The concept of Seth Rogen as a superhero in “The Green Hornet” isn’t so far fetched once you realize he wrote the script for himself.

Together with his “Superbad” writing partner Evan Goldberg, Rogen drafts “The Green Hornet” much like his previous star-vehicles — the lead character is a pop-culture nerd/drunken man-child who rambles on about every topic and situation. Most of the actual hero stuff is handled by sidekick extraordinaire Kato (Jay Chou).

Your tolerance of the Seth Rogen archetype will probably determine your overall feelings for “The Green Hornet,” a middle-of-the-road superhero movie with lots of good ideas but little execution. The movie has a unique visual appeal thanks to “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” director Michel Gondry, but the script leaves its interesting array of characters dangling.Rogen plays rich playboy Britt Reid, the son of a media mogul and successful newspaperman (what’s that?) who dreams of doing something big after the untimely death of his father. With the help of coffee maker/mechanic/inventor/martial arts expert Kato, Britt dreams up the concept of The Green Hornet, a do-gooder who poses as a villain in order to intimidate the real criminals around Los Angeles.

Good idea, except that crime kingpin Chudnofsky (the brilliant Christoph Waltz of “Inglourious Basterds”) is a lunatic and hates the idea of any other criminal hogging the spotlight.

Cameron Diaz also pops in as an assistant to Britt at the newspaper. She’s her usual smiley, sassy self, although the movie gives her almost nothing to do.

The best scenes center on Britt and Kato as they bumble through the creation of the Green Hornet. These aren’t your reliable, everyday superheroes, even singing along to Coolio on their first patrol through the city.

Some of Rogen’s endless chatter is amusing, especially in contrast to Chou, who says little and doesn’t speak English very well. The script, however, leaves too much for Rogen to carry. At a two-hour running length, it feels like Rogen is babbling about nothing for half the time.

The plot turns into complete nonsense in the third act. In a city as large as L.A., it’s pretty tough to believe a single independent newspaper holds the key to an entire gang war and city election. Gondry, a clever filmmaker who deserves better material, at least develops “Kato-vision” as a unique element in an otherwise standard action-comedy.

“The Green Hornet” is the first of several superhero movies in 2011, with a lineup that includes “Thor,” “Green Lantern” and yet another “X-Men” movie. Even with a comedian in the lead, “Green Hornet” doesn’t differentiate itself enough to make me optimistic about what is fast becoming a depleted genre.

Grade: C+