The Clarion

Issue date: 4/29/09 Section: Entertainment

So, over winter break you may have missed The Spirit in the theaters, but it was released to DVD and Blue Ray on April 14. But it didn't get the buzz that it deserved while in theaters. Yes, The Spirit is another comic book movie.

Yes, it is directed by Frank Miller, and while the cinematography was visually stunning, as we have come to expect from Miller, the story line was undecidedly unlike 300 or Sin City, which threw critics who were expecting blood filled scene.

Instead, imagine a superhero dressed in a smart suit, trench coat, a red tie and Chuck Taylor's and a fedora he's always chasing after. A ladies man, he breaks hearts across the city, thanks the women of the city for being beautiful to the press and tells children to be easy on their parents and to remember to brush their teeth.

Not your typical superhero and definitely not at the violence level of 300 or Sin City. Still, Miller does an excellent job using high contrast, spot color, two-toned shots and interesting camera angels to get the feel of the comic down.

Even though the dialogue of the movie may seem straight from a bad 1950's detective novel, there is no skimping on the action, even if the blood may not be there. The Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson) is The Spirit's arch nemesis. The movie starts with The Spirit staking out a mud-filled lake where he believed The Octopus is up to something.

The Spirit (Gabriel Macht) finds The Octopus and they duke it out in a comically violent beat down, which they both eventually walk away, with The Spirit puzzling over why The Octopus keeps saying that they are alike. The Spirit also finds evidence that Sand Saref (Eva Mendes) was there, an international jewelry thief that shuns Central City.

As The Spirit tried to solve The Octopus' riddle about them being the same, he has to stop a plot that could destroy his beloved city. Along the way, this ladies man lets his…love of the ladies...occasionally get the best of him, which eventually leads him to "Dental and Nazis- great."

Keeping with the campy feel of the comic by Will Eisner, the movie has oddities. A favorite quirk is every time The Octopus has a scene there is a theme, costumes included. While at times the overly goody-goody attitude of The Spirit and his verbose dialogue may make you wonder how this guy makes any difference, the language also makes the movie fun to watch

Combine Frank Miller's cinematography with 1950's dialogue, witty humor and violence and you get a wining combination. The Spirit, PG-13 is a movie that people can appreciate.

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