Written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and directed by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) comes this new take on an old favourite: ‘The Green Hornet.’ Originally this was a popular radio show that ran from 1936 to 1952 and somewhat of a cult favourite television show in the 1960s starring Bruce Lee. With Rogen and Goldberg’s proven track record for producing great comedy I was eager to see how they fared with the world of action adventure and superheroes.

Britt Reid (Rogen) is an LA playboy leading a life of leisure and hedonism. He is the last person you would expect to be heroic. This all changes when his billionaire father and owner of newspaper ‘The Sentinel’ James Reid (Tom Wilkinson) dies suddenly. Britt inherits his father’s empire and the party lifestyle comes to an end. After befriending his driver Kato (Jay Chou) Britt discovers one night that Kato is also an exceptional martial artist and decides to dedicate his life to fighting crime as the masked hero ‘The Green Hornet.’

Thanks to Kato’s abilities as a mechanic the duo also have a fleet of cars nicknamed ‘The Black Beauty.’ This car is a refreshing change to all of the sleek futuristic ones we are used to from other masked vigilantes and heroes as it is a classic 1965 Imperial Chrysler, which is of course fitted out with a flame thrower, missiles, machine guns, ejector seats and an array of other gadgets to aid our two heroes.

The film has familiar themes from the genre but manages to subvert them and make them original and interesting: Britt is in his father’s shadow and has big shoes to fill, but unlike other superhero films the father is not portrayed in a sympathetic light. He is not the perfect patriarch.

Also, in Kato we have the tables turned, rather than the main character being the expert in self defence, weaponry and gadgets it is the side-kick who has all of the abilities with the hero along for the ride.

Another neat twist is that the female lead, Britt’s assistant at ‘The Sentinel’, Lenore Case (Cameron Diaz) is not a clueless stereotype. Rather she is the true brains behind Britt and Kato.

In Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz) we have perhaps cinemas first ever insecure villain. He is climbing his way up rather than the finished article. Britt has also made sure that it is uncertain whether The Green Hornet is a criminal himself or a hero to keep his foes off balance and confused. All of these changes to the usual superhero formula make this original and much more enjoyable than a straight action-hero flick.

The film is also packed with inventive dilemmas and situations for the heroes to solve or escape from. Rogen and Chou have great chemistry together as Britt and Kato and watching them in action as they argue and bicker is amusing and entertaining.

The film is packed with impressive visuals, stunts, fights and action. The only problem for some will be the casting of Rogen as a hero. Personally I am totally fine with it and think he was the perfect choice to play a spoiled deluded playboy turned crime fighter. That is the whole point of this enterprise: ‘The Green Hornet’ is not your typical superhero. Yet, it seems to some fans and critics that Rogen the hero is like marmite: you either love him or loathe him.

Some people may not like a superhero film that has one foot in action drama and another in comedy, but for my money this film works on many levels and thanks to its spirited performances, stylish look, inventive characters, plot twists and action it is huge fun. Enjoy!