Comic book films are really a genre that brings about tons of money these days and it really is a no-brainer for filmmakers to simply looks through the history of comic books and bring them to life. We’ve seen the Caped Crusader, the Man of Steel, the Amazing Web-Slinger, and a band of rebellious Mutants come at us in real life on the big screen making us stare in awe and other times left scratching our heads in confusion. The stories basically write themselves – or more so are already written for the theatre because of all the material given in the comic books themselves. It just takes the right actors, right director, and a good visual eye to make a given gem succeed in a different medium. Too bad that doesn’t always pan out and most of the time the books are better then the movies.
Central City is a dark and bleak place that is full of nothing but bad people and crime filling the streets. The police can’t do anything because all that happens is that they either turn corrupt or the ones that want to help end up dead just like Denny Colt. Colt was gunned down and left to die in a pool of his own blood but somehow he managed to survive. Instead of strictly plotting for revenge against those that wronged him, Colt dons an outfit of all black, a red tied, black hat, and red tennis shoes to be come the invisible (?) guardian for all of Central City. Denny Colt is no more for now he will simply be known as the vigilante of justice, The Spirit.
Stepping into the spotlight as a vindictive crime boss and arch-enemy of The Spirit is The Octopus who is doing all he can to become an immortal giant in the world of evil. He is joined by his seductive and beautiful partner Silken Floss that looks to gain control of all she can with The Octopus. Little do they know that The Spirit’s long-lost love Sand Saref is searching for the one thing in the world that The Octopus and Floss have gained control of, and oddly enough she has something that they also cherish. Meanwhile The Spirit is out to make sure Central City turns back into a great place to live for all the people and he needs to do it fast because his second chance is quickly running out.
I’m one of those people that is rather fond of comic book films, but this one just doesn’t sit right with me by a long shot. First of all is the story which has way too damn much going on. Don’t get me wrong here, because when everyone shown in a film is connected to others it sort of makes sense because then you get one continuing storyline without venturing off into fifty different subplots. See: Smokin’ Aces which had a ton of different people in it, but they were all set on one common goal. The Spirit introduces a bunch of characters that are all connected in one way or another, but each of them is after a different big finish and it makes you wonder what you should really end up paying attention to. It’s not confusing which is a good thing, but it’s bothersome and annoying.
Something else that didn’t necessarily bug me, but kind of shocked me is the pure comedy attempts thrown into the film. Yes, I said comedy. Now “The Spirit” is not a comic book or comic strip that I ever had the privilege of reading because it came out long before my time and comic books were a part-time hobby for me as a kid. But comedy (some quite dark) is now what was to be expected when this Blu-ray arrived in my mail or even by simply checking out the trailer. Some of the things done by The Octopus are just downright absurd and it’s almost as if he is trying to be some sort of second-rate Joke. Hell, all you have to do is check out the scene where The Octopus and Floss are dressed as Nazis and interrogating The Spirit as he is tied to a chair. And it’s not like it is an in the blink of an eye type scene either because it goes on for quite a while. The entire film is filled with strange occurrences like that one which never seem to fit in or make much sense.
Frank Miller’s The Spirit is shown in 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen and comes through perfectly with a comic book world that is transferred to Blu-ray disc so flawlessly.
The film is heard in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and it comes through really well. Dialogue is heard clearly and never overpowered by the strength-laden musical score or sound effects coming from around the room. Well done.
Green World – This is your “making of” featurette folks and it is not one of the basic looks by a long shot. The world of The Spirit pretty much had to be designed from scratch and using nothing but technological advances so there is a lot to behold here and it’s well worth checking out. (22:53)
Miller On Miller – A look throughout action guru Frank Miller’s career. It’s interesting to see all he has gone through and done, but it feels a bit rushed. (15:57)
Alternate Storyboard Ending – The storyboards and rough drawings do a good job still of depicting this alternate ending which gives a different look to how things happen to the Octopus. I kind of like this ending a bit more and think if it had been filmed, then there’s no way they could have left it out in good conscience.
Audio Commentary – Frank Miller sits with producer Deborah Del Prete for a commentary track that does nothing but praise the hell out of the film. It is obvious how much they loved making it and how pleased they are with the finished product. Every now and then they’ll give forth some information regarding things that didn’t make it into the final cut or from on the set, but a lot of the discussion is mostly talking about what is happening on screen and how it came about.
Theatrical Trailer
History Repeats – From what I know, this feature is a Blu-ray exclusive. Historians, comic book experts, producers, and others talk about the Spirit and where he originated from. Plenty of specs and images from the comic books are shown discussing his origins, where he got his look from, and even the sexual peak that the Spirit achieved back in the day. (15:27)
MoLog – A Movie Blog connected directly with Lionsgate Live for more information and behind the scenes stuff.
Digital Copy – Bring it with you everyone.
Trailers – Crank 2: High Voltage, Terminator 2: Judgment Day Skynet Edition on Blu-ray, The Transporter 3, Bangkok Dangerous, and Hulk Vs.
Around Christmas time, I was all sorts of excited for The Spirit because Frank Miller brought us great films like 300 and Sin City and not to mention the fact that The Spirit just looked awesome in the trailers. But now it is realized just how incredibly deceiving those trailers were because the film jets off down different paths and shows only a small portion of the nuttiness that you’ll see in the finished film. No matter though because there is bound to be a number of fans and non-fans alike out there that will still enjoy every single thing that Miller releases. I on the other hand wasn’t pleased with this most recent showing. The special features are somewhat decent but nowhere near good enough to merit picking up a copy of this Blu-ray for your very own. It’s a two-disc set but as we all should know by now, the second disc is nothing more than the digital copy as usual. If you liked Sin City then maybe give this one a rental sometime, but by the time all is said and done, I’m willing to bet that you still like Sin City but don’t like The Spirit. Even though he does have some snazzy fashion sense.
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Lionsgate presents The Spirit. Directed by: Frank Miller. Starring: Gabriel Macht, Eva Mendes, Sarah Paulson, Dan Lauria, Paz Vega, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson. Written by: Will Eisner & Frank Miller. Running time: 108 minutes. Rating: PG-13. Released on DVD: April 14, 2009. Available at Amazon.com
