The Spirit

Location – Berjaya Time Square

Been a while since I last went to the movies to watch anything worth reviewing. Think during the past month or so I’ve been more likely to watch a couple of animated features (some even in 3-D) than to have a go at anything remotely serious. So what better way to welcome the New Year then with Frank Miller’s version of an old comic classic by Will Eisner entitled The Spirit.

My City. My Soul. My Vi.

The story is fairly simple. The Spirit is a mask crime fighter in Central City and is hell bent in keeping the city safe from evil. You won’t actually know much about this red neck tie crime fighter except that he is a vigilante who works very closely with the police commissioner. And just to spice things up a bit, the Spirit has an arch-nemesis named The Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson). As the story progresses, you will learn that most evilness that is going on is quite closely related to The Octopus and his daily activities. TA-DA!

Low cut dresses usually invited some form of ass grabbing

I know what you’re thinking. Was that really the bulk of the story summarised in 2 minutes? Actually, I wouldn’t say that’s the whole story but unfortunately, that’s pretty much all you need to know if you decide to spend your hard earned cash on this movie. The movie does start out with a bang but slowly falters into the abyss of nowhere. The Spirit doesn’t really have a 24 hour battle with various baddies, but more of decent conversations with them. I guess in a way this movie is like going on a date with that hot chick you’re really into but come date night, you realise that she doesn’t really talk much, has very little knowledge about current affairs, and doesn’t seem to get most of your well rehearsed jokes which you have so conveniently googled the night before.

The casting is alright (Eva Mendes, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson) but for a Frank Miller movie (Sin City, 300) you’d really expect a better storyline. Most people were leaving just before the movie crossed the halfway mark. Think everyone felt that the movie wasn’t really going anywhere and I suppose sneaking into another movie (Bedtime Stories, Beverley Hills Chihuahua, Brainscan : Aku Dan Topi Ajaib) seemed like a better option.

Ratings – 1.5/5