Transplant Comics

The Spirit

So, despite the awful reviews it’s been getting everywhere, I went to see The Spirit last night, partly out of morbid curiosity… could it really be that bad?

Well, no, not really.

But…

It is a mess.

Let’s take it point by point.

1. Visually – obviously a beat was missed here. For me, one of the best things about the comic was Eisener’s use of colour. That’s all gone in favour of the Sin City style high contrast antics of Robert Rodriguez… which leaves this film feeling like Miller is ripping off a film he has written but not directed. And that sums it up really, the film’s look feels borrowed, as opposed to a direct rip off, like a superhero who has put the wrong costume on by accident…
2. Costumes – There are some nice touches, the CGI tie being my favourite. However, it does look as if Samuel L Jackson has been given access to a dressing up box. Sometimes it works , sometimes it doesn’t – there’s no logic or design to how these costumes really relate to the scenes in general and seem to be more of a visual gimmick than any form of characterisation.
3. Characterisation – Without exception, every character is as two dimensional as an illustration. I don’t see a problem with this as such… some films are just not deep character studies. However, this one, with its noir-ish voice-over and continuing exposition, thinks it is… the end result is some really corny voice over work that could have just been cut and some very clumsy dialogue.
4. Voice over and dialogue – I get it, The spirit is supposed to be the spirit of the city… I do not need telling this every five minutes, at the start of the film, in the middle of the film and at the end of the film. And, as a rule, if you have to rely and that much exposition and flashbacks, your script isn’t good enough.

However, despite of all of this, lay a romp that provided an antidote for a season of comic-book-based films that have taken themselves far too seriously. With the possible exception of Iron Man, there seems to be a trend for making what are essentially men dressed up in costumes gritty protagonists of angst ridden crises. At least The Spirit is honest in that respect, realising that comic-book superheroes are vain (the whole thing about him constantly worrying about his hat) and silly and overtly camp.