Sony’s The Green Hornet starring Seth Rogen, Jay Chou and Cameron Diaz finally pulls into theaters today after a tumultuous trip to the big screen. If it does win its opening weekend at the box office – which it should – the critical response can’t be fingered as an accomplice.
On its morning of release, The Green Hornet is currently scoring a 44% fresh rating at review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. This relatively low score comes from 122 total reviews so it’s likely a good indication of where critics stand on the film.
What’s interesting is some of the quotes for the “fresh” ratings read almost as if they should have been pulled for “rotten” ones. For example, Total Film begins their quote with “though tonally uneven,” hardly a ringing endorsement to get someone excited. The St. Paul Pioneer Press writes, “Green Hornet works both as an action movie and as a deconstruction of an action movie.” Infer from that what you will.
Combustible Celluloid found “little at stake” in the plot but had a good time. The Financial Times claims it “goes in one brain synapse and out the other.” Meanwhile the best “fresh” review quote comes from Beliefnet who wrote, “All buzz, no sting.”
The “rotten” reviews unanimously hate the film with reactions including the descriptors “stale,” “flimsy,” “mindless,” “snarky,” and “anemic.” Roger Ebert’s one-word: “unendurable.” Ouch.
If you were planning on taking a spin with The Green Hornet to see if the goofy action clicks with your tastes or makes you groan, you might want to consider opting for the 2D presentation. The consensus amongst critics is that the “fake” 3D is as bad as Warner’s Clash of the Titans post-production 3D debacle from last spring. Double ouch.
