‘The Spirit’ is both Campy and Cool
-----Based off Will Eisner’s groundbreaking comic, ‘The Spirit’ looked quite promising. With a visual style almost identical to that of ‘Sin City,’ many wondered if it wouldn’t just be a knockoff. Frank Miller wrote and directed this film, much like he did with ‘Sin City’ where he wrote and co-directed so it’s no wonder assumptions were made. Ultimately, it takes from a lot of things but still manages to be a fun popcorn flick.
-----The film starts with mysterious masked crusader the Spirit (Gabriel Macht) fighting crime around Central City. He then comes into a confrontation with archenemy ‘the Octopus’ (Samuel L. Jackson). Throughout the two hour run time we find out about the past of our hero, his beef with the Octopus, and his uncanny affinity with women. The end product is agreeably campy, but also pretty fun. Think James Bond meets Sin City meets Moby Dick and you’ve got ‘The Spirit.’
-----Macht plays a classic, noir style hero with a real knack for telling women what they want to hear. Jackson is his usual outrageous and fun villain archetype as the Octopus. However, much of the film’s attention focuses on the female leads more than the protagonist and antagonist alike. Each of the actresses manages to portray a certain tone, each one meaning something specifically different to our hero. Jaime King plays love interest to our hero, providing medical help to the often wounded combatant, always desperate to spend time with him. Eva Mendes plays old flame turned criminal Sand Saref, and Scarlett Johansson rounds out the trio as the Octopus' dedicated Hench…woman? You’ll notice that two of the three above have the Spirit in their hearts, with the third prone to join the club given a little charm.
-----‘The Spirit’ is pretty weird. The plot is everywhere, the action outrageous, the star a womanizer, and yet the whole thing was a lot of fun. The story is odd, the landscape always dark and snowy, and the cinematography has a lot of fun catching the comic book feel that I loved in ‘Sin City.’ The musical score is that of your 30s noir flick, with some contemporary nods. The pacing is at times fast and occasionally a bit slower. Though the humor consistently falls flat, it also works well on occasion, while never hampering the movie for me.
-----The bottom line is if you can go into this movie, preconceptions aside, I think you’ll have a rather enjoyable time. It’s bizarre and original, the cast all seems to be having a great time playing with lines and character dilemmas, and the action entertains in a sort of campy, exaggerated matter. While it may not have been the comic masterpiece I hoped for, and though I wasn’t prepared for the overall tone of the film, I liked it quite a bit. Give it a chance, don’t be quick to judge, and I think you’ll be able to have a fun movie going experience with ‘The Spirit.’
