Pretty Good

Beautiful, moving film.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

I saw this movie in the theater and was hugely disappointed. Actually, it's amazing that it was released in such a poor state. I tend to watch sci-fi movies more than once, but I'll avoid this movie like the plague if I see it on the cable guide. I am a comic book collector, though I don't collect the Spirit. Perhaps my lofty expectations were that the movie stay on track or be able to keep my attention. Samuel Jackson must have been looking for a single pay check when he agreed to be in this film. He certainly couldn't have been thinking it would make him any money in post-theater play.If Daredevil is a five out of 10, and Fantastic Four is a 4 out of 10 and Iron Man being a 10 out of 10, then it's fair to say that The Spirit is a 1 out of 10.

Oh-me! Oh-My! Where-oh-where in the world do I begin to comment (level-headedly) on this... this... This spiritless superhero movie-drivel that comes from the absolute dregs of a Hollywood, comic-book "mess"-terpiece?Yes, indeed. The Spirit was a glaringly classic example of "all style over no substance" where one side of the scale was so over-weighted with 60 million dollars worth of style that any "thinking" viewer might feel compelled to scream out for something, anything that would make even half-sense out of this picture's exasperatingly demented story.But, hey, if you're into super-nonsensical movies that are all grit, grime and garbage, then The Spirit just might be the very film that you're looking for.Within The Spirit's cruel, callous and sadistic story, actor Samuel Jackson was an utter, over-the-top embarrassment as the all-evil "Octopus".And when Octopus and his equally wicked accomplice, Silken Floss, stepped out in full Nazi regalia, marching around in front of a 10 foot tall swastika, that, for me, was the last straw of sheer stupidity which lost this film some seriously significant points.Anyways - When it comes to being a director/writer of a film that I swear was being made up as they went along, I'm now completely convinced that Frank Miller is strictly bottom of the barrel.

After you get past the overly-long opening battle between Samuel L. Jackson (The "Octopus") and the Spirit, the film settles down a bit. Impossibly beautiful women abound (just like in a comic strip). It also has a series of clones that act like the 3 Stooges and Wyle E. Coyote; always getting blown-up or comically killed off. (The tire tracks are the best.) It's nonsensical. Death is a mistress named "Loreli". She wants the soul of The Spirit. The Golden Fleece, Hercule's blood, Nazi uniforms? It's actually slightly better than it sounds, and it sounds pretty bad. The Spirit dies several times by every means possible: multiple gunshots, bombs, knives, drowning. He is immortal yet paradoxically already dead. The "plot exposition" makes no sense either. Confusing in a gritty, graphic way. Filmed in almost black and white with occasional color used for emphasis. Uses a lot of computer-generated "sets". It plays better on cable, with all the bad cussing cleaned up. Other graphic novels have been translated to the screen in a far better fashion. "The Octopus" is played for laughs and it shouldn't have been. His "cloned stooges" spoil "the spirit" of the movie.(Sorry.) What is that one tiny piece of "The Octopus" left alive? It looks like a piece of his finger or something worse. A strange piece of work. When a film can't decide either to be a thriller or a comedy, it usually fails at both. This one certainly does. I don't expect a sequel. This was a box-office bomb. People even walked out.

The Spirit is not only one of the worst comic book adaptations of all time, it's one of the worst films of all time. Although the film is striking visually, the lousy script sinks it virtually from the opening credits. It's not only poorly written, it's offensive. Why Frank Miller thought it would be a good idea to put Samuel Jackson in an SS uniform defies comprehension. This film is stunningly bad. Given the source material and the budget, it could have been a classic. What a missed opportunity. Also Gabriel Macht has zero charisma. Casting him is another reason why this movie stinks so bad. Don't bother. And shame on Frank Miller for desecrating this beloved comic strip.