Featuring an eclectic cast and unusual choice of filmmaker, The Green Hornet succeeds as an experiment done right.

With a deluge of superhero movies set to drown 2011, this action comedy starts things off with a bang that is both deafening and unexpected.

Many held little faith in this big screen adaptation of the short lived 1960s TV series, which starred Van Williams as a crusading hero and a then unknown Bruce Lee as his kung fu dispensing sidekick.

Pre-production woes, the controversial casting of Seth Rogen as the title character, and constant release date changes which saw it open in January (where studios dump their unwanted films), didn’t help matters.

Hell, even the news that much loved Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) was to direct failed to stop the tide of negativity.

Yet under Gondry’s ever imaginative direction, The Green Hornet surprises with its mix of comedy, slapstick action violence, and an impressive visual style.

There is a rock ‘n’ roll sensibility here, a sense of fun lacking from many super hero/comic book movies of late. In short, this is the film Kick Ass wanted to be.

Like most crime fighters, The Green Hornet aka spoiled rich party animal Britt Reid (Seth Rogen) has daddy issues. His father James (Tom Wilkinson) is a man of integrity and owner of truth seeking newspaper the Daily Sentinel. Britt’s idea of accomplishment is getting drunk and laid.

When his father dies, Britt realises his life has been a waste. A common soul is found in Kato (Jay Chou), resident mechanic wizard and martial arts master.

After knocking back a few (dozen), they strike up the idea to become vigilantes, masked men who would appear as criminals to get near the bad guys, and then turn the tables.

That their plan sounds as idiotic on paper as in real life is exactly the point. These guys are heroes in training, with their first forays as crime fighters bumbling escapades, both humorous and thrilling with Rogen selling the wannabe hero role with his patented foot in mouth goofiness, which although much more suited to supporting roles, works well here.

Soon they get the hang of the whole vigilante thing, and as partners in crime fighting Rogen and Chou make for a dynamic duo, their vastly different personalities meshing very well. Chou is especial good as martial arts dispensing Kato, exhibiting a quiet cool and doing Master Lee justice with his chop suey.

True to form, it is the villain who robs the hero blind. Here the scene stealing belongs to Christoph Waltz as Chudnofsky, an insecure lord of the underworld who carries a double barrel pistol and one hell of a midlife crisis.

Much like his acclaimed turn in Inglorious Basterds, Waltz grabs the viewers attention in the opening scene, this time trading barbs with special guest James Franco in what is an early nomination for scene of the year.

Not all performances work. Cameron Diaz is out of place as Britt’s secretary, and Edward James Olmos is wasted in a third string role.

Yet never fear: The Green Hornet has arrived, and he has come to save the multiplexes with a deft right punch and style to boot.