The Spirit was an original comic strip created by Will Eisner in the 1940′s. Its “cereal box” comic look gave the comic a very two dimensional look, but anyone who has ever read these great classics knows the characters and story are much deeper than that.
Today, The Spirit continues as a DC Comics (creators of the Batman and Superman series) franchise written by Darwyn Cooke. I like both the original comic strip and its modern counterpart. They’re entertaining mystery stories. The film, directed by Frank Miller (creator of Sin City), is much different. Will Eisner’s subtle femme fatale references are blown out of proportion and much of the film’s story seems to look towards these characters as a means to drive the sluggish plot.
The Spirit, also known as Danny Colt, is resurrected to protect the City and keep it clean of villains. That’s the story. I was disappointed with the dialogue and script throughout the film as it never seems to engage, but my biggest gripe with The Spirit was its visual look. What Frank Miller has done here is take a comic book with a very old school look and tailor it to his own dark style. It looks very similar to Sin City so if you enjoyed the visual style of Sin City, you may here as well, though fans of the original comic may be sorely disappointed. Sadly, however, as much as I liked the visuals of Sin City, they seem to be less engaging for The Spirit since coloring and contrast is done in a random fashion.
Here is also yet another example of Samuel Jackson, who plays the films villain, with his usual loud-mouthed antics. Jackson seems to enjoy yelling a lot in his movies. He doesn’t change here. The Spirit didn’t appeal to me mainly due to the poor script and weak plot, but if you’re looking for something like Sin City, multiple femme fatale roles (starring such actresses as Eva Mendes, Jamie King, and Scarlett Johanssen), or just more Samuel Jackson in general, this is the closest you’re going to get from any recent release. - [DVD]
Action/Comedy/Fantasy/Thriller
Rated PG-13
DVD Release Date: 4/14/09