Movie Review: ‘The Spirit”
In the past, the holiday season is a time for at least one big box office hit, and while the period between 2001 and 2005 may have been taken over by Peter Jackson’s army of Orcs and giant gorillas, the pattern has been consistent. This year, however, you shouldn’t expect to be blown away, or even spend the money on admission with an adaptation of a literary or Hollywood classic, as Frank Miller and his motley crew try to pass off a remake of Will Eisner’s classic “middle-class crime fighter” comic. The film, as a whole, makes very little sense and will bring mostly heartache to fans of the source material, and on an original level, the movie jumps around both in mood, story, and even dialogue so much that it makes it feel like you’ve been watching [[[Sin City]]] fan film for over 90 minutes.
The movie should have simply been called a faux sequel to Sin City, because that is what it felt like. Gravely voices, over-the-top villains, and women in leather should just be what was written on the poster for this film, because those elements just about sum up what to expect. There are a few twists and turns, mostly in the tone of the film and how it jumps from a high-paced action film to a slapstick comedy around every turn. The inconsistency alone is enough to deter most of the audience, let alone the campy dialogue or ridiculous plot devices that would have Eisner spinning in the grave.
Those who were/are a fan of Eisner’s original story or even the later retellings know the basic story behind the hero: Denny Colt, a middle-class rookie cop in Central City is presumed killed, but actually goes into suspended animation, only to come back and create the identity of The Spirit, a man who is able to fight crime in a way local cops can’t, all while wearing a blue suit, red tie, domino mask, and a fedora. [[[The Spirit]]] never had super powers, but still had the same mystery as rival character Batman to the in-book villains. This new representation has The Spirit as a man who was killed, and brought back to life by a serum that gave him super powers, allowing him to recover from fatal wounds quickly and run across telephone lines. He now must take down The Octopus, his archrival who mysteriously has the same powers as our red-tied hero.
No sooner did Buck Rogers get optioned for a feature film this summer than the 
Frank Miller and Eva Mendes are doing the rounds of interviews as the December 25 premier of The Spirit inches closer and journalists are seeking every shred of information about future projects from the director and actress including both returning for Sin City 2, the long-awaited sequel to 2005’s Sin City.
Director Darren Aronofsky told 
Frank Miller was recently out in Rome promoting this winter’s upcoming travesty/movie The Spirit with a few clips and a Q&A (in Italian!). Most of the clips shown seemed boring and confusing, much like the trailer (all except a gratuitous Eva Mendes butt-shot), but the more interesting part is how Miller explained to the press that he has no intention on going back to comics and that he is very close to starting production on Sin City 2. You can read a part of the interview below (poorly translated for our benefit) or check out the complete piece over 
So… how was San Diego Comic-Con?
The trailer to the upcoming The Spirit movie is set to debut at Comic-Con, but earlier today it leaked out early.
A couple years ago, back when Frank Miller and Jim Lee’s 
started inconsistently shipping, I read the first few issues and then waved the series off. I hated it so much I added an extra “S” and started referring to it by the acronym ASSBAR.
Frank Miller’s adaptation of The Spirit won’t hit theaters until January 16, 2009, but the marketing hype is already underway. The first outdoor artwork posters for the upcoming movie have been revealed and are highly reminiscent of the visual style employed by Miller’s Sin City.
