Mihai Toma
An old cop has woke from his grave in order to protect his city and free it from its arch enemy, The Octopuss. With a sad past left behind, he must realize who he really is in order to find the truth about his resurrection and his enemy at the same time.It's an interesting action movie presented in a very artistic manner which I enjoyed quite a lot. The downside is that the whole picture is like a superhero comic-book. Every moment comes with a funny side, making a laugh out of it. It wouldn't have been a bad idea if it hadn't been so exaggerated. The fact that it isn't taken seriously also means that the actual story hasn't received proper attention so you will have to focus on the action itself along with the funny part in order to forget about it. Still, it isn't a bad movie!
popcorninhell
The Spirit...good lord The Spirit; talk about an irredeemable mess of a film. Made with the sole intention of cashing in on the Frank Miller led success of Sin City (2005), The Spirit is an ugly, sophomoric and downright bizarre answer to the question what would Samuel L. Jackson do for a paycheck. Based on a long-running newsprint comic turned pulpy graphic novel, The Spirit is actually a masked vigilante who seems to be in a constant battle with The Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson) for the heart of Central City. There's a story about a stolen serum, some garbled garbage involving a bevy of femme fatales and various on-the- nose references to Greek mythology.As for the Spirit, Gabriel Macht, previously known for his performance as "the guy that died first" in Behind Enemy Lines (2001) is easily the most bland graphic novel hero ever committed to film. The man is but a wisp in comparison to Samuel L. Jackson who goes full diva complete with a constantly changing wardrobe that includes the level subtlety of a Nazi SS uniform.It's all pretty standard as far as cloying movies go but what sets it apart is the drab set design, fanatically over-the-top performances and ludicrously thin noir pastiche job. It's as if the makers of this film were trying to meld divergent parts of The Maltese Falcon (1941) and Tom and Jerry (1940-1958) without bothering to capture the spirit of either. Grotesque, confusing and garish, the film story-wise is just bland and forgettable.
grantss
A movie that tries to cash in on the success of Sin City, and falls very far short. The special effects are similar to Sin City, both were written by Frank Miller and Miller co-directed Sin City and directed The Spirit, but that is where the similarities end. Sin City was one of the greatest movies of all time, this is trash. The plot, if it can be called that, is random at best. Clearly Miller also couldn't decide whether he wanted to make a comedy or a drama, as it seems to flip-flop between the two extremes. The dialogue tries to be snappy and witty, but just comes across as lame. The star-studded cast - Samuel L Jackson, Eva Mendes, Scarlett Johansson, Paz Vega - do the best they can with the lame script, but even they couldn't save this.The best part of the movie is the CGI, and even that is not too exciting, having seen all the effects before in Sin City.
scr555
The Spirit is not only one of the worst comic book adaptations of all time, it's one of the worst films of all time. Although the film is striking visually, the lousy script sinks it virtually from the opening credits. It's not only poorly written, it's offensive. Why Frank Miller thought it would be a good idea to put Samuel Jackson in an SS uniform defies comprehension. This film is stunningly bad. Given the source material and the budget, it could have been a classic. What a missed opportunity. Also Gabriel Macht has zero charisma. Casting him is another reason why this movie stinks so bad. Don't bother. And shame on Frank Miller for desecrating this beloved comic strip.
