DVD review: The Spirit

Comic-book writer-artist Frank Miller, in his first time as a solo film director, adapts “The Spirit.”

“The Spirit” began as a comic-book newspaper insert written and drawn by Will Eisner in the 1940s. It had humor and charm, and moved the medium of graphic fiction forward, despite its flaws.

“The Spirit” motion picture, however, drowns under the weight of its flaws, despite a few interesting visuals from Miller. Miller wrote and drew “300,” “Sin City” and “The Dark Knight Returns” and was the co-director of the “Sin City” film with Robert Rodriguez.

Miller has accomplished more than most in his lifetime and is one of the most revered graphic novelists alive. Unfortunately, his “Spirit” is a mess.

It stars Gabriel Macht as the hero, who faces off against his arch-foe, the Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson), with immortality on the line.

The Spirit is attracted to nearly every woman in the film – but then, who wouldn’t be, with a roster including Eva Mendes, Scarlett Johansson, Sarah Paulson and Jaime King.

The movie is a hardboiled mix of cliche and nonsense that never quite comes together or successfully captures the spirit of the original comics.

- Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman