As most readers of ALL PULP know, THE GREEN HORNET, a film starring Seth Rogen as the title character, debuted this past weekend. Although Moonstone had nothing to do directly with the film itself, most of you also know of the fine body of work Moonstone has produced concerning The Green Hornet, most notably the extremely well done prose adventures done by the top modern writers of today! Due to that connection, ALL PULP is going to run Three pieces concerning the movie. Two are reviews, one from each end of the spectrum, and then the third is from a contingent that most movies don’t have-Those who refuse to see the movie based on certain principles.  Then to wrap up this coverage of The Green Hornet, a very special added addition will be a full length Green Hornet tale from one of Moonstone’s collections (More on that to come)!
So, for now..let’s go with a review from guest reviewer Adam Garcia…
THE GREEN HORNET
Guest Review by Adam L. Garcia
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| Art by Ruben Procopio |
This is not your fatherâs Green Hornet, nor it is your grandfatherâs.
And that is not a bad thing.
There had been a lot of negativity around this film from the pulp community, which has been wholly disheartening and something that I have not so subtly fought against, and has made me a bit of a pariah. Itâs no secret Iâve been anticipating this film, being a fan of the Green Hornet, Seth Rogen and Michel Gondry, this film was unexpected combination that promised a unique take on the character. But many in the pulp community ballyhooed every aspect of this film, angry that this interpretation of the character didnât match their visionâwhich perhaps is part of the reason I was so excited for it. I wonât go too deep into my belief that pulp characters need to break free of their arguably simplistic characterization, which at times feel more like a conglomerations of character traits than actual characters, nor will I discuss my desire to see the genre as a whole updated for a modern audience, thereâll be another time for that, but for now letâs focus on the Green Hornet.
Having watched the original Green Hornet TV show and serials when I was kid (thanks to my fatherâs massive collection of serials) and most recently before the filmâs release, I couldnât get past how two-dimensional Britt Reid was. Sure, Van Williams played him great and treated the role seriously, but ultimately there was nothing about the character that made him stand out; as character he had as much depth as a cardboard cut out. Sure, it worked great in the show, but for all the praise washed onto the show I couldnât help but be disappointed, because for all his heroics he never had a reason why Maybe Iâm missing an episode or maybe Iâm forgetting an important face, or maybe itâs because I grew up reading/watching characters like Spider-man and Batman, whose reasons for being heroes were born out of a single moment that defined them, but for me as a audience and as a writer the whole concept of a âhero for heroâs sakeâ just doesnât cut it. Thereâs need to be something more.
The Green Hornet, for the first time Iâve seen, tries to approach perhaps the big plot hole with these sort of characters: Why would a millionaire playboy choose to risk his life for the greater good? When first meet Britt Reid as an adult, he is boorish and selfish, more interested in parties and women than any higher purpose. In many ways heâs a poor manâs Tony Stark, which gives him a story arc that allows him to grow into a hero. Yes, much of this growth is done for comedic effect, but itâs funny not because itâs campy, but because itâs a normal human being in way over his head. (Sidenote: The 60s TV show is incredibly campy by todayâs standards. Holding paintings for a million dollar ransom while you have a multimillion-dollar laser at your disposal? Dr. Evil had more plausible plans.) Which is part of the reason why I loved this film. At the center of it is a goofy lay-about millionaire playboy, who over the course of the film becomes the hero he wants to be. Yes, he begins his heroics after an act of vandalism gone bad, but what was initially another activity for an idle mind becomes a pursuit of justice that is ultimately more legitimate than some vague sense of justice, even if the real hero is Kato.
The decision to make Kato âthe power behind the maskâ is an inspired one and works well with the Green Hornetâs central concept of deception as a means for heroics. Britt Reid works to save the city by pretending to be a villain; so while everyoneâs eyes are on the Green Hornet, Kato is able to use his strength and guile to save the day. Jay Chou isnât Bruce Leeâthen again who is?âbut his Kato is pretty damn great, and for those of my generation out perception of the Green Hornet has always been âthat show with Bruce Lee⦠and the other guy.â In many ways, this film is how my generation vaguely views the two characters. Ask most kids and they would think Kato was the brains and the brawn; the Green Hornet was the façade.
Plus Kato vision is fantastic.
But what really make this film work is the relationship between Britt and Kato. Their friendshipâreally their brotherly love for one anotherâdrives the story forward. They bond over their love-hate relationship with James Reid, their directionless life and waste of potential. It is through each other that they not only discover crime fighting, but also the best of themselves. They are competitive, each fighting for the affection of the miscast Cameron Diaz, each trying to prove to other who is the real hero, but at the end of the film realize they would be nothing without each other. Kato does not exist with Green Hornet and vice versa. Because the filmmakers understood this, they made a superhero film that chucks away the idea of hero and sidekick and is instead a story of a superhero partnership.
I promised Iâd keep this review as objective as possible so letâs talk about what didnât work. Oftentimes there are scenes that simply donât work, that are either superfluous or awkwardly written. Case in point is the opening scene with young Britt Reid and his father. Christoph Waltzâs Chudnofsky is a halfway decent villain that is either underutilized or poorly drawn, Iâm still not sure which. At times the editing can be a little too frenetic, though this Gondryâs style. However these elements are easily ignored as the story comes together nicely at the end, making for an origin of a modern pulp hero that is earned and true to these versions of the character. Is this film perfect? Lord no. There are narrative bumps, odd transitions and more than one groan inducing piece of dialogue, but as a whole, it is a fun film.
Purists will refuse to see The Green Hornet, and will most likely be upset by this review (Iâm almost certain to have enraged them with some of my earlier comments, but these are my views, and much as I respect their point of view, I humbly ask they respect mine). I urge you to see with movie with an open mind, remember, this is a licensed character open to interpretation and adaptation.

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| Cover by Ruben Procopio |

Most importantly, this movie is fun; something so many pulp fans have argued these sort of films should be. I cannot tell you how many times my dad, in all his 67 years, would turn to me and say: âThatâs so cool! This is awesome!â When asked him what he would rate the film he said: âthree and half stars, I would recommend this to everybody.â
And while I know this film isnât for everybody I can safely say this is my generationâs Green Hornet and I wouldnât be too surprised to see more than a few Green Hornets and Katos running around this Halloween.
Which is pretty flippinâ cool.
Here’s yet more tangible proof that the Disney/Marvel merger was a good thing from a money-making POV: with help from various Marvel properties such as 
