The task of bringing the beloved super-hero themed radio and TV series, "The Green Hornet," to the big screen has been a difficult one. It has taken many years and many attempts by some of Hollywood's best and brightest actors and filmmakers to make it finally happen. From actors like George Clooney, Greg Kinnear, Mark Wahlberg and Jake Gyllenhaal to directors like Kevin Smith and Stephen Chow, it seems like almost everyone has taken a swing at the difficult property with little to no success. In fact, director Michael Gondry, who ultimately wound up directing the film, was first hired in the late '90s by Universal Pictures to direct the Clooney version, which was never made. Eventually the film rights were bought by Columbia Pictures, but not before Smith and Gyllenhaal took a crack at the material for Miramax. In July of 2007, Columbia finally announced that they were moving forward with the project based on a script by comedic actor Seth Rogen and his "Superbad" writing partner Evan Goldberg, with Rogen set to play the leading role. It is safe to say that fans of the super-hero genre were less than excited by this news and concern began in the comic book community over the project.

Many were afraid that with Rogen and Goldberg penning the script, the result would be another super-hero debacle like "Batman and Robin" or more recently, "Jonah Hex." But that is actually not the case. Instead, The Green Hornet is a fun, action-packed and respectable super-hero flick. The movie does suffer at points from too much "Rogen-schtick" but that is to be expected. Gondry, who got the gig once actor/director Stephen Chow suddenly left the project, does an excellent job of taking his unique visual-style and adapting it to the action-film genre. The result is a movie that doesn't take its self, or its genre, too seriously but at the same time doesn't insult the intelligence of its audience either. While Rogen never really seems to completely embody his character, he does an adequate job or pulling off the role. But it is his sidekick and villain, Jay Chou and Christoph Waltz respectively, that stole the film and made it worth seeing.

Chou plays Kato, the role that made screen-legend Bruce Lee famous in this country. It is also the part that Stephen Chow was originally set to play. Chou electrifies the screen as Kato and works as the perfect comedy foil to Rogen. They have a great chemistry together and Chou is very believable in his role. Not only does he appear to posses martial arts skills that would make Lee himself proud, but he also has a unique comedic timing that is showcased by the film's humorous take on the material. Another key to the film's success is it's smart, funny and relatable villain, played to perfection by Oscar winner Christoph Waltz. Nicolas Cage was originally cast in the role and the film benefited from his absence as it allowed for Waltz to step into the part, which is much better suited for the Austrian actor and his sizable talents. Waltz grounds the film in a believability that is greatly needed, while at the same time fitting right in with the movie's slightly over-the-top humor and reality.

The film begins by introducing us to Britt Reid (Rogen), a spoiled, rich-kid with no sense of responsibility that spends his time partying and having sex with beautiful women. Britt's father, James (Tom Wilkinson), is the owner of the Sentinel Newspaper (think The Daily Planet from "Superman") and has spent his career using his position at the newspaper to help stop crime and corruption in the city. Needles to say, James is not happy with his son's lack of motivation. Meanwhile, a Russian mobster named Benjamin Chudnofsky (Waltz) is threatening the city's criminals in order to unite them in a "criminal-union" that he can control, making him the crime boss of Los Angeles. When Brit's father mysteriously dies, he is left in control of the newspaper and his father's fortune. But Britt is reluctant to take on his father's public crusade against crime until he meets Kato, an employee of his dad's. Britt discovers that his father had Kato working on some special projects, including experimental weapons and very cool cars. By the way ... Kato also posses mad martial arts skills.

Britt begins to devises a plan that will finally give his life some purpose ... he decides to become a super-hero. His plan involves posing as a villain, but really being a hero and fighting crime while undercover. He takes on the persona of the Green Hornet and along with Kato, they set out on their journey. Due to Britt's lack of fighting skills, Kato creates a "gas-gun" for him as well as a super-car they call "The Black Beauty." Britt also uses his role at the newspaper to gain access to its resources, which includes his smart and beautiful secretary, Lenore Case (Cameron Diaz), who helps the team. With the Green Hornet threatening Chudnofsky's power, the evil Russian sets out to destroy his rival and Britt soon discovers there maybe more to his father's death than meets the eye. Now it is up to the Green Hornet, along with Kato and Lenore, to stop Chudnofsky and reveal the truth surrounding the death of James Reid.

While I really did enjoy the film overall, and would recommend someone to go see if they are looking for a fun and entertaining movie to watch, I did have a few problems with it. First of all, James Franco has a very annoying and unnecessary cameo in the beginning of the film that drags on forever. A person I know coined a phrase called "TDE" or "The Ted Danson Effect." Remember when Ted Danson walked on to the screen as a WWII General in the middle of "Saving Private Ryan" and you were like, "Huh? What's Sam Malone doing here?" Well "TDE" can be used to describe any time a really famous actor has a cameo in a movie that completely takes you out of the story. Franco is the personification of "TDE" in this movie. While I did like the overall tone of the film and its lighthearted approach to the super-hero genre, I do think that at times Rogen and Goldberg may have tried too hard to shoehorn in the comedy. Rogen in a super-hero costume alone is hilarious and so it didn't seem like you needed all the one-liners, which often felt forced. That includes a run-on gag about Diaz's character, Lenore, being "really old" but still "hot," even though she is thirty-six. It seemed out of place and in bad taste.

That being said there is a lot to like about this movie. The action is great and the film keeps your attention throughout. The script may not be perfect but I thought they hit the right tone for the film they were trying to make. It's a hard job to do because Rogen really isn't right for the role but he does kind of pull it off. Would I have preferred a more serious take on the material? Yeah probably, but it's possible that if someone had made that movie, I might not like it as much as I liked this one. They didn't really make a "Green Hornet movie," they made a "Seth Rogen movie" about The Green Hornet ... and that's fine. They don't make fun of the super-hero genre either. They totally respect it and find other ways to insert comedic moments, which was refreshing. Gondry toned down his unique style to adapt to this genre, but at the same time he did have a few chances to really explore what he could do with the action and it is really impressive. I thought Gondry had a great impact on the film overall and gave it an intriguing look. The humor works, for the most part, and there is enough action to balance it out. But it is really the performances of Jay Chau, he really does honor to the role Bruce Lee originated, and Christoph Waltz, that make this film worth seeing. Both actors breathe fresh air into their roles and exude an energy that helps pick up the pace in moments where the film may need an extra push. Is The Green Hornet the best super-hero film ever? NO! But it is a pretty good Seth Rogen comedy and a film that I think comedy and super-hero fans will both enjoy, if they go in knowing what to expect. In the end, The Green Hornet is a fun and entertaining film that doesn't try to be anything more than what it is ... a solid Seth Rogen movie.