Green Hornet Featurette Shows A Different Kind Of Superhero

More than likely, you've already seen the trailer for the Seth Rogen-starring 3D comic update of The Green Hornet. Indeed, with over three weeks until the film hits theaters on January 14, stuff like the "gas gun in the face" gag is already old news. However, there's a new featurette titled "A Different Kind of Superhero," which sits down with Rogen and writer/exec producer Evan Goldberg to discuss their approach to this update to the classic property that once served as the TV spin-off to the 60's-era Batman and gave Bruce Lee his first mainstream exposure. Besides a few scenes not included in the trailer and some behind-the-scenes footage, it manages to give you a pretty good grasp on the thought process of the creative forces. While initially poo-pooed from the moment the film was announced, it's managed to catch a good amount of buzz from folks who have caught early screenings. Judging from what we're seeing in this video, it's not hard to imagine why. Take a look just below and see how The Green Hornet is looking to you.

It's looking more likely that folks may have missed the point when it was announced a fews years back that Seth Rogen would be starring as the title character. Of course, it's going to be a comedy, but what's becoming increasingly clear as we move towards the 2011/2012 movie years with its ungodly amount of comic book superhero films, is that this just may be the most definitive and time-appropriate parody film to come down the pike in a while. And no, I'm not talking about those disposable "blank genre movies" that get churned out every year, laden with jokes that are tired and dead on arrival, with generic pop-culture references destined to be dated by the time the thing hits DVD. I mean, this could be a film that is able to grasp the cultural essence of what's happening with comic book movies and extract it into something that's actually clever, action-packed, and....funny. With the featurette centered on the ironic role-reversal between hero (Rogen's Green Hornet) and sidekick (Jay Chou's Kato,) you begin to see that this is a film that's not just looking to cash-in on a craze, but is something that just might actually "get it."

About a year ago, most people thought this production was a train-wreck waiting to happen. Right now, it's looking to be the sleeper hit of the New Year. We'll, of course, have to see if it lives up to that hype. However, with news just hitting that it will be graced with a PG-13 rating, that can only help its box-office viability.

What's your take on The Green Hornet? Starting to warm-up to the film? Or "no thanks."