User Reviews

Scene: a foot with a face on it is merrily hopping around a countertop. Meanwhile a slutty nurse is talking about economic strategies of a criminal organization. Three identical idiots are watching on with titillation. The boss is hunched over the foot with great consternation, repeating "That's just damn weird."

WTF??

Who here grew up on comic books, raise your hands. The dork madly flailing in the back would be me. In order to appreciate this film it requires some familiarity with the comic book medium and its ability to take us into an utterly bizarre, senseless and oftimes brainless world. Situations are surreal. Dialogue is snippy, contrived and just a snicker away from utterly ludicrous. That's what comic books do, and this film is one of the most faithful adaptations I've seen.

Those who criticize this movie for "bad script", "bad acting", etc would have a point if we were talking about some snotty, pretentious too-cool-for-mainstream flick, but no, this is the opposite: pure fun. I mean, jeez, when the bad guy pauses in the middle of a tense battle to talk about eggs... or when he gets into a debate with one of his henchmen over the job's healthcare benefits, how can you NOT have fun?? Instead of expecting an action film, you should go into it expecting something more like "Airplane!" and I guarantee you'll have a great time & some big laughs. Like when one guy commits hara-kiri with a samurai sword and says "Am I doing this right? It sorta smarts." OMG LOL. And there's plenty more where that came from, but I won't spoil it.

Both Samuel L Jackson & Scarlett Johansson as his deadpan sidekick deliver top-notch comedic performances with pinpoint timing. Set against a wickedly incongruous backdrop of "film noir" where madcap comedy is definitely against the rules, "The Spirit" presents us with one of the greatest bipolar contrasts since "Catch-22" (the greatest deadpan action flick ever).

And just a word about contrast, I'm sure that's part of Frank Miller's intent, seeing how the film is full of biting visual contrasts. I won't even go into how masterfully he brought the comic book visuals to life; you just gotta see it.

If you like witty, tongue-in-cheek, dark comedies, then this is the film for you. A lot of action films are peppered with wit & humour, but this is one of the few that crosses into outright comedy, and it does a great job. If you like this film, keep an eye out for the Japanese flick "Cutie Honey", another great, artistic, campy romp which was misunderstood by audiences and overlooked.

If any of what I've said resonates with you, I strongly urge you to run down to your local Blockbuster where you can find this film in the $2 bargain bin, watch it & get in early on the cult following. It may be 10 years before people come to appreciate what Frank Miller did here, but you can say, "I told you so!"

wasn't quite sure what to expect from this one,, not being a real comic book fan I decided that I would give it a chance, second, I wasn't expecting Sin City, which by the looks of the boards most of you were. Samuel Jackson did a great job in this movie,, Gabriel Macht was wonderful as our hero, and Eva Mendez sexy as ever. our hero is in charge of doing good in the city and saving as many people as he can,, there are lot's of people who would rather not have him around Central City, especially the loathsome Octupus,, play by Samuel Jackson,, there are lot's of sexy women in the film,, good action, thrills, suspense , a lot of the good vs evil theme, I like the whole approach the movie took,, it takes you on a mythical journey to somewhere where you can only imagine,, a lot of people bash this movie because it's not like Sin City, well so what,, I didn't want it to be that movie,, this is a decent movie,, worth watching,, won't win any Oscars, but I really don't think that it was attempting to.

I love the interview with Lorenzo Semple Jnr, screenwriter for 'Flash Gordon,' when he suggests that the film would have been a big hit if only they'd been able to market it as a movie that would be a cult classic in thirty years. He goes on to explain what the core problem is: A cult film, by definition has fanatical supporters ... just not a lot of them. Those who 'get' the film will keep it alive forever, but Joe Moviegoer won't care if he ever sees it again. And so I turn to 'The Spirit,' a film which has similar qualities to 'Flash Gordon': bad enough to be awesome, tongue firmly in it's cheek and gentle satire in it's hand.

'The Spirit' manages to be wondrous and infuriating. A visual feast, Frank Miller was the perfect choice to bring the film to life. On the other hand, the dialogue is often so cheesy and the characters so over the top that the movie never allows you to be lulled into that wonderful moment of forgetting that you're watching a movie. There isn't a single character in the movie who talks like a real person. They all talk like, well, comic book archetypes: gruff commissioner, megalomaniacal super villain, brilliant evil assistant, sultry femme fatales, loyal and uninteresting love interest, and on and on. Take Samuel L Jackson's character, 'The Octopus' for example. It is a character that Jackson was born to play and Sam throws every ounce of his endlessly entertaining and over the top style into the character. It works and he plays the part brilliantly because he takes ridiculous dialogue and ridiculous material and has wild amounts of fun with it. The cast, by and large, follow his lead. Scarlett Johansson is hilariously withering with her acerbic barbs to The Octopus' clone lackeys, all of whom are played with deadpan wit and verve by Louis Lombardi. It is hard, in fact, not to feel some pity for Gabriel Macht who has to play Bud Abbott to a cast of rollicking, scene-chewing Lou Costellos in an over-acting competition. It all works wonderfully if you're willing to view the film as, uncharitably, being unintentionally funny or more genuinely as a gentle lampoon of comic book films by one of the great figures of the graphic novel genre.

Frank Miller takes 'The Spirit' and has great fun with it. It is quirky at times, ham-handed at times, but lovingly made. A brilliant Noirist, Miller actually has much better luck in 'The Spirit' in moments of levity. The noir angles of this film don't work unless designed as a kind of self-righteous satire. The noir feels forced and dramatic moments are mercilessly skewered by the corny dialogue that a helpless Gabriel Macht delivers with straight-laced determination. 'The Spirit' has the look of 'Sin City' and the heart of 'Flash Gordon.' When it works, it works well, but the film is a terrible mess whenever it is trying to be serious.

So is it worth the ride? I think so if you go in with the proper expectations. There's not really anything new visually if you've seen 'Sin City' or '300' -- both Miller works of course -- but that didn't make them any less interesting to me. Plenty of humour where it may or may not have been planned and the potential to be a cult classic. This is the kind of movie you can best enjoy in the company of friends and a cold six pack. Look for diamonds and you're looking for too much. And if nothing else, Eva Mendes has never looked better on film than she does here. That's got to stand for something, right?

Sin City this is not. So if you want to see another movie like that then avoid. If you like Frank Millers style then you shouldn't be disappointed. To me it felt like one of the old Humphrey Bogart detective films with a modern Frank Miller makeover. If you never saw those old B&W films, the charms of this will be lost on you. Not mega action but some good humor and over the top characters. If you try to compare it with Sin City you will be disappointed.

I really wanted to like this but the main actor who played the Spirit was just plain awful. And everyone acting was dreadful, the writing is dreadful and the direction is dreadful. Maybe Frank Miller wanted that actors to Over act and over act they did BIG TIME. Sam L. Jackson is so over the top that it was painful. We were laughing at some scenes not because it was that funny, it was just that embarrassing. The first fight scene (not giving anything away), that the Octopuss had with the Spirit was force and confusing and so out of place and completely uninteresting.

This movie is STYLE over SUBSTANCE. And it's hugely disappointing from the guy that was part of The 300 and Sin City. I guess every good person have their bad movies. I think perhaps Miller wanted the characters to be cartoonish. At one point, I wouldn't have been surprised to see an anvil drop on someone's head, thats how ridiculous this movie was. Perhaps one has to be a fan of the comic book... (or graphic novel in some circle) in order to truly enjoy this. I went with three other friends and 3 out of 4 of use thought it was awful and the other person just said, "it wasn't that bad".

That voice over of the spirit was just bothersome the entire movie. I was thinking... please, for the love of god, shut him up. The Spirit's voice over is irritating like Jock itch.

Now for the other actors, Eva Mendes is as beautiful as always and at one point I heard at least 10 independent dayums go out like some said it once at the grand canyon and you got 9 echos... .DAYUM! dayum dayum dayum dayum...

The other ones didn't get to do anything, except there are moments of irritating joy in the Octopuss' creations. The Spirit gets a 4 out of 10 for not actualizing the film that it could have been. It is a pass.

I was very excited about The Spirit because I am a big fan of Sin City and was looking forward to see Frank Miller in action again. Also, the cast seemed to be a great lineup. However, it doesn't matter how good the actors are if the plot and script are lame, and I am here to tell you -- I don't even think the likes of Anthony Hopkins and Meryl Streep could have saved The Spirit for this reason.

I kept waiting for the story to intrigue me and for the characters to develop. I watched a couple of people walk out of the theater about an hour through... Finally, I checked the time (never a good sign when you're watching a movie), only to discover that the movie was nearly over, and there would be no chance for redemption.

Aesthetically, The Spirit was interesting, but I couldn't help feeling like I'd seen it all before. The cinematography and graphics were pretty much a carbon copy of Sin City. I expected to see similarity (Frank Miller's style is distinct, after all), but not identical visual imagery.

Bottom line, I rarely see movies in the theater because it's expensive! For three people, we spent over $50 in downtown Seattle for this experience, and it was so disappointing. I hate to waste that much money on such a poorly written, boring movie. My recommendation is to skip The Spirit altogether (really, the plot and script are that bad). But if you're really curious, save your money and rent it when it comes out on DVD.

(Before i start commenting on this, let me just say that whoever came up with the trailers and the promotional material for this movie ought to be smacked over the head with a toilet bowl. This movie was advertised like "Sin City 1.5 meets Batman Begins" when it was NOTHING AT ALL like Sin city or Batman. )

If someone told me that FRANK MILLER was to be making a movie based on another's comic, the last thing i would expect is a strict faithfulness to the original. If there is one thing Frank Miller is famous for, it is taking something and recreating it to such an extent that defies public perception with little regard for the resulting backlash.

Take Batman. In an age where Batman was still campy and fun, he created "Dark Knight Returns" in which Batman was a bitter, obsessed senior citizen living in a hard edged world where corruption, crime and mutants run amok; effectively hurling a proverbial "Miller-pie" into the faces the campy batman, the creators of the campy comics and the fans.

For the Spirit he did the same and ended up creating not just a complete re-imaging but an over-the-top fun ride of a movie.

The Spirit is a breath of fresh air in an age where superhero movies strive to be more and more "serious" and "down to earth". This highly stylized movie wholeheartedly embraces the definition of the word "comic"(which means "amusing" or "funny")and revels in poking fun at not just comic books in general, but a wide variety of genre. It is to superhero movies like what Austin Powers is to James Bond movies.

The Spirit comic book by Will Eisner was a product of the 1940s that continued into the 1950s where it ended. In a stroke of twisted genius, Frank Miller takes every chance to hurl "Miller-pies" at every other film genre that was famous during the Spirit's heyday of the 1940s and 50s. Mystery stories, film noir cop dramas, slap stick comedy like "3 stooges, romantic melodramas, ", world war 2 propaganda, cartoons etc. Even Akira Kurosawa's Samurai films and Japanese anime are not spared the satire. Where the comic was a product of its time, this movie is a clever, cheeky amalgam of every other product of that time.

At every turn, this movie defies expectations. For 10 minutes it is a gritty detective story, the next 15 minutes lapses into a tragic melodramatic romance straight out of some soap opera which is followed by the next 10 minutes of the one of the funniest fight scenes reminiscent of some of the best fights between Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd of Looney Toons fame.

Originally i found this to be slightly disjointed a style. That was before i actually read the original Will Eisner comic reprinted by DC. Every 8 pages saw a totally new Spirit story. Like the movie, the original comic seemed just as disjointed. For example you can get 8 pages of the Spirit foiling a terrorist threat followed by 8 pages of his very racist-ly portrayed friend "Ebony White" starting a matchmaking service with some hilarious results, then another 8 pages about some freak-of-nature creature hunting the Spirit. The stories are just THAT RANDOM in the original comic. Can we expect any less randomness from a movie based on that comic?

Even the acting, which many people claimed was "souless" and "machine-like", was no worse than those cheap black and white soap operas. The acting, along with so many other aspects of the film, is also a jibe at the acting in movies of the 1940s and 50s.

Gabriel Macht's Spirt is a perfect opposite of Samuel L Jackson's villain role as The Octopus. I get the feeling the Macht's wooden acting of his role was deliberately done to provide an ever clearer "black and white" separation of the hero and villain. Speaking of the Octopus, Samuel L Jackson hams it up to the max and plays his role with all the gusto of some of the best cartoon villains ever. I could be entertained just by watching only the scenes featuring the Octopus. He is that good and his every line had me trying to stifle what would have otherwise been roaring laughter. The over the top comedy was helped along by Louis Lombardi's "-os"(Logos, pathos, sos, adios etc) named clone henchmen giving the 3 stooges a run for their money.

A few flaws fly about here and there. The first would be Frank Miller's directing style and usage of the camera. He works a camera like how he draws a comic panel. It just cuts from scene to scene like how the eye would move from panel to panel. Very bland and uninteresting. The next would be the production design and the look of this film. So many people have praised the digital backgrounds and the dark stylized atmosphere. Is there anyone else besides me who felt that Frank Miller was just being extremely lazy and basically re-used what he learned from Robert Rodriguez's digital set designs on Sin city and did not bother to come up with something that was his own? Personally i felt that this film would have benefited from a more lighthearted look to go with its "feel". Something more like the Wachowski brothers' Speed Racer.

The Spirit is not a film that people would be impressed by, neither is it one that has mass appeal. And thanks to the very misleading promotional material, people who watch this thinking that it was the next Sin City or 300 or Dark Knight would be sorely disappointed. However i can see "The Spirit" becoming a cult classic maybe 10 years down the road, readily sought after by curious fanboys.

No really. He takes a property that is fun and clever and entertaining, spews his well-worn brand of "dark and gritty" all over it, and proceeds to waste a little over an hour and a half of your life (more if parking was a pain in the rear - as it tends to be during the holiday season).

We'll start off with what's right with this movie.

It's... um... "visually stunning?" Maybe. If you haven't seen "300" or "Sin City" or "Sky Captain" before. (Please note that while two of the three mentioned films are based on his work - there's a good reason they're watchable. You guessed it - he didn't write and/or direct them) And that's about it.

The acting was phoned in - it takes a great director to wring a great performance from actors who are given laughably bad, pseudo-noir lines to puke out and guess what? Frank Miller isn't a great director. He isn't even mediocre. He's just plain bad.

So, what possessed the studio to gamble several millions of dollars when Robocop 2 and 3 should have been all the proof they need that one shouldn't waste more than the cover price of a comic book on this man's dubious talents? I'd like to think it was drugs instead of just plain stupidity, but I somehow doubt it.

There's several good reasons why they waited until Will Eisner was dead before making this. Do yourself a favor, take my word for it, and don't waste your time and money finding out what those reasons are for yourself.

Ultra-Stylistic Noir and Cheesecake Fun, Filmed and Framed like the Comic Book from Will Eisner in High-Artistic Frank Miller Fashion. It is Powerful Imagery with High-Contrast Black and White with Color Touches. Much Like Sin-City (2004) from the Frank Miller Comic, and the Author-Artist was Awarded Co-Director Credit on that Ground-Breaking Movie.

But Folks Expecting the Gruesome Violence and Graphic-Gore that was so Unique in Sin-City may be a bit Disappointed with The Spirit. The Look is the Same but the Tone is Nowhere near as Dark. This One is Played Mostly for Humor, but there is Enough Action and Cool City Stuff that it Holds its Own in its Own Way and is True to the Source Material.

It was a Big Flop and Critics Shredded it Without much Exception. But They were Unduly Harsh and this Movie will be Watchable Years from Now as Pop-Culture Iconic and Artistic Playfulness, whereas a lot of those that get Great Critical Acclaim, and Academy Awards will be Ignored and Dismissed.

Recommended for Fans of the Character, Frank Miller's Style, and for those Searching for Something on the Edge and Atypical of Comic Book Movies in General.

This is Film-Noir Once Removed and Placed in the Hands of Comic Book Artists and Digital Craftsman who have a Respect for and an Admiration for the Genre and the Initial Time Period of the 1940's that had the Vintage Spirit Character and Film-Noir.

WOW! What negative reviews. I'm an old retired guy and am not familiar with the director's other work. Nor am I familiar with this comic book character.

So, I gave The Spirit an "8" simply because I think it is entertaining, creative, good production values, tongue-in-cheek, funny, well-acted and written for what it likely is, a satire on a comic book series. I have seen a few others over the years that just don't hold a candle to it.

I caught this on TV late last night, in English with Spanish subtitles. Perhaps if I went to the theater with expectations on the director's other work, I might have a lower opinion.

But I saw it for free. And there was that babe, Eva Mendes! I wish I were 30 years younger. :-) And I didn't recognize Samuel L. Jackson as the Octopus until they ran the closing credits. He did a great job in an unconventional role for him.

So I think it's worth a shot. Give it around 20 minutes or so on TV: you can always change the channel.

I must say that I was somewhat excited when my friend told me she got us tickets to the premiere of "The Spirit", especially since I've never been to a real premiere. It was an entertaining experience, all except for when the film was rolling.

I liked Sin City a lot, and I thought 300 was intriguingly well made and quite entertaining. Let's just say that compared to 300, "The Spirit" entertains more like Howard the Duck. The entire film seems like a total farce, an unfortunate mockery of Miller's unique style himself. It has been a very long time since I've seen a film with such little (to no) heart, and hardly any soul. I must say that Sarah Paulson gave the greatest performance by far of anyone else, as the Spirit's unconventional doctor. She is the sole source of any feeling or depth in the film. Macht was also at his best in the lead role when sharing scenes with Paulson, otherwise, he barely filled the part. I don't know if that was his fault however, given that the character himself was depicted with very little depth overall. I never read the graphic novel, but I'm going to go ahead and guess that this doesn't do it justice. How can I say that? Because novels build key characters into "people" that you care about, whether you hate them or love them, the characters stimulate your mind on some level or another. This is far from the case in this film. There is very poor development of the characters, which the majority of potential watchers are unfamiliar with. Sam Jackson has unfortunately chosen another terrible role, as the non-intriguing villain, the Octopus. Jackson however does give us some of his crazy wild eyed antics that we've grown to accustomed to, although his character falls flat for the most part, especially considering his opposite on the screen, Scarlett Johansen. It almost seems as if Miller was asleep on the set when her scenes were shot. She's THAT bad in this film, with a deeply sub par android-like performance. Eva Mendes did what she could to somewhat save the film from being a complete and total joke, although it's pretty close to being just that. She plays the bling digging female lead opposite Macht. Now quite possibly the most annoying character(s) ever portrayed on film are the Octopus's cloned henchmen, which were frighteningly reminiscent in annoyance levels of.......... dare i say it... Jar Jar Binks. My four year old nephew would surely find some entertainment value there.

This film ultimately succumbs to its poor writing and direction, which are almost cleverly masked by the signature visual style of Miller, which is hypnotizing at times. Unfortunately, it's hardly hypnotizing enough to mask the true, soulless identity of "The Sprit".

• Crimsonica

It is hard to imagine any movie that would have used The Spirit as the main character and not look ridiculous, so what they did is accept it is ridiculous and go for a totally amazing visual experience and a noir comedy feel, and they succeeded.

I don't know what people disliked in the movie, but my guess is that they wanted it to be a serious thing, something they can relate to, maybe even believe in. Wake up It's a super hero movie! Also, the film is filled with hints and tributes to other superhero works, which I thought was both funny and nice.

Bottom line: a superhero art movie. You may find faults with it, but average or bad this is not. Have a nice relaxing drink and watch this when you are in the mood for some hard worked silliness.

A minor character in this film actually made this movie fun for me. I laughed every time he was on screen, usually as two or three people (twins or clones), although with a different name on the front of his tee-shirt.

At first, I thought it was the last guy to play "Curly" of the Three Stooges. Then, it dawned on me: it was Louis Lombardi, who played "Edgar Stiles" on the TV hit "24." Well, those of you who have seen this film know what I'm talking about. Lombardi's characters will have you either hysterical or thinking "how stupid is this?" I guess you could say the same for much of the film. It seems to be either great or terrible, depending on what scene you're viewing.

"Over-the-top" is a good description of this film. That's not necessarily an insult, as the film is another of these comic-book-come-to-life films that are supposed to be wild-looking stories and visuals. To me, the visuals were a real treat, but I expected that bold black-and-white "Sin City" look. It didn't disappoint in that area.

The characters in the film are all - repeat "all" - over-the-top, but that creates a lot of fun. You can't take one scene here seriously.

Gabriel Macht as the main character, "The Spirit," was so-so, at best. He neither was dynamic (which he could have easily been) nor was he annoying. He's a good guy with good principles, but he's bland. How he got this role, I don't understand. If they want a wooden actor, they could have hired Keanu Reeves.

Dan Gerrity, as "Lt. Sussman," is a typical Frank Miller character: tough-noir-like, profane, with gravel voice and always mad, always yelling. (Miller is the artist and thinker behind some of these dark comic books which are being made into films of late.)

Samuel Jackson plays his normal over-the-top character. It's amazing an actor of his ability plays so many wacky characters, a la Johnny Depp or Christopher Walken. Eva Mendes is getting typecast in these kind of movies, playing the sleazy-looking-and-talking violent woman while Scarlett Johansson just keeps attempting to self-destruct her career with small and stupid roles.

Whatever, it's not easy to stay with the story; something is missing - maybe caring more for the characters, or a story that's a little too rough and disjointed in spots for mainstream audiences. Maybe it's the hero's inspiration. He says does what he does because he "loves the city," loves the grime, dirt and buildings. It's tough to warm up to that.

All-in-all, it's pretty good entertainment, especially if you are into great-looking visuals, but it does a poor job in getting the audience involved and caring about the characters. You have to have that in "superhero" film.

I honestly thought he would treat this much-loved and admired classic with some respect. Guess I'm naive. It certainly looks gorgeous, but that's almost regrettable in a film that's otherwise so utterly, grindingly, gone-to-hell stupid. Awful performances (except by Gabriel Macht as Our Hero, who looks great with his wide earnest eyes and buff physique, and handles the lines about his love for the city with fine, tough conviction), jaw-droppingly overdone dialogue, what seems like hours of totally unnecessary comic material ...man, it's just dreadful, and a great disappointment to me. If I ever buy the DVD I'll only watch it with the sound turned off.

Poor Will Eisner must be spinning in his grave tonight.

Movies based on comic book characters have invaded theaters like a fleet of ships nowadays. The main protagonists of the four-color opuses either have super powers and/or cool gadgets. The title hero of the quirky, over-the-top but romantic "The Spirit", has none, but that's doesn't make him uninteresting, especially in the surprisingly competent, script/directorial hands of Frank Miller, the Sam Peckinpah of the comic book industry.

Based on the 1940s comic strip created by the late Will Eisner, the master of sequential illustration and an influence/friend of Mr. Miller's, Central City cop Denny Colt (adept, GQ model-like Gabriel Macht) is killed in action. He doesn't stay dead for long when he leaves his grave and offers his death-cheating advantage, by being a "super cop", to top magistrate Dolan ("The Wonder Years" alum Dan Lauria). The reason of this resurrection isn't so good; Colt's the guinea pig of egomaniacal mobster The Octopus (Oscar nominee Samuel L. Jackson, who's a ball of fun here), who's also immortal, but wants bona fide, magical immortality by getting a vase containing the blood of demi-god Hercules. A screw up occurs, involving international jewel thief/black widow assassin Sand Saref (sexy Eva Mendes of "Training Day"), an old childhood girlfriend of Colt's. Guns are drawn; knives are thrown and sexual pheromones creep in the cold air of the metropolis.

If you find this film a Batman rip-off, you're so laughable to feel that way ( Eisner went to Dewitt Clinton High School, Bronx, NY with Batman framer Bob Kane) and if you think Mr. Miller should stick to comic books, you're certifiable (He could balance both film and comic books, if need be).

After co-directing the cine-translation of own crime saga, "Sin City" with Robert Rodriguez (the Spy Kids and El Mariachi sagas; "Planet Terror") and producing the adaptation of his take of the Thermopylae battle, "300" by Zack Snyder ("Watchmen"), Miller proves to be up to the task of helming a film featuring a mentor's signature character, whose own obscurity is enough to reason why Mr. Miller handled the film. I ask hard-core fanboys who demean Miller's treatment: who else could have direct it? Spielberg? Santa Claus? The Easter Bunny? The Tooth Fairy? Martians? Sure, there's the over-the top moments where Jackson's dressed as a samurai and a Nazi, and when Jackson clobbers Macht with a toilet (!), but if you've read Miller's work, you know what to expect: darkness mixed with madcap humor. If you don't, this is a fantasy world. Accept it or don't.

Miller uses what he's learned from Rodriquez here and uses it well. The mix-match of cornball movie dialogue (Miller's a film noir fan, as long as a lover of the Warner Bros's animated Looney Tunes shorts), vintage fashion and modern technology playfully echoes "Batman: The Aninated Series", and the use of digital background and minimal sets gives the film an avant-garde, stage play atmosphere.

Game are the actors. A second fiddle in films like "Behind Enemy Lines" and "Because I Said So", Mr. Macht resurrects the late Cary Grant and Chris Reeve (the latter watched the former in "Bringing Up Baby" in order to play Clark Kent in the "Superman" films, and Mr. Eisner used the former as a model to create his hero) with his valiant yet skirt-chasing persona while Jackson, a Miller fan, redeems his absence from "Sin City" by matching dire villainy with Macht's classic heroism.

Like Denny, it's hard to choose a favorite among the ladies: vixen Saref (Ms. Mendes should play assassin Mariah, if "Sin City: Hell and Back" is cine-adapted); the Octopus's brainy, sexy gun moll Silken Floss (Woody Allen stable actress Scarlett Johansson); Dolan's daughter/Florence Nightingale doc Ellen (Sarah Paulson of "Studio 60" and "The Notorious Bettie Page"), chipper rookie cop Morgenstern (Stana Katic of the crime drama TV series "Castle"); dancing torturer Plaster of Paris (Paz Vega of "Spanglish") or death goddess Lorelei ("City" alum Jamie King). It's a harem, people!

Mr. Lauria's bulldog, Ernest Borgnine-like demeanor is tough, familiar and likable while Louis Lombardi ("24") is a hoot as multiple "Smiley Goon" clones the Octopus mass produces. They probably share borderline Down's Syndrome, along with looks.

Mr. Miller makes a cameo as a cop who gets decapitated, his fourth "cine-death". First blown up in a drug lab in "Robocop 2" (which Miller co-penned and later demeaned), then cerebrally knifed by Bullseye in the film version of "Daredevil" (which he reinvigorated), next shot by Marv in "City" and now this…I should say, "Oh my God! They killed Frank Miller! You bastards!" Look out for comic book historical references.

What's also interesting is the exclusion of the Spirit's sidekick, young cabbie Ebony White. According to Miller, he didn't want to put a child in an adult world. I figured he didn't know how to modernize a racially stereotypical character, which Mr. Eisner later apologized for creating, and that's probably for the best.

In a recent Q and A, Miller joked if Eisner, who died in 2005, knew he was the Spirit's custodian, he would have beaten him up. If I were Eisner, I'd give Miller a big hug for making a shamelessly fun film, better than the cheesy "Sheena", based on another character co- created by him (with Jerry Iger). Eisner was wise to not have his name attached to it, but if he were alive, he wouldn't mind being name-attached to "The Spirit". It's in reliable hands.

"His soul stretched tight across the skies/ That fade behind a city block . . .' T. S. Eliot, Preludes

Because writer Frank Miller knows a bit about comic books, his solo directorial debut (He co-directed Sin City with Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino) is a feast of comic book campy dialog, outrageously curvaceous women, and a reborn hero, Spirit, whose abs compete very nicely, thank you, with those women's notable parts. It's all about the mythological struggle of good and evil with visual delights and a bunch of bright dialog.

Denny Colt (Gabriel Macht) is a former cop, recently dead, come back as Spirit, an avenger trolling the city for the very alive bad guys, especially Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson), who kills indiscriminately, especially those who dare to look at his face (As he hits Spirit over the head, he says, "Come on! Toilets are always funny!"). Mostly his plan to wipe out the city holds Spirit's attention.

Spirit's voice-over narration about the city may not be T. S. Eliot, but it has poetry about it as Spirit extols the city's feminine qualities that make it his girl. Well, that's a bit of a stretch because Spirit spends a good deal of time seducing most of the skirts he meets with a special eye for childhood sweetheart Sand Saref (Eva Mendes), now a notorious global jewel thief and implicated in murders in Spirit's own Central City:

The Spirit: "There probably isn't a law in the books that you wouldn't break." Sand Saref: "Do I look like a good girl?"

The comparisons with Sin City are inevitable but not difficult because Miller seems to be approaching Spirit as visually more stylized and plot less complicated. Even the narration and dialog are minimized and more exaggerated, but to good effect.

Spirit is one of the best movies of the year: an imaginative take on a comic book character that visually stuns and verbally amuses.

Can't ask for more than that this Oscar year.

Normally the critics seem to make some sense on their reviews of movies, but this one is extremely underrated. Horrible critical reception and not such a great start at the box office might make people believe that this is just an awful movie, but it really isn't. It's a corny, almost spoof of superhero films, filmed in the style of Sin City, by Sin City creator Frank Miller. As long as you don't take this movie too seriously (Why would you?), this can be a very entertaining movie-going experience.

Denny Colt (Gabriel Macht) was a police officer killed in the line of duty, but now he's back, but not as a cop. He's a nearly indestructible hero known as The Spirit, and he's here to protect Central City, especially from his arch-enemy, The Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson). The Octopus has a fiendish plan to become immortal, and with the help of the evil Silken Floss (Scarlett Johanssen), and a bunch of bumbling clones (Louis Lomabardi), he just might get his way. To round off the plot, we have a former love interest to The Spirit, Sand Saref (Eva Mendes). She is now a jewel thief, but can the Spirit put her behind bars, and can she somehow connect to the other plots in a coherent manner? Tune in to find out!

The main negative of the film was the direction. It was sometimes a cartoon, sometimes normal looking, sometimes crazy backgrounds, and it never knew what it wanted to be. Obviously this is a style that Frank Miller enjoys, but it's too inconsistent. The script was pretty lazy too, but it was more bearable during bad lines than most. The whole movie felt like a superhero spoof movie, so the corny lines were humorous.

The acting was pretty good. Gabriel Macht seemed to be doing a Michael Keaton Batman impression, and Samuel L. Jackson is always good, and he played an out there, but fun villain. Scarlett Johanssen plays a good sidekick to Samuel L. Jackson, and Louis Lombardi is the best character in the movie. He plays numerous smiling clones, and produces most of the genuine laughs. Eva Mendes gives a typical performance, and seems to be there for eye candy, but she does a decent job too.

Overall, this is one of the dumbest and goofiest movies of the year. But at the same time, this is just an entertaining near spoof of superhero movies, and is not meant to be taken seriously. How could a movie where the main protagonist's wardrobe is the exact same as the Hamburgler's be taken seriously?

My rating: *** out of ****. 95 mins. PG-13 for violence.

Spirit was marketed to be the next Sin City or 300 which makes you think of hardcore action not quirky humor or PG-13

What most people hate about this movie I found awesome

Yes, one liners were cheesy. Yes, Samuel Jackson is in every movie ever. Yes, the acting was over the top. Yes, the film looks like Sin City. Yes, I loved this movie. Its so bad, its good. The one liners, the acting, and the style all made it feel like the comic strip.

The plot was a little thin but they had the back story catchup so you still get the whole movie experience.

The only major downfall I see to this movie is the PG-13 but thats why the DVD will be amazing.

You will know if you love/hate this film within the first 10 minutes so go see it and if you hate it, walk out fast so you get your money back.

Frank Miller does it again, this time with Will Eisner's "The Spirit". Possibly the best comic adaptation in years, easily surpassing Christopher Nolan's Batman tales, we have the story of Denny Colt, a dead and resurrected hero for the city of Central City. He faces off against the Octopus (Sam Jackson's best role since "Pulp Fiction") and his goons. But death isn't willing to let him go on living forever...

Following in the visual tradition of "Sin City", this movie combines action, mystery, humor and romance. You can't tell whether to take it seriously or not... sometimes one scene will blend both effortlessly. The Octopus is so outlandish, yet the noir setting gives the film a grim and gritty appeal. I suppose noir and humor blend well (see "Dick Tracy"), but I've never seen it blend as smoothly as this.

And we mustn't forget the ladies. Scarlett Johannson is looking her finest, and Eva Mendes will excite her male fans. They play great roles -- Johannson especially -- but they aren't afraid to use their sex appeal, either.

I liked "Sin City", but "The Spirit" took that look and cranked it up another few notches. Black, white and red are such strong colors... and they are what look best on the Spirit (he had to have his trademark red tie). Add in some risqué themes -- Nazism, cat cruelty -- and you have a film that was sadly overlooked but will go down as one of the better comic adaptations of its day.

Big fan of Sin City, big fan of 300, bigger fan of Watchmen. The Spirit was sadly a big let down for me. The visuals and art direction were amazing, strong cinematography, very "Roger Rabbity" sorta feel with the rotoscoping of some scenes, his tie, shoes, backdrops etc. The script was supposed to have this sorta old school Raymond Chandler sorta film noir sorta feel to it and it just didn't hit it.

Cheesy liners, a lot of the acting felt as if it was rushed, and some of the scenes were just very...awkward and boring to say the least. I went to a 10pm showing of it tonight and there was only about 20people in the theater. Halfway through everyone except me and my company left to "get their money back." Blah, hope Watchmen isn't as much of a let down :/ Totally not worth the 10bucks a ticket unless your a die hard DC fan and have actually read the Spirit comics, if not then its kidna not worth seeing, unless your friend has it on DVD and your high and need a good movie to pass out to.

Also does anyone else find that whenever they watch a movie with Samuel Jackson in it now, ever since Snakes on a Plane you just cant friggen take him seriously anymore? Its like every time he says a line or has some sorta goofy quote I just laugh in my head. ARG okay peace

This movie faces a storm of bad reviews from people who expected a second sin city. in stylization and direction, it was, but with one key difference. it was just as absurdly over the top and ridiculously unbelievable as every other comic book to movie i have seen, except this movie had the guts to knowledge exactly how plain stupid it was.

This movie is a farce. straight and true. Frank Miller is basically poking fun at his work on Sin City, and the viewer must understand that everything about this movie is over the top. if your looking for a second Shawshank Redemption, something based off a comic is not the best place to look. however if you watch this movie merely to be entertained and laugh you ass off, this is a good movie to choose.

In the end, you have to watch this movie wanting and willing to be entertained, and not like Siskel and Ebert. get some friends, rent this movie, make some popcorn, have a good time. but for gods sake don't take this movie any more seriously than it does itself.