Review of The Spirit (2008) by Florence . — 25 Jan 2011

I've read quite a few Spirit comics by Will Eisner so when I heard there was going to be movie I was excited and then I heard it was going to be directed by Frank Miller, now I was even more excited. I enjoyed the movie but the stylized action.

The one reason why I think people don't like this is that they expected it to be like Sin City which it is not. The Spirit is not meant to be like that since the comics are not like that, the comics have always been like detective stories but kind of lighthearted at the same time. My point is that if you don't know anything about The Spirit then you shouldn't criticize this movie.

I loved the look of Central City, not sure if it's the same Central City from the Flash Comics though. His world is very Film Noir like with the shadows and the near black and white cinematography, the femme fatale, but no damsel in distress. The stylized action was something that bugged me because it just didn't fit and they way were shot was just as bad. The cinematography on the other was amazing not only because I love classic films but I think it benefited character better.

I thought Gabriel Macht was very good as the Spirit not only did he look like the Spirit but he sounded like how I thought The Spirit would sound. I never liked the blue costume The Spirit wore in the comics because I always thought a black suit would be better. If they had done the blue suit he would've really stood out on the screen in a such dark colored world. I'm glad they decided not to include Ebony White because that would've have been a disaster, well the film was a disaster at the box office so I guess that wouldn't matter. And of course you couldn't make a Spirit movie without all of his women such as silken Floss, Plaster of Paris, Lorelei Rox, Sand Saref, and Ellen Dolan. I really wish they hadn't included all of them in the same movie maybe they could have included two of them in a sequel that's never going to be made. Samuel L. Jackson played Octopus, The Spirit's archenemy, yes I know that is quite possibly the worst villain name ever besides Toyman, which sounds like something a pedophile would call himself. Samuel L. Jackson gives it his all but ultimately fails horribly not only because he is so over the top but because of the ridiculous number of costumes the man wears throughout the movie. Dan Lauria plays Commissioner Dolan, the only person that knows Denny Colt is The Spirit.

Overall it's not a bad movie it's just that its got some few minor problems that nearly ruin it.