The Green Hornet
The only negative is the useless 3D, as Gondry's eye-popping vision is designed to be perfect in 2D.
The Green Hornet is a fantastically old school adaptation of the American crime-fighting character. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind director Michel Gondry hasn't compromised his artistic vision. Working with Seth Rogen's bawdy screenplay and a blockbuster budget, he eschews CGI-heavy effects for beautifully-detailed visual flair.
Rogen stars as Britt Reid, the playboy son of Tom Wilkinson's newspaper magnate. When his father dies, Britt turns to battling crime as a masked crusader posing as one of the bad guys. The evolution of selfish brat to the Green Hornet is a clumsy stretch and the exposition is muddled, but the normally tiresome Rogen makes Britt a loveable and blunt oaf. Cameron Diaz has a thankless supporting role as his secretary Lenore.
Jay Chou as Britt's sidekick Kato, working the retro chauffeur look thanks to Kym Barrett's superb costumes. The inventive genius behind the Green Hornet's weapons and car, Kato deadpans his way around Britt's overgrown schoolboy, and the pair have superb chemistry. A bickering buddy movie, their strops are refreshing to watch, although Chou fares better as an action hero than a comedic sidekick. The fights, filmed by Gondry in striking "Kato-vision", are super-stylish.
Christoph Waltz carries over his Inglourious Basterds villainy, with his gangland boss Chudnofsky quietly played for laughs. A couple of gleeful cameos (Edward Furlong as a meth lab owner, and the other is an obvious "surprise" but very welcome) feel his wrath, but the character is underused - more the butt of everyone's jokes.
The only negative is the useless 3D, as Gondry's eye-popping vision is designed to be perfect in 2D. With production and costume design already so rich, the 3D conversion offers nothing except eyeache and a lighter wallet, so aim for the regular version. Knowing, camp and tremendous fun, with the bonus of a genuinely funny lead. All this, and it still feels like a Michel Gondry film, gorgeous and full of quirks.
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