The Spirit

Starring: Gabriel Macht, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Eva Mendes, Paz Vega, Jaime King, Sarah Paulson, Stana Katic
Directed by: Frank Miller
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
2008

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: The Spirit (Gabriel Macht) is a recently deceased cop who came back from the dead to get his vengeance on The Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson) while trying to figure out how his ex-girlfriend (Eva Mendes) is involved in his diabolical plot.

Review:

Tim: This movie is a massive flop. I could barely believe how terrible it was. The plot is simply ridiculous, far-fetched and honestly, quite boring. The dialogue is mind numbingly bad. Most of this movie was actually painful to watch. I strongly disliked this bad Sin City rip off. The cliches alone are overwhelming.

The major problem with this movie is that nothing really matters. None of our heroes connect to us emotionally. They are completely forgettable, almost like shadows of actual living, breathing people. The entire cast does a lackluster job, probably because they have nothing to work with. Gabriel Macht is an underrated actor whom I like, but he was not right for the part. He does not make a very good leading man here. I never cared about his Spirit. On the opposite side of the spectrum, we have the overacting, over-the-top, stupid Samuel L. Jackson hamming it up for all its worth. His Octopus is surprisingly stupid. He is one of the worst villain portrayals I have seen in years. The movie also boasts a string of actresses who were supposed to spice up the film. They do not in the least. Scarlett Johansson is completely underutilized, stuck in a worthless, undeserving role. She adds nothing to the film. Eva Mendes gets plenty of screen time, and I would suggest she might give the film's best performance. She is not great, however. I don't even know why I mention Paz Vega- her role is completely, utterly pointless, and anyone could have played her role. I liked seeing Stana Katic in her role, but again, it is pretty worthless.

Even worse than the characters is the head scratching plot. It offers almost no real excitement or intrigue. There is never a feeling that our heroes are in any real danger. About halfway through, I just stopped trying to follow the lame, amatuerish plot. I was so bored with the whole thing that I simply didn't care any more. Frank Miller directs a film that is a far cry from Sin City (and I didn't love that movie, either).

The Spirit does have a few moments where you are glad to be watching a movie that looks so different from all the other movies out there. Miller's style is definitely nice to look at, but sadly, this movie is nearly unwatchable. I am not sure where to begin placing the blame for this terrible bomb, but I can tell you that this is an awful, stupid movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 3.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
Sin City, 300