The Spirit Reviews

Thanxxx.

[Link removed - login to see]

When I first heard about this flick, I was rather excited since I really loved 'Sin City' but later on I heard all the lukewarm critics so I wasn't dying anymore to watch it but still, I thought I should give it a shot. And indeed, the end result was really disappointing. I mean, sure, the movie had some rather visually impressive sequences but then, some other scenes just looked downright embarassing and ridiculous. The story was also really weak, it was nothing original whatsoever and the dialogues were just laughable throughout the whole thing. On the positive side, the cast was pretty good, except for Gabriel Macht and Paz Vega. Indeed, Gabriel Macht didn't have the charisma to pull this off and he gave a rather poor performance. And why on Earth did they pick a Spanish actress to portray a French character?!? Vega didn't look or sound French at all. Anyway, it is quite obvious that they wanted to get the same success they had with 'Sin City' but it didn't really work out, I'm afraid. To conclude, it's a pity because the whole thing really had some potential and even though it was not a total disaster, it was still a major failure so I don't think it is really worth a look. 

I had very high expectations for The Spirit because it is Frank Miller graphic novel, it has a good cast and I adored 300 and Sin City. The Spirit was very different to both because story was weirder and characters were similar to characters from other films. I was disappointed but not greatly. I don't think it is as bad as some people say it is. It had that kick-ass sort of taste to it but has a rather lame story. It takes and copies from quite a few films. For example, The Crow and The Dark Knight. The story of The Spirit is very similar if not precisely the same as The Crow.


Gabriel Macht was rubbish as The Spirit/Denny Colt. I don't think it showed how effective the character was to Central City. Also, it doesn't show what type of person he really is. His character rips off Eric Draven and Batman not only because Spirit is a dark hero as well but because of how he behaves with people around the city. I mean, he's a good character but not THAT good. Samuel L. Jackson was good as Octopus because it shows how much of a psycho he can be playing a villainous character. Octopus is a stupid name really for a villain but he did have that kick-ass sort of style for the character but the negative thing about his performance was that I couldn't completely understand what Octopus was actually doing within the city. I thought to myself at first "About time that Samuel L. Jackson has been in a film like this. Michael Clarke Duncan was awesome as Manute in Sin City but Samuel L. Jackson would have been better I think." When isn't Scarlett Johansson good? It was very strange seeing her play a villain because she never has done. I was blown away by how hot she looked as Silken Floss (not like she doesn't anyway). She would have been good in Sin City as well as either Nancy or Shellie. From how Silken was dressed she seemed a bit like a stripper or a prostitute. Eva Mendes was good but not brilliant as Sand Saref. Yes, she was sexy enough for the characters but she wasn't exactly talented enough to play that type of character.


Frank Miller has directed a film that is just entertaining nothing more. It was well done but it is the weakest of the Frank Miller novels so far. I don't think any Frank Miller film will ever beat Sin City because that is just a masterpiece that I think everybody loves. I found the script to be rather lame because it had some pointless and inappropriate scenes and there wasn't any kick-ass line from characters which is what we would expect from Frank Miller.


Overall, The Spirit is a film that focuses more on the art of how it was filmed rather than the story and the characters. The Spirit is a bad film that was watchable. It was just a piece of entertainment nothing more. It is like a Razzie Worst Picture win compared to 300 and particularly Sin City. I would only recommend The Spirit to people who just look for action-packed entertainment. If you are one of those who are looking for just that then you will probably like it but if not and you're looking for a decent story then you probably won't like it.

"She is the love of my life. And I am her spirit."

Prior to helming The Spirit, a screen adaptation of Will Eisner's comic book series, Frank Miller had scripted the woeful RoboCop III and had co-directed the extraordinary Sin City (with Robert Rodriguez). Merely a few minutes into The Spirit, it's agonisingly clear who the real cinematic talent behind Sin City was. Miller (himself a legend in the realm of graphic novels) directs solo for the first time for The Spirit, and the product is this definitive showcase of what can go wrong if a comic book artist seizes the reigns of a celluloid production. For Miller's directorial debut, the sense of visual style becomes so pervasive that it overwhelms everything else, especially (and most detrimentally) plot. Alas, the eye candy grows stale and repetitive, unlike Sin City which coupled the mind-blowing visuals with engaging, fast-paced stories. The visuals cannot be faulted in their execution, but there's little holding the film together - The Spirit is just pretty pictures connected with tin-eared dialogue and cardboard characters. Frank Miller deserves credit for being a comic book visionary, but - to quote Dirty Harry - a man's got to know his limitations. Due to the quality of this tosh, Miller may not direct a major studio film on his own ever again. The Spirit is a mess - it's hollow, directionless and self-indulgent. It seems that in order to keep a film tightly-plotted and well-paced, Miller needs a guiding hand.

The story takes place in the dreary, crime-riddled Central City. Denny Colt (Macht) was one of the metropolis' finest cops until he was killed in the line of duty before being reborn as the enigmatic masked avenger known as The Spirit. He's seemingly indestructible as his body regenerates upon sustaining injury, but the same is also true of his nemesis The Octopus (Jackson). The Octopus aims to wipe out The Spirit's beloved Central City while he also pursues the blood of Heracles which will make him immortal. Caught up in this battle is sultry jewel thief Sand Saref (Mendes) who shares a past with Denny Colt.

The Spirit simply has no idea what it wishes to be as it erratically veers across the tonal spectrum. Part neo-noir, part acid trip and part black comedy, this feature is like Dick Tracy, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, The Phantom, and the '60s Batman TV series rolled into one...but minus their respective charms. Goofy slapstick punctuates the action, and the gorgeous CGI-augmented visuals (which evoke Sin City) are at odds with the awful campy approach. Samuel L. Jackson as The Octopus wields a large pipe-wrench, traps The Spirit in a toilet (complete with a lame one-liner) and melts a cat down to a couple of eyeballs. There's a scene featuring Jackson and Scarlett Johansson dressed as Nazis - for absolutely no reason - that drags on for ten minutes straight, and The Octopus hates eggs. The guns resemble something out of the Looney Tunes as well! This is also a PG-13 film, meaning intense violence is out. If Miller had crafted either a hard-edged Sin City-esque noir or a straight-up campy parody, then The Spirit might've worked. As it is, this nonsense fails as a film noir, a comic book movie, and as a dark comedy.

In cinematically adapting Will Eisner's acclaimed comic book series, director Miller has opted to employ techniques similar to those that were used so effectively in Sin City - i.e. the majority of the film was shot in front of a green screen. By working with a digital set, Miller is able to craft a motion picture that looks almost identical to its comic book equivalent (even occasionally copying specific shots from the comic). There's a lot of computer generated imagery and animation here, with silhouettes and shadows playing a big part in the visual palette. The digital format suits the source material, allowing the filmmakers to combine the fantastical with gritty hyper-realism. However, the green screen noir visuals no longer sparkle as much as they did in Sin City; feeling imitative as opposed to innovative. It seems Miller is so focused on bloating his flick with one-note characters and stabs at slapstick that he neglects story and pacing. Consequently, there's no sense of forward momentum. The overacting, the bland story and Miller's tepid direction prevent pulses from speeding up as well. The visuals are impressive, but there's just no story to serve them. Scenes just happen, often with no clear beginning or end.

The dialogue is utterly atrocious, the acting is embarrassing, and the drama is corny to the point of laugh-inducing. And this kills any element of suspense or tension. There's a certain artistry in crafting crime dialogue, and Frank Miller has shown he can successfully pull off such dialogue as his Sin City graphic novels are perfect examples of the form. However, Miller's gifts aren't palpable while watching The Spirit. Lines such as "My city screams. She is my lover and I am her spirit" are delivered with gusto but sound awful. Admittedly, some of the levity is in place on purpose, but Samuel L. Jackson's over-the-top monologues probably aren't meant to be worthy of chortles. The Octopus is not sinister...he's silly! As for The Spirit...he's far too dull and personality-deficient to be able to hold together an entire movie. He's easily the least interesting of all the main characters, unfortunately. Miller uses roof-running as a substitute for action, and the film misses much of the quirky charm and humanity of the Will Eisner comic book series. Ultimately, this grossly mishandled adaptation lacks emotion and is hollow at its core. It's just plain boring.

The Spirit is a movie without a direction, a vision, or a definitive path - it's all over the place! Frank Miller is even unable to commit to a time period to set the film in. Characters look and dress as if they're living in the 1940s, and talk as if this is a Double Indemnity parody. They also drive classic automobiles straight out of the 40s. In addition, women run their own hospitals and perform complicated surgical procedures. Every office has a Xerox machine, ostensibly in order for Miller to concoct a scene in which Eva Mendes photocopies her rear end (bear in mind the Xerox machine wasn't invented until the 60s, conflicting with the 40s atmosphere). This eventually leads to a cheesy double entendre.

Gabriel Macht's performance, much like the film's tone, is all over the map. The blame should lay with the director rather than the actor in this case, though. He's a dark avenger one moment, a snappy-talking noir character the next. And he's always - always - monologuing! Miller aimed to bring all the comic book thought-balloons to life using constant monologues, but it gets very tired very fast. And as for Samuel L. Jackson playing The Octopus...he has never been hammier. At the other end of the spectrum are the femme fatales, all of which are attractive but vapidly performed. There's an almost unrecognisable Scarlett Johansson as The Octopus's number one henchman, and Eva Mendes as a bad girl obsessed with shiny things.

2008 was an above-average year for comic book movies (Iron Man, The Dark Knight) until The Spirit reared its ugly head. The critics had a right to pound this one into the ground. While Miller's directorial debut is watchable on account of a few rousing scenes (the initial five minutes foster the false impression that greatness will ensue) and technical competency, the negatives far outweigh the positives. Miller simply lacks the chops as a filmmaker to handle a motion picture on his own. The Spirit is indefensible; a ridiculous mishmash of random, disconnected scenes and boring speeches. The action lacks excitement, the humour is too campy, and the drama is half-baked. Stick with Sin City.

4.2/10

''My city, I can not deny her. My city screams. She is my mother. She is my lover, and I am her Spirit.''

Rookie cop Denny Colt returns from the beyond as The Spirit, a hero whose mission is to fight against the bad forces in Central City.

Gabriel Macht: The Spirit / Denny Colt

The Spirit is Frank Miller's independent Directing response and vision of Will Eisner's comic book series. Using Techniques he learnt from Sin City and 300 he's gone ahead on his own, to create something unique, without any Zack Snyder or Robert Rodriguez at the helm. Yes The Spirit, is completely driven, in entirety by Frank.
So what is The Spirit like? Is it good? Yes it's fun and silly, yet in places serious and dark. Is it in the same league as Sin City & 300? Not exactly. Mainly the disadvantage of The Spirit is that it's restricted to a universal age restriction, not allowing for OTT blood,gore and shootings. So it felt to me, like it's never allowed to let rip and go all out with the actiony antics that happen.

I can see Frank Millar is in a way, paying homage to detective film noirs, with The Spirit. With it's Chinatown-esque superhero, it's gritty narration, and it's dark art. Granted it's a modern day merge with 1940s life, we have old hair styles and mobiles, fashions and modern day weaponry all in the same place. Which sums up The Spirit, Frank Millar's modern re-telling of Will Eisner's comic novel, done his own unique style.
Gabriel Macht as The Spirit, does a reasonable job of fleshing out the masked spirit, while giving some awesomely edible dialogue/narration.
Eva Mendes as Sand Saref, shows a commendable love interest and childhood flame, while showing off her body and assets.
Samuel L. Jackson as The Octopus, kind of ruined the feel of The Spirit, with his over the top villainy, he dresses up as a Samurai, a Nazi, uses silly toilet humour and has demented clones and a sexy sidekick. That all lean towards the hectic tones of a lighter toned, styled comic venture, rather than the dark descent, you expect The Spirit to be.
Scarlett Johansson as Silken Floss, shows her dark side, a quirky funny role yet not the greatest performance she's done. Fun though.
Arthur the Cat & Frank Millar also make stellar appearances, which give us something to smile about.

''You're in love with every women you meet, Mr. Spirit. You say lovely things to all of us and you mean every word you say.''

There's some good idea's on offer, and marvelous scenes of Spirit running and jumping through his city. His love of cats reminded me of Hellboy, while his appearance resembles vigilante Zorro.
Although on other part's we the audience tend to flag and become bored, due to unnecessary flashbacks that kind of slow the story down, to scenes with the villains or Sand Saref that seem to be focusing on extreme laughs.
Samuel L Jackson dressed as a Nazi, giving a kitten some strange glowy serum, seems to be one of the big laughs on offer.(His toilet humour and usage of toilets seemed abit weird yet amusing) Followed by a sexy Plaster Of Paris lady giving some seductive allure to a receptive Spirit.

The Spirit is typical Frank Millar. It has a hero whom is addicted to seducing the ladies, a hero who is dark and handsome, and a town where people find sometimes the best choice is to shoot one self, to help matters. That's Frank's philosophy, that's his city, yet this isn't Sin City. This is The Spirit, this is his take on someone else's dream, and the conversion seems to show all too well in it's results.
More romance, more action, and a stronger emphasis on plot and script, could have made this piece, incredible rather than another offering and film, which feels like another Sin City, another 300, and another Frank Millar offering.

Overall, The Spirit isn't all bad. It isn't all good, yet it is an artistic triumph of effects and comic-book life coming to life. The dark tone and colours create a believable breathing world at times, only spoiled by being overly unrealistic, as opposed to just being a little bit unrealistic. Sometimes less is better, sometimes more can be a help, what The Spirit needed is balance, and an experienced director. However Frank Millar, on his own, does a good job in essence to bring this project together. Theres even nice artwork and effects, on the credits to look out for, after a bizarre finale.

''"What are you?" That's what the woman asked me. Am I some sort of ghost? I still move. I still breathe. I'm still alive.''

Denny Colt, a cop shot to death, then wakes up from the dead not knowing why he lived or how he lived. He then takes his power to proctect central city, his lady. this is what the first twenty minutes of The Spirit is like. this very character driven film which stars Gabrielle Macht as the Spirit, Samuel L. Jackson as the Octopus, Jaime King as Lorlelei, Eva Mendes as Sand Seref and Scarlet Johannsen as a very convincing Silken Floss. the acting is on top and not one character is off by least. this film is very fun and funny. despite what the crittics say these days they seem to be off on almost every movie. The Spirit like it's predecessor sin city is not only entertaining but is very dark and centralized on every character in every way possible. there is a brief cameo from Peter Dinklage(a man standing outside of a building) and Paz Vega who plays a very strange gypsey by the name of the plaster of paris. The spirit which also has a narration by our lead actor is very good although it may seem a bit wierd that he talks to himself ,but it doesn't hardly interfere with the narration like fight club or sin city yet again it fits very well into the ongoing story between the several characters throughout the film. Fans of 24 will appreciate the role of Louis Lombardi a clone who is seen thoughout the whole movie as the octopus's henchmen. frank miller proves to us once again he can make one hell of a movie do not miss this.