Some early reviews for Frank Miller's film based on Will Eisner's The Spirit have started to permeate the web and they are not too good. Comparing it to Battlefield Earth is pretty bad.Variety: “Frank Miller’s solo writing-directing debut plunges into a watery grave early on and spends roughly the next 100 minutes gasping for air. Pushing well past the point of self-parody” … “There’s a lot going on here, but none of it sticks — not the shopworn plotting nor the arch, stilted dialogue. The actors often seem to be delivering their lines in ironic quote marks, suggesting a straight-faced sendup of noir and comicbook conventions that, whatever the intended effect, falls mostly flat."
CBR: "The major problem with "The Spirit" isn't necessarily Miller's departure from the source material, but his reliance on his previously demonstrated techniques. The dialogue, visual effects and character types have all been seen in Miller work before. It's nothing groundbreaking. An excellent creator should always strive towards something new. Instead, Miller took a baby step forward, offering slight variations to the work he accomplished with "Sin City." The best thing he can do next is to create an all-new original film property that's unique from his previous outings. Clearly, Frank Miller would never intentionally create a movie that desecrates Will Eisner's prior work. Miller reportedly took the director job because he couldn't imagine anyone else touching Eisner's revered franchise. Still, if Miller's mission was to emulate Eisner, he failed miserably. If his mission was to provide an exciting new take on the Spirit, then he fared marginally better. Viewers unfamiliar with the comics might enjoy "The Spirit" as an entertaining popcorn flick. Fans of Eisner's work, however, are in for a major disappointment and should brace themselves for a cheese-fest more along the lines of "Sin City" or even "Starship Troopers" than the original comic book series."
AICN: “I’ve seen something that has taken the top prize from “Battlefield Earth.” … “Okay, Mr. Miller. Let’s get it on.” … “Seriously, it’s not. You clearly don’t have any idea what you’re doing. Someone, ANYONE, over at Lionsgate should have known this. Fuck, it’s their JOB to know this. But they didn’t.” … “Folks, this movie is that bad. I heartily recommend it if you have a strong stomach and an even stronger sense of Bad-Movie-Love. Otherwise, steer clear.”
Unique Geek: “The Spirit starts off crazy when we expect serious, then tries to pull it back in, then goes for weird juvenile sight gags then tries to be tough, and we’re disoriented. Theres also a pathlogical fascination with a prop photocopy of Mendes’ rump. If you took a shot every time the camera cuts to it, you would be wasted by the third act, and maybe “wasted” is the right word to end with here. There’s a lot of work and opportunity that went by the wayside here, a lot of talented people and some great source material that never quite gels. The parts that look good, look good, but maybe next time, they’ll hire a fox to put it all together.”
Newsarama: “The Spirit does a precarious balancing act juxtaposing great moments and terrible ones, leaving audiences likely be split over which makes the greater impression.” … “The mosh of comedic banter and noir-ish drama worked well for the most part, but ultimately, those aforementioned moments of potential that flash and peek out now and again are too far and few between to save The Spirit from being a disappointment..”
Doesn't sound good at all. Have you come across any other reviews for it?
