The Spirit Review

The Spirit is the very first directing endavour by well-known graphic artist Frank Miller. Known for his unique and dark visual style, Frank Miller gained comic-book fame by drawing a darker version of Batman (which was to later inspire the Dark Knight) plus writing and illustrating the comic-books Sin City and 300, which since have both been made into successful big-budget movies. Frank Miller worked closely with Robert Rodriguez during the filming of Sin City and managed to use those co-director credentials to get him a job for this latest comic-book adaptation. The story and main characters are inspired by Will Eisner’s 1940’s graphic novel The Spirit.

Basically the film feels like Sin City in the way that it’s been color-shaded and that everything was filmed in front of a green screen. But everything that made Sin City such a cool film is terribly absent in The Spirit. The most surprising oddity is that Miller , from scene one, decides to turn the film into a parody of some sorts, filling it with goofy jokes and even some slapstick. My guess is that he’s trying to comment on the film-noir genre by trying to set up gags for the inside crowd, but he fails terribly making the film more of a mockery of itself than anything else. Not only is the ill attempt at humor oddly misplaced, it also lacks comedic timing, making every joke fall flat really akwardly

But let me briefly explain the plot before I get into anymore details. Samuel L. Jackson plays The Spirit’s arch-enemy The Octopus, who in this film, is basically a raving nazi-dragqueen and possibly the most ridiculous villain in the history of film. There’s no background story at all, except that he’s nigh invincable and that he dresses like he’s in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It makes no sense, but by the time that his character gets introduced you should have already figured that out on your own. So, the Octopus wants to become immortal and therefore he’s searching for the blood of Hercules, a mystical item that is said to be buried together with The Golden Fleece of Jason. Chance has it that The Spirit’s ex-girlfriend knows the location of the treasure and wants the golden fleece for herself. Why? Well because it’s shiny and because Frank Miller hates women. Like in more of his works, every single woman is either a slut (excuse the language) or a prostitute and ALL of them desperately want to sleep with the Spirit for no apparent reason. It’s probably meant as somewhat of a joke but it just gets annoying and downright offensive the way in which every woman throws herself in front of the hero, who unly relunctantly gives in to their flirtations. (It often crossed my mind that he might be gay)

And I haven’t even talked about the acting!. My God, is it horrendous!! Never in my life have I seen talented actors such as Samuel L. Jackson and Scarlett Johansson give such horribly bad performances! It was like watching a kindergarten play or something, I just can’t describe how horribly bad it was. You really won’t believe it untill you see it. It’s just a mystery to me how everything could have gone so utterly wrong with this film. Yeah, the script was bad and so was the direction, but that happens to many films that are still somewhat watchable. But this piece of garbage is nigh unpossibly bad! I”m being one hundred percent honest with you when I say that I don’t remember anything this bad actually getting released in the theaters..ever!

Now I know that after reading this you’re going to be like ‘oh, well I’m going to go and see it anyway..it can’t be that bad can it?’ I’m telling you: It IS that bad, and I really pity you if you go out and pay for this abomination of a film. If you insist and really have to see it, just to experience how horrible it is, then at least stream it online so that you can pause every now and again to run to the toilet. Frank Miller should get a permanent ban for anything involving film. My advice to him: Stick to drawing comic-books.

Rating: CRAPTASTIC!

Conclusion: Unspeakably bad. NOTHING is going to prepare you for how numbingly awful this film is.