Merrick here...


Ms. H got a look at Frank Miller's SPIRIT adaptation, which hits theaters on Christmas Day. Hearing some lackluster word on this one - Ms. H's message pretty much supports those assessments.

ANd, yes, I know the blue highlight box around the review is ginormous...can't seem to shrink it down for some reason.

Saw The Spirit and thought I'd give you some feedback.

It's been a while since I've been so ambivalent about a film. I loved Sin City - the whole look/feel/atmosphere so I was extremely excited when the lights dimmed and The Spirit started.

Damn.

Some of the dialogue is apalling - I don't know if it's Macht's delivery but within the first few minutes I was cringing in my seat.

OK, I said to myself, relax, it looks quite atmospheric - the bad guy is causing havoc and our intrepdid hero will go to the rescue. Until The Spirit started running/jumping from building to building.

OK, OK, I know the guy has risen from the dead and has unique abilities but the effects were plain sloppy. When you see the sequence you'll know what I'm talking about. Macht is very nice eye candy (ladies, he takes off his shirt a few times and let's just say - wrooorwwww) But I digress.

Samuel chews the scenery as Octopus - I don't know yet if it's in a good way or a bad way. At least it looks as if he enjoyed himself, especially when strutting around in a Nazi uniform.

Eva Mendes vamps her way through the film (at least a Hollywood star who has curves and doesn't look like a lollipop), and the same goes for Scarlett who plays a henchperson of the bad guy.

SPOILERS

She's supposed to be brainy etc etc but cat lovers turn your head since she ends up doing a horrible experiment on a little kitten which ends up as mush ... with eyeballs being the only part left, slowly rolling in the drain.

Octopus has cloned henchmen who are seemingly indestructible and extremely jolly all the time, despite getting shot/impaled/disposed of by The Spirit and one of them getting driven over by a touchy Scarlett - you get the picture.

Through some weird experiment one gets 'remade' as a foot with a head on top of it. I kid you not. And the darn thing keeps jumping up and down on the table in front of a rather bemused Octopus going 'wheeeee' until it falls into a blender and ends up as a vampire smoothy.

SPOILERS END

I must confess I don't know the graphic novels so I cannot compare the film to them. The Spirit has to deal with the siren call of Lorelei who wants him to cross over into the next world (that's the impression I get - not sure if it's the same in the novels), as well as the women he seduces in this world.

Final impressions: some elements of the film I really liked, but equally, there were other things which made me want to slap someone for having wasted the opportunity with bad, bad dialogue, sloppy effects and a general blahness in the character. I honestly don't know what the reaction of fans of the graphic novels will be so,
rather judge for yourself.

If you use this, call me Ms H.