Among the comic book faithful, Will Eisner is
practically a messiah—and perhaps rightfully so. As creator of
The Spirit, Eisner laid the groundwork for nearly all of what’s
considered to be the modern comic form, from innovative graphic design
to serialized storytelling. However, while fun enough for a cursory
flip-though, the classic Spirit comics just don’t have much to
offer the modern casual comic reader—and, as it turns out,
neither does Frank Miller’s film version.
Though most famous for his noirish reinterpretation of the Batman
mythos with the comic The Dark Knight Returns, Miller also wrote
the comic, adapted the screenplay, and co-directed Sin
City—a film that was a hard-boiled hoot, thanks in part to
co-director Robert Rodriguez’s unique black and white/color splattered
cinematography. With The Spirit, director Miller borrows a lot
from Sin City‘s style and tone, with wildly uninteresting
results.
The setup: When slain cop Denny Colt (Gabriel Macht) is injected
with a mysterious serum, it not only brings him back to life, but also
renders him virtually impossible to kill. Shedding his previous
identity, Colt becomes The Spirit, and devotes his “life” to his city,
and in particular, crime busting. Along the way, he fights his
arch-nemesis The Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson) and tongue-wrestles a bevy
of hot chicks (including Sarah Paulson, Eva Mendes, Paz Vega, and
Scarlett Johansson, in her most community theater-worthy role yet).
Aaaaand… that’s about it.
Despite all the visual flash and bang, The Spirit is a
bonafide snooze. It’s boring from minute one, and even set pieces like
Samuel L. Jackson goose-stepping around in a Nazi uniform confuse more
than entertain. While most of the acting is serviceable—ScarJo
notwithstanding—the script unsuccessfully attempts to balance
noir and whimsy on top of heavy-handed cliché… so is it any
real surprise the whole mess comes tumbling down?
