Movie · 2011 · Action, Crime, Comedy · 1h 59m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 0.5/10 (172K ratings)
Breaking the Law to Protect It.
Overview
Britt Reid, the heir to the largest newspaper fortune in Los Angeles, is a spoiled playboy who has been, thus far, happy to lead an aimless life. After his father dies, Britt meets Kato, a resourceful company employee. Realizing that they have the talent and resources to make something of their lives, Britt and Kato join forces as costumed crime-fighters to bring down the city's most-powerful criminal, Chudnofsky.
Ratings
Curator score: 0.5/10
IMDb: 5.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 45%
Metacritic: 39
TMDB: 5.6/10
Director
Michel Gondry
Production
Original Film, Reliance Big Entertainment, Sony Pictures, Columbia Pictures
Cast
Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Cameron Diaz, Tom Wilkinson, Christoph Waltz, Edward James Olmos, David Harbour, Chad L. Coleman, Jamie Harris, Edward Furlong, Jill Remez, Joe O'Connor, Morgan Rusler, Joshua Erenberg, Lio Tipton, Taylor Cole, Robert Clotworthy, Jamison Yang, Michael Holden, Irene White
Curator Review
Verdict
A messy but intermittently fun superhero-comedy with flashes of Michel Gondry flair, a strong buddy dynamic, and a few inventive action beats. It’s overlong, uneven in tone, and often feels like a compromised studio project, but it has enough personality to be worth a casual watch if you’re open to broad comedy and comic-book absurdity.
Best for
viewers who like superhero movies with a comedic, self-aware edge
fans of odd-couple crime-fighting duos
people who enjoy stylized action with playful visual ideas
audiences curious about underappreciated 2010s comic-book adaptations
Skip if
you want tight pacing and clean storytelling
you dislike Seth Rogen’s comic persona
you prefer superheroes played straight
you’re looking for a polished, high-stakes action film
Overview
The Green Hornet is the kind of studio superhero movie that feels like it was constantly being tugged in different directions. At its best, it has a scrappy, goofy energy: the Britt/Kato partnership works, and Michel Gondry sneaks in visual wit that gives the action some personality. Christoph Waltz also has fun with the villain, even when the movie around him is wobbling.
Worth noting
But the film never fully commits to one tone. It wants to be a buddy comedy, a crime caper, a superhero origin story, and a parody all at once, and the result is uneven. Some jokes land, some don’t, and the runtime makes the weaker stretches more obvious.
Bottom line
Still, there’s enough charm and invention here to separate it from the generic comic-book pack. If you’re in the mood for a flawed but watchable oddity from the era when studios were still experimenting with comic properties, this can be a decent hangout watch.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Alexander Båtsvik (4★) · 461 likes
OK, seriously, I don't get the hate for this. I think it's super entertaining, funny, it looks awesome and the cast works really great. I'm not saying it's perfect, but it's really far from bad.
Andy Summers 🤠 (2.5★) · 173 likes
One of the problems I have when reviewing a film like this is the simple fact that I hate Seth Rogen. He's obviously a talented guy, he just doesn't do it for me. Even a movie I loved like Take This Waltz was almost ruined by the same old shtick he brings to everything he's in. He plays the same part in every film, normally an immature dick.
The Green Hornet is another of those superheroes that I'm quite unfamiliar… more One of the problems I have when reviewing a film like this is the simple fact that I hate Seth Rogen. He's obviously a talented guy, he just doesn't do it for me. Even a movie I loved like Take This Waltz was almost ruined by the same old shtick he brings to everything he's in. He plays the same part in every film, normally an immature dick.
The Green Hornet is another of those superheroes that I'm quite unfamiliar… more
Joe (3.5★) · 160 likes
"Eh, it's fine. It doesn't matter."
I actually kind of like this, like I remembered it's got a lot of cool Michel Gondry visual touches in its action scenes, any one of which show more verve and imagination than a typical Marvel sitcom. It has the distinct whiff of focus testing and reshoots and would probably be a lot more fun if it didn't veer into full-on comedy so much but it feels sorta like an overlong pop album that's got five or six rock solid singles on it. Kato straight up murders both bad guys at the end.
Andrew Donnachie (4★) · 155 likes
While the main story is entertaining, the real treat for me was watching the sub-plot of Christopher Waltz have a villain's midlife crisis.
Matt Singer (2★) · 125 likes
I do believe in the Ebertism that a movie is not what it is about, it’s how it is about it. I agree that any subject could in theory be made into a good movie with the right execution. But I also believe that like baseball players, all films have a certain floor and a certain ceiling on paper. And on paper, a superhero spoof directed by Michel Gondry, starring Seth Rogen, Cameron Diaz, David Harbour, and Christoph Waltz, written… more I do believe in the Ebertism that a movie is not what it is about, it’s how it is about it. I agree that any subject could in theory be made into a good movie with the right execution. But I also believe that like baseball players, all films have a certain floor and a certain ceiling on paper. And on paper, a superhero spoof directed by Michel Gondry, starring Seth Rogen, Cameron Diaz, David Harbour, and Christoph Waltz, written… more