Review of Spawn (1997) by Paul D — 31 Jan 2012

Spawn, one of the superheroes who is not from either Marvel nor DC Comics, was popular in comics, but especially in merchandise (from what I hear). Earlier in the year of 1997, there was a superhero movie that was a piece of crap. That was Batman and Robin. Less than two months later, we have Spawn. Spawn as a character is what I would call the darker and supernatural version of Batman. Although it's not exactly a good movie, it is a masterpiece compared to Batman and Robin.

The story begins with Al Simmons (Michael Jai White), an assassin. However, he is betrayed when his boss, Jason Wynn (Martin Sheen), kills him by burning him alive. Simmons is sent to Hell. But Malebolgia (voiced by Frank Welker), a demon, offers him a chance to see his fiancee, Wanda Blake (Theresa Randle), if he will lead his army for Armageddon. Simmons agreed.

Back on Earth, Simmons is severely disfigured beyond recognition and learns that five years have passed since his death. He discovers that Wanda had married his best friend, Terry Fitzgerald (D.B. Sweeney), and had a daughter, Cyan (Sydni Beaudoin). With the Violator (John Leguizamo) as his guide, he becomes "Spawn." He also meets Cogliostro (Nicol Williamson), another Hellspawn who defected and joined Heaven.

After one attempt on Jason's life, in which his top assassin (Melinda Clarke) the Violater gives him a device that would set off a toxic weapon that would affect the entire planet. This is an attempt to bring about the apocalypse. Learning of his true nature, Spawn fights against the Violator, but is defeated. Cogliostro then teaches Spawn how to manipulate his powers. When the Violater and Jason try to kill Terry, Wanda, and Cyan, he must stop them and prevent apocalypse.

Having never read the comics, I can't say much as to how the movie is compared to the source material. But from what I do know about its content, Spawn's story would be more of an R-rated material. A man sent to Hell, making a deal with the devil, getting demonic powers, but turns against him and uses them for good. But it's turned into a lighter toned movie with some dark elements despite the PG-13 rating.

This movie could have actually been pretty good, but the dialogue and some of the acting ruins it. The action scenes are good, but unimpressive. The visual effects may look great for their time, especially the scenes involving Hell, but compared to today's standards, they look like graphics you would see from PS1 game. I also liked the way Spawn looks when in costume, although I wish that he wore the mask more often.

The acting isn't all that good. Michael Jai White didn't get any good until he became Spawn, and even then he wasn't great. Martin Sheen is weak as Jason Wynn. Frank Welker did a good voice for Malebolgia. The only really good acting was John Leguizamo as the Violator.

A potentially good movie, but is letdown by the dialogue and acting.