THE SPIRIT (2008)

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"The Spirit" is way to campy but the action and the great performance from Samuel L. Jackson makes up for it."

"The Spirit" is fun and entertaining as long as you don't expect a serious film. Like I said it is campy just like the Batman series from the 60s. Maybe I was expecting a more serious film from the looks of the trailer but I still liked this.

Our story starts out with the Spirit going to help a man that just called him. He reported that something big was going down. Once he gets there he gets attacked by a man. The man that attacks him is named the Octopus. They go through a big fight and we soon learn some details. They are both immortal and he had a life once before this life as the Spirit. But the Spirit wants more answers to his questions. He starts to track down the octopus. He runs into a few former love interests and it doesn't go to smoothly. One of his former love interests, Sand Saref, is a now a criminal who needs the Octopus in order for her to get rich with jewels. His interests with her conflict with other women he likes.

This makes for an interesting finale. As the Spirit finally finds out where the Octopus is located and is planning on making a deal with Sand Saref he gets there as fast as possible. Once he gets there the cops are already there and so is the Octopus and Sand Saref. He must fight for his girl and to kill the bad guy.

The story is based on the comic book written by Will Eisner and I am sure that the fans of the comic will be happy with the outcome of it. It is a very convoluted plot and it leaves a few holes in the story. I think the film would have benefited from getting an R rating since there is no blood or anything else, but it still manages.

The acting is over the top from most but there are a few shining stars. Gabriel Macht who plays the Spirit is good here and does an excellent job making the character come off the pages to the big screen. Samuel L. Jackson is terrific as the Octopus. This is the role he was born to play. He is a great villain and also brings a few laughs to the film as well. But I was disappointed with Scarlett Johansson. She plays the Octopus's henchman but her acting is stiff and every time she is on screen with Samuel L. Jackson she is out acted. She didn't live up to Samuel L. Jackson's performance. All the other actresses who play the Spirit's love interests do a good job.

Director Frank Miller is good in his directing debut. He does an excellent job making the film look really cool and the action entertaining. But I think he should have limited the level of jokes he attempts in the movie and stuck with the more serious side that Sin City had. I figured he would have done that since he was the creator of "Sin City" but I guess not.

So in conclusion, I recommend "The Spirit" but do not expect a serious film or you will be sorely disappointed.