'The Spirit' Review, Not So Spirited After All

I never knew a movie that looked so good could be so bad. 'The Spirit' in all its pre-release marketing glory looked really good and artsy-fartsy. Just look at the poster on the left. I'm not gonna lie to you, everything in the movie DOES look good. The lighting, the graphic designs, the mood it sets. Unfortunately, those are the best things about the movie. Right from the get-go, everything was just too cartoon-ish. When it came time for The Spirit (Gabriel Macht) and The Octopus (Sam Jackson) to have their first fight scene, it really sunk in that this was not going to be a Sin City at all.

The only thing that likens The Spirit to Sin City is its never-ending surprises (and of course, its graphics). These Frank Miller films along with 300 have proven quite unpredictable. Sadly for The Spirit, unpredictable in more bad ways than good.

Just to name a few flaws, the movie was incredibly cliched; dialogue was non-purposeful; scenes started randomly and ended very abruptly most of the time. I also found many scenes that were completely unnecessary and added no extra zest to the wacky storyline.

The characters, in my opinion were just plain old boring and see through. All except Samuel L. Jackson's 'The Octopus'. No matter how bad a film is, I can never get enough of Sam Jackson going wacko in surgeon costumes and Nazi uniforms, putting his massive arsenal of firearms to use. Gabriel Macht was very very dull in his portrayal of the title character and we see more of his body (probably digitally enhanced, don't take my word for it) than his face. Have you ever seen a superhero movie where the lead character doesn't show his face? Ridiculous ain't it? Eva Mendes, for me, just doesn't fit the role of seductress Sand Saref. Scarlett Johansson's Silken Floss, sidekick to The Octopus, seems very rehearsed and one dimensional. And i really didn't get her purpose or motives for being The Octopus' sidekick.

With Iron Man and especially The Dark Knight bringing a whole new feel to the comic book, superhero genre, The Spirit was just a complete mess. Let's just hope Frank Miller's upcoming projects like the Buck Rogers remake and Sin City 2 brings back the credibility he gained from the first Sin City and of course 300.

Doctor's diagnosis : 2 out of 5 Popcorns

At the premiere screening of The Spirit, I got my hands on this Sand Saref (Eva Mendes) poster. If anybody wants it, just let me know.

Opening This Week

Australia
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman
Director: Baz Luhrmann
USA release: 26 December 2008
Msia release: 25 December 2008
Genre: Adventure, Drama, War
Runtime: 165 mins
Rated: PG-13 for some violence, a scene of sensuality, and brief strong language.

Plot (taken from IMDb)
In northern Australia at the beginning of World War II, an English aristocrat inherits a cattle station the size of Maryland. When English cattle barons plot to take her land, she reluctantly joins forces with a rough-hewn stock-man to drive 2,000 head of cattle across hundreds of miles of the country's most unforgiving land, only to still face the bombing of Darwin, Australia, by the Japanese forces that had attacked Pearl Harbor only months earlier.



The Spirit






















Click on the poster for more details.

The Spirit

So are you a graphic novel based movie fan? In my previous post I talked about Watchmen coming out next year. Well if you can't wait for that, you should really consider watching The Spirit. Why? Simply because its from the creator of 300 and Sin City, Frank Miller. Based on a comic by Will Eisner created in 1940, The Spirit will be out on Christmas day. But hopefully, I'll be one of the chosen Advertlets bloggers to see it two days earlier.

The Spirit (2008)

Starring: Gabriel Macht, Samuel L. Jackson, Eva Mendes, Scarlett Johansson

Director: Frank Miller

Release date: 25 December 2008 (almost worldwide)

Rating (USA): PG-13

Genre: Action

Plot (IMDB)

Down these mean streets a man must come. A hero born, murdered, and born again. When a Rookie cop named Denny Colt returns from the beyond as The Spirit, a hero whose mission is to fight against the bad forces from the shadows of Central City. The Octopus who kills anyone unfortunate enough to see his face who has other plans. He's going to wipe out the entire city. The Spirit tracks this cold hearted killer from the 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 the masked crusader.

So far from what I've seen from trailers and interviews, The Octopus, played by Samuel L. Jackson seems to be the coolest character in the film. I can seriously dig this character. Just look at this poster.

"Face My Power"

So why do I like The Octopus? See that ridiculous fur-coat he's wearing? Well its one of many outfits he wears in the movie. Apparently, The Octopus' dress sense varies everyday, in line with his mood. Wouldn't it be cool to be like that? Haha. Check out this interview taken from MTV Splashpage.

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Also, The Octopus is seen in several clips favoring heavy firearms. Ooo. Thats cool. Honestly, I don;t find myself liking villains very often. But how can you not like Samuel L. Jackson as a villain???!!! In what I've seen so far, he is extremely well fit for the role.

So, after opening your presents on Christmas, make sure to head down to catch Sam Jackson in action. Here's The Spirit trailer. Enjoy!