It doesn't really help that this tale of a
"trench coated crime fighter" up against a supervillian" looking to
make himself immortal" is trying to tap into a retro-pulp vibe of
square-jawed heroes and over the top villainy that, whether it is the
1990s version of The Shadow or the more recent Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, almost never works on the big screen.
Throw
in plenty of scenes that are just plain odd (Samuel L. Jackson in a
nazi uniform? Eva Mendes photocopying her backside?) and you are left
with a film that "quirky" doesn't really begin to cover.
Most of this is down to the fact that it was written and directed by Frank Miller, the comic writer / artist behind Sin City and 300.
Frank
Miller, as anyone who has read any of his comics since about 1997
knows, is a pretty "out there" guy with some very firm ideas about what
is funny - ideas that don't really match up with what the rest of us
think is worth laughing at.
Judging by The Spirit,
there wasn't anyone around to tap him on the shoulder and point out
that having "a foot with a tiny head attached hopping around a desk"
while Samuel L. Jackson says "that is really weird" over and over isn't
something a lot of people would feel the need to watch.
But despite all that, there is still a certain fascination about this film.
Partly it is because The Spirit
is clearly one man's unique vision, which is always more fun than yet
another film-by-committee. Partly it is because it is basically a
live-action cartoon that doesn't take itself too seriously. And partly
it is because Frank Miller, whatever his flaws, still knows how to keep
a story moving forward.
Insane this might be, but at least it is never dull. DVD EXTRAS
There are a few editions of this floating around. While the movie
bombed big-time across the globe (taking in a fairly lacklustre $27M
worldwide), it is the sort of film which is destined to grow a cult
audience on DVD.
So it's great to see that the distributors have
realised this nice and early. The two disc edition includes a
commentary by director Frank Miller and producer Deborah Del Prete, as
welll as featurettes ("Green World" and "Miller on Miller").
Comic book fans will also be keen to check out an alternate storyboard ending (illistrated in the only way Miller knows how).
Conclusion:
Movie 65% Extras: 65%
|
