The Spirit (2008) - Not as bad as you've heard

In short... 'The Spirit' is a superhero movie (and it bombed - majorly).  I know back in 2008 the Marvel Cinematic Universe wasn't quite as 'all consuming' as it is today and superheros were only just beginning to become the major Box Office draws that they are now, but a film about a hero in a mask who fought bad guys was still considered some sort of recipe for financial success.  It never happened here.  And that's a shame.

Personally, I think 'The Spirit's' failure was down to various elements that were nothing to do with the story itself.  I doubt many of the (mainstream) public/audience will have heard of the titular character (I certainly hadn't!), therefore they didn't know what to expect from the film.  All they knew/saw was that the film was made in the same style (and director) as the wildly-popular 'Sin City' - which was a dark and gritty, super-serious tale about comic book gangsters (not quite 'superheroes,' but not far off).  Therefore, I daresay most people thought 'The Spirit' would be in the similar style.  It was, but only in looks - certainly not in content.

It's quite a goofy tale and filled with surreal moments, over-the-top characters and those who are even playing it all for laughs - in the 'blackest' sense of humour possible. 'The Spirit' himself (Gabriel Macht) is former cop who now (thanks to various superhero-type reasons) can't die and has sworn to protect his city, now wearing a mask rather than displaying a badge.  He's fun to watch, seemingly enjoying his turn in the role and the fact that - somehow - he also has the power to make ALL women fall heard over heels in love with him.  He's up against none other than (Marvel heavyweights) Samuel L Jackson (as 'The Octopus') and Scarlett Johansson ('Silken Floss'), who both deliberately never take themselves seriously in their roles.

If you're looking for a dark and gritty superhero film then you'll only find one that looks - on the surface - like that, but underneath is about as serious as your average 'Carry On...' film.  Therefore, I would imagine that when it was originally released no one really knew what to make of it as they were expecting something X-rated and got a black comedy farce.

It may still be a little 'adult' (in terms of comic violence and scenes of a s3xual nature) for all the family, but if you like your superhero films stylish in appearance and full of dark humour then you should do your best to ignore all the negative comments about this film and enjoy it for what it is - a fun, self-knowing romp.

7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that