Based on the classic comic strip by Will Eisner, the movie follows former cop Denny Colt who finds himself resurrected from death, replete with extraordinary self-healing powers. He becomes a masked hero called “The Spirit.”

CRITIQUE

It makes me cringe to have just written the above sentence. “Based on” barely describes what the writer/director has done with Eisner's masterpiece. And that filmmaker is none other than Frank Miller, himself even more famous than Eisner for award-winning comic book work on Daredevil, The Dark Knight, Sin City and 300. But I digress...

When reprints of the The Spirit (originally a newspaper strip; 1941 - 1952) hit the newsstands in 1974 as a B&W magazine, it was an eye-opening experience for a second generation of comic book readers.* Long considered one of the most important figures in comic history, Eisner brought to the form a highly cinematic approach that remained a revolutionary concept well through the 60s when his work began to influence contemporary artists (none more so than Miller).

As The Spirit's creator Eisner also wrote the stories, combining noir-ish elements (crime, femme fatales, outré murders, Byzantine plots et al) with whimsical humor — part sardonic, part slapstick and all of it wholly unique to the medium. This observation is most important because it spells out precisely why The Spirit never should've been translated to film in the first place. By anyone; let alone Frank Miller, whose entire career is dependent on his mentor's groundbreaking accomplishments. Eisner knew full well that this delicately balanced confection could only be achieved — and appreciated — in the medium where it was born.

Clearly Miller nabbed the job because of his close involvement with two cinematic adaptations of his own work: Sin City and 300. Both films (directed by Robert Rodriguez and Zack Snyder respectively) remained slavishly faithful to the printed material through the use of highly stylized cinematography and CGI sets. This “real” comic book approach struck a chord with audiences, (ka-ching!). Much to the consternation of experienced directors, Miller found himself rocketing to the front offices of nearly every studio in Hollywood. Blinded by profits from both the recent past and potential future, executives tripped over themselves to offer a budding filmmaker the Holy Grail: total autonomy and final cut.

In this case it was like handing a loaded gun to a baby.

Make that a whole cache of live weaponry.  Miller screwed up The Spirit like nobody's business. Royally. There isn't a frame of genuine emotion in the film. In fact there isn't a frame of genuine anything at all! Like 300 and Sin City, he opted for the starkly contrasted CGI approach. It’s a valid technique, yes — but to the exclusion of plot, character, charm or even basic filmmaking skills? Hardly.

The Spirit [movie] is positively mummified... a dry, desiccated corpse whose very existence puts Miller's mental health in question. Temporary insanity is the only excuse one can imagine for Miller's hubris and betrayal, which dishonors both his mentor and the art form in which they both achieved acclaim.

To illustrate this point, look no further than a scene with Sand Serif (Eve Mendes). While castigating a minor character she sits on the photocopy machine, hits the button and says “You're making a perfect ass of yourself... a perfect ass.” And then presents the guy with her Xeroxed derriere. Horrible pun aside, Mendes' “on the nose” line reading sounds even more disingenuous than it reads on paper. (If that's even possible.) Now, imagine 108 more minutes of such tripe — and worse. Miller's prose isn't just purple, it's positively bruised. (Another gem: “Shut up and bleed.”)

Thus far, there hasn't been a description of plot. What exists is entirely beside the point. Take a few loose threads from Eisner's comic, drape it in faux-Batman; subtract the iconic symbolism... the psychological angle... or the cool accessories. What's left is your basic good guy vs. bad guy running around in decrepit warehouses, rank sewers or any location that might justify Miller's main concern: the placement of long shadows in the background. Lathered with first-person narration, The Spirit repeatedly intones “she's my city and I protect her” type of lines ad nauseum. Other characters speak directly to the audience. Clichés piled on clichés until the whole thing resembles a pile of Mickey Spillane's hardboiled turds. Then it collapses upon itself. And that's just Act One.

If nothing else, The Spirit brings camp performances to a new low. As the villainous Octopus, Samuel L. Jackson's role is an impossible role to be sure... laden with bizarre, unexplained obsessions: eggs, Nazi regalia, botched cloning experiments, etc. During one fight (which occurs in a swamp), Octopus conks The Spirit on the head with a porcelain potty, shouting, “Toilets are funny!” Uh-huh. The aforementioned Ms. Mendes slinks around like Mata Hari on Ecstasy while Scarlett Johansson just stares like a deer caught in the headlights.

In fact, only Gabriel Macht remains relatively unscathed; he looks the part and almost seems to believe in his simplistic character. Of course Miller undermines this effort by tacking a phony gleam on his smile. (It didn't work for Ron Ely as Doc Savage, either.) Why Miller chose to go the kitsch route — just when comic book films like Watchmen are gaining legitimate popular acceptance — is a real conundrum. Perhaps Miller just wants to rock the boat for the hell of it. Unfortunately, he fell out of the canoe.

Revealing that the universe is occasionally a fair place, Will Eisner passed away before The Spirit movie was on Miller's radar.

*BTW – The Spirit newspaper comic strips are now available in hardcover/color from DC Archives, and well worth looking into.

THE VIDEO

The Spirit is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. Like Sin City and 300, The Spirit's visual palette is often breathtaking, though confusing. The story occurs in a netherworld set in 1930's Warner Bros. New York City backlot, the characters wear 40s-era clothes and read 50s magazines all the while co-existing with future technology (human cloning). As an achievement in cinematography (of the principal actors) and green screen composition (everything else) it's one of the best-looking films of the year. All in service of naught.

THE AUDIO

The Spirit is presented in English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround. Dialogue is clear and sound effects are effectively placed throughout the soundfield. David Newman's first super-hero score since The Phantom in 1996, The Spirit score is an eclectic mix (commissioned by Miller) to sound like “40s jazz, iconic heroic music, and even a touch of the spaghetti western." Which it does. Take that for what it's worth. Optional subtitles include English and Spanish.

THE EXTRAS

Disc One:

Green World: A featurette on the usual green screen stuff that everyone has seen by now.

Alternate Storyboard Ending with voiceover by Gabriel Macht and Samuel L. Jackson (a.k.a., “you can't polish a turd.”)

Audio Commentary with Director Frank Miller and Producer Deboran Del Prete: Pretentious twaddle, but mere kid's stuff compared to:

Miller on Miller: “The crudest possible way to describe my career is that I've been led by my dick.” This is how Miller chooses to engage viewers with his opening line. Not even bothering to explain the statement, he launches into a meandering diatribe about the history of comic books; or more precisely his perception of such. His bloated ego has been marinating in so much praise since the mid-80s that Miller has come to believe his own legend. This interview is downright embarrassing. Miller makes silly observations about working on comics (“inking is sexy,” “I don't believe in mistakes”) and noir films (“They used film to tell stories in a way that didn't flood you with color.”) Again, I must regress to my statement that Miller is temporarily unhinged. I wish him well and hope for his imminent recovery.

Theatrical Trailer: The film’s trailer as seen in theaters.

Disc Two:

A Digital Copy of the Feature Film available for download to your computer or portable media.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Upon its theatrical debut one generous critic called The Spirit a “late-term abortion.” If for nothing else, I can appreciate the movie's ability to elicit a comment like that. Worthless, except for masochistic comic book fans with zero aesthetics.