The Spirit (2008) - A visual masterpiece but a redundant story - 7/10 (23/05/12)

"The Spirit" is a visually very stunning superhero movie based on a film noir atmosphere. I would even go as far and say that the visual factor is even more developed than the comparable and overall better movies "Max Payne" and "Sin City". The movie contains many theatrical elements and works a lot with absurd scenes, surreal moments and graphic metaphors. These factors create a lot of humorous scenes that contrast with the dark atmosphere in an interesting approach.

You see for example the megalomaniac Octopus played by an amazing Samuel L. Jackson portraying in an exaggerated way a Japanese samurai or a new leader of the Aryan's Third Reich.

The scenes when the mysterious Lorelei appears as a sort of angel of death for example give this movie a surreal comic touch.

The cat that is always near The Spirit symbolizes the nine lives he seems to have. The movie is filled with these kind of details and surprises that keep the whole film intriguing until the end.

On the negative side, the story of the movie is not too innovating and quite predictable. Some characters also lack of depth. It would have been interesting to know more about the main villain and the reasons why he became what he is. The Spirit is also a rather superficial hero. One first thinks he might be in love with his old flame or with the police doctor but he seems quite unstable and says that he is in love with the city. As we don't really know how comes he is so attached to this place, where it exactly is and what it is all about, the viewer can't develop any profound connection to the main character's paroles.

Concerning the acting, there are many big names featured in the movie such as Eva Mendes or Scarlett Johansson. While the women all look gorgeous and add some extra points to the visual mastery, the acting itself is rather limited and somewhat disappointing. Even the rather unknown main actor can't truly convince throughout the whole movie. The only great exception is the over the top performance by Samuel L. Jackson.

In the end, this movie is a must see for all those who like experimental graphics, experimental theatre plays and a solid dose of absurd humour. Apart of that, this movie can't though stick with other films of its kind as the story is too ordinary and the acting often too limited. After all, the movie is worth a watch despite its flaws and as I'm a very artistic person the film has even grown in my estimation over the years.