The main thing I remember from this evaporative Frank Miller release is that Scarlett Johansson's character wants to get her PhD done. Not so great for a comic superhero conversion.
Being a Miller directorial effort, The Spirit rides the Sin City bandwagon for all its wheels can carry, taking the same noir, graphics-over-live-action, hyper real approach but retaining little of the novelty. It's certainly not a bad looking film, and some of the final action segments are impressively done, but The Spirit falters so badly in story and conduct, none of that matters.
Arising from Will Eisner's original comic, which first saw publication in the 1940's, The Spirit reflects much of what you're used to in crime-fighting superhero stories. Denny Colt (Gabriel Macht), a slain cop, finds himself endowed with super abilities after a demented doctor going simply by the name Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson) uses him as a stepping stone in an experiment into immortality.
Practically indestructible, Colt becomes The Spirit, Central City's savior and leading womanizer. He loves his conurbation to no end, thinking of her as a woman. I liked this part, being the type that falls in love with cities and thinks of them as women.
The Spirit forms an uneasy alliance with the local PD, but is often scolded for causing more damage than the crooks he crusades against. The exception is his arch rival, Octopus. Done using Sam Jackson's usual villain shtick, this guy's also sort of immortal, but he isn't a lot of fun, spouting mostly inane clichés and disposing of his own cronies like they're cheap clones. Which they are all played by a somewhat plausible Louis Lombardi.
Almost everything about The Spirit runs the risk of putting viewers to sleep. Dialogue has no flair, characters aren't at all intriguing, the story is completely hackneyed, and not much ever seems to transpire. And it also has that oh-so-chic vibe that more often than not serves to debase a movie rather than make it.
But glimmers of hope do cut through the gloom, largely in the cornucopia of busty female characters. The Spirit's old flame Sand Seraf comes in the curvaceous form of Eva Mendes, while antagonists include the even bigger Scarlett Johansson and sultry Paz Vega. Additionally, flashback scenes outshine the main storyline, featuring promising performances by youngsters Seychelle Gabriel and Johnny Simmons.
Unfortunately, Eva Mendes' cleavage, while lovely, can't mask the fact that this is an almost entirely tepid and uninspired actioner you'd best avoid. With its main attraction, visuals, failing to impress in light of Sin City and its upcoming sequel, The Spirit has little left in the way of motivation or, forgive the obvious allusion, inspiration.
Rating: * *
Being a Miller directorial effort, The Spirit rides the Sin City bandwagon for all its wheels can carry, taking the same noir, graphics-over-live-action, hyper real approach but retaining little of the novelty. It's certainly not a bad looking film, and some of the final action segments are impressively done, but The Spirit falters so badly in story and conduct, none of that matters.
Arising from Will Eisner's original comic, which first saw publication in the 1940's, The Spirit reflects much of what you're used to in crime-fighting superhero stories. Denny Colt (Gabriel Macht), a slain cop, finds himself endowed with super abilities after a demented doctor going simply by the name Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson) uses him as a stepping stone in an experiment into immortality.
Practically indestructible, Colt becomes The Spirit, Central City's savior and leading womanizer. He loves his conurbation to no end, thinking of her as a woman. I liked this part, being the type that falls in love with cities and thinks of them as women.
The Spirit forms an uneasy alliance with the local PD, but is often scolded for causing more damage than the crooks he crusades against. The exception is his arch rival, Octopus. Done using Sam Jackson's usual villain shtick, this guy's also sort of immortal, but he isn't a lot of fun, spouting mostly inane clichés and disposing of his own cronies like they're cheap clones. Which they are all played by a somewhat plausible Louis Lombardi.
Almost everything about The Spirit runs the risk of putting viewers to sleep. Dialogue has no flair, characters aren't at all intriguing, the story is completely hackneyed, and not much ever seems to transpire. And it also has that oh-so-chic vibe that more often than not serves to debase a movie rather than make it.
But glimmers of hope do cut through the gloom, largely in the cornucopia of busty female characters. The Spirit's old flame Sand Seraf comes in the curvaceous form of Eva Mendes, while antagonists include the even bigger Scarlett Johansson and sultry Paz Vega. Additionally, flashback scenes outshine the main storyline, featuring promising performances by youngsters Seychelle Gabriel and Johnny Simmons.
Unfortunately, Eva Mendes' cleavage, while lovely, can't mask the fact that this is an almost entirely tepid and uninspired actioner you'd best avoid. With its main attraction, visuals, failing to impress in light of Sin City and its upcoming sequel, The Spirit has little left in the way of motivation or, forgive the obvious allusion, inspiration.
Rating: * *