Review: The Green Hornet (12a)**

Oscar-winning writer-director Michel Gondry has steadfastly refused to compromise his creativity on the big screen. He has conjured some of the most memorable and offbeat romantic comedies of recent times (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Science of Sleep), but alas it seems he has finally sold out.

The Green Hornet resurrects the eponymous masked avenger from George W Trendle's popular radio series and puts him at the centre of a flimsy, illogical plot and a blitzkrieg of headache-inducing action sequences that strain the eyes in 3D.

A puerile script by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg of Superbad and Pineapple Express sees media magnate James Reid (Tom Wilkinson) die from an allergic reaction to a bee sting, leaving his empire to his wastrel son, Britt (Seth Rogen). Somehow he forges an unlikely friendship with his father's driver, Kato (Jay Chou), and together they fight crime on the city streets.

However, in his guise as The Green Hornet, Britt comes up against nemesis Benjamin Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz), the underworld boss determined to gain control of LA for himself.

Britt is deeply unlikable. We spend the entire film praying unkindly that someone will slap that smug grin off Rogen's face and if Gondry's name wasn't clearly emblazoned on the credits, you'd seriously question whether the quixotic French film-maker was really behind this clatter of disparate elements. The Green Hornet film can't buzz off quick enough.