The Spirit
He's something the world needs...
Adapted from the legendary graphic novels, Will Eisner's The Spirit is a classic action-adventure-romance told by genre-twister Frank Miller (creator of 300 and Sin City). It is the story of a former rookie-cop who returns mysteriously from the dead as The Spirit (Gabriel Macht) to fight crime from the shadows of Central City. His arch-enemy, The Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson) has a different mission: he's going to wipe out Spirit's beloved city as he pursues his own version of immortality. The Spirit tracks this cold-hearted killer from Central City's rundown warehouses, to the damp catacombs, to the windswept waterfront ... all the while facing a bevy of beautiful women who either want to seduce, love or kill our masked crusader. Surrounding him at every turn are Ellen Dolan, the whip-smart girl-next-door; Sand Saref (Eva Mendes), the jewel thief with dangerous curves; Silken Floss (Scarlett Johansson), a punk secretary and frigid vixen; Plaster of Paris, a murderous French nightclub dancer; Lorelai, a phantom siren; and Morganstern, a sexy young cop.
In the vein of Batman Begins and Sin City, The Spirit takes us on a sinister, gut-wrenching ride with a hero who is born, murdered and born again.
Member Reviews
Dissapointed - AnnieGB
I really like Frank Miller's work however I was dissapointed with this. It was a great cast and visiually appealing but the story was acted poorly. The spirit character came across comically instead of dark and moody. I'd recommend solely for the visual aspect.Goofy Goofy Goofy - Jirataur
...And not the good, entertaining kind of goofy, either.
I've never read the original Spirit comics, so I've nothing to compare this film to. But I don't need to compare this insultingly inane film to a superior work to plainly see that this movie is crap. Frank Miller ought to stick to comic books, as this foray into filmmaking of his shows that he has no idea how to make a decent movie.
The art style and look of the film, while at times pretty, is mostly just tedious and over-the-top and is sometimes just outright ugly. The acting is hammy and amateurish, the plot is awkwardly handled, the dialogue is nothing short of atrocious, none of the characters are likable or fun, and did I mention this movie is absolutely ridiculous? Not even an entertaining kind of ridiculous, just annoying, stupidly ridiculous. Let me elaborate...
Sam Jackson inexplicably appears in a Nazi uniform in one scene in a room that appears to be a tribute the the Third Reich, where he gives a long-winded speech about immortality while a belly dancers begins to hack at our "hero" with a pair of scimitars. Let me remind you that Jackson is a black man. Dressed as a Nazi.
In more Sam Jackson-related irritating lunacy, there's another scene earlier on where he's dressed as a samurai with mutton chops and begins to inexplicably hack up his obese minions while an image of an explosion is superimposed behind him.
And about his minions, they're all the same fat bald moron in matching black t-shirts with names like "Logos" and "Gammos". Apparently Jackson clones them all the time. Whenever he tries to make a smart one, he ends up with a head bouncing around on a disembodied foot.
Frank Miller, you may now join Michael Bay in the Facility of Therapy for Hack Film Directors.
Aforementioned belly dancer is about the best thing about this movie. I want a movie about a French belly dancer fighting crime with a pair of swords. It can't be any any sillier thFrank Miller needs to go to film school - Superdave
Graphic novel creator Frank Miller was clearly paying attention when Robert Rodriguez developed the trademark Sin City black-and-white film noir visuals, because they are all here: the almost cardboard cityscapes, the monotone clothing, the touches of red... However it is just as clearly obvious that Frank Miller is not ready to sit in the director's chair yet. He should have story-boarded this one and left the hard job of working with actors to somebody who had some experience, because the large cast of normally charismatic performers never jells as an ensemble. When have the likes of Sam Jackson, Eva Mendes and Scarlett Johansson ever been this DULL?!! The script, also by Miller, does them no favors. Miller aims for a hard-boiled 40s feel to the dialogue - we know this from frequent appearances of the word 'dame' - but the script does not crackle the way Chandler would make it. It comes off like an authentic enough sounding 1940s second programmer, but it's just not that good otherwise, as Miller lacks the subtlety needed to blend the occasional romantic and comedic elements into the noir whole. The Sin City visuals are a treat, but even they have much less impact the second time around, as they are now in the service of a much less interesting story and weaker characters. An expensive looking disappointment.
Member Reviews
Read All...
Dissapointed - AnnieGB
I really like Frank Miller's work however I was dissapointed with this. It was a great cast and visiually appealing but the story was acted poorly. The spirit character came across comically instead of dark and moody. I'd recommend solely for the visual ...Goofy Goofy Goofy - Jirataur
...And not the good, entertaining kind of goofy, either.
I've never read the original Spirit comics, so I've nothing to compare this film to. But I don't need to compare this insultingly inane film to a superior work to plainly see that this movie is ...Frank Miller needs to go to film school - Superdave
Graphic novel creator Frank Miller was clearly paying attention when Robert Rodriguez developed the trademark Sin City black-and-white film noir visuals, because they are all here: the almost cardboard cityscapes, the monotone clothing, the touches of red... ...