’ underworld, in particular the minions of crime boss Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz).
Although Kato is an expert martial artist, Reid’s Green Hornet possesses no super powers, relying instead on his instinct and wits (uh-oh!), as well as a gaggle of gadgets and gizmos, to triumph over crime. Good thing he’s got the gadgets, to say nothing of Kato in his corner. Initially perceived as a publicity stunt by the city’s resident bad guys, the Green Hornet’s antics begin annoying Chudnofsky, who is forever intent on proving how truly threatening he is. Eliminating the Green Hornet would help that end.
Special effects aside, and there are a lot of them, The Green Hornet relies heavily on goofy interplay between Reid and Kato, yet the playful tone is easy to take. It’s not married to its source material (which wasn’t very deep to begin with), but it doesn’t insult it, either. The script, by Rogen and screenwriting partner Evan Goldberg (both also executive producers), tries to have it both ways by sending up the trappings of the superhero genre while at the same time embracing them. Occasionally, the jokey attitude is at odds with the more action-oriented aspects of the story. Yet it could have been so much worse.
Cameron Diaz, as Reid’s secretary and ostensible Gal Friday, doesn’t have much to do except add some glamour to the proceedings, Waltz and Edward James Olmos (as the quintessentially noble newspaper editor) good-naturedly kid the material, and Wilkinson picks up an easy check as Britt’s ill-fated father. They’re here, and they seem to be enjoying themselves.
Taiwanese pop singer Chou, in his Englishspeaking debut, has a bemused rapport with Rogen, and his obvious unfamiliarity with the language is made endearing rather than being made the butt of jokes. Rogen, for his part, doesn’t hog center stage and wisely allows his on-screen sidekick plenty of room to maneuver. Nobody’s lying down on the job here.
Opening Friday at the Carousel Cinemas, Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance is the second in a series of Japanese anime films by Hideaki Anno based on a popular animated series called “Neon Genesis Evangelion” that aired on Japanese television in the 1990s. In its native Japan, the films have been enormously popular. (Think of it as comparable to the “Transformers” series in the US.)
This futuristic science-fiction adventure, in Japanese with English subtitles, pits a group of young warriors against an alien invasion of unknown origin. Giant robots are the weapons of choice here, and city blocks tend to crumble when they rumble. There are philosophical and theological allusions hinted at throughout the story, but the film works best in the action sequences, which are executed with flair. Many characters tend to come off as cartoonish, no pun intended, exaggerated and shrill in their actions and speech.
Then there are those characters whose silence and reticence are deafening in their own way. (It’s the quiet ones you’ve got to watch out for.) Evangelion 2.0 is best suited to anime aficionados, many of whom are undoubtedly already familiar with the story. This installment, which refers frequently to the previous one — that would be Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone — yet doesn’t really recap it, concludes on a note that leaves the door as wide open as possible for a follow-up, which probably isn’t a surprise. Evangelion 3.0 is on tap for release in 2012
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