The Spirit

In one of the most anticipated movies of this holiday season, The Spirit hit theaters on Christmas Day, and based on the theater I went to, it seemed to attract a fairly large amount of people, even with it being a holiday.  Gabriel Macht stars as the Spirit, an ex-cop who was shot to death, but because of a miracle serum, came back to life and is now, somewhat immortal.  Macht heads a cast that includes Scarlett Johansson (Silken Floss), Eva Mendes (Sans Serif), and ever the consummate B.A.M.F Samuel L. Jackson (The Octopus).  The film also includes Dan Lauria, playing the part of Commissioner Dolan, whom you might remember as the father on the family show “The Wonder Years.”  The Spirit chronicals the lead character’s fight against the Octopus and all the evil for which he stands.  Along the way, the beautiful women in The Spirit’s life seem to provide support, as well as a distraction from the everyday action that comes with fighting the Octopus.  My analysis is below, here is the theatrical one-sheet from the film:

The Theatrical One-Sheet for The Spirit

Overall I thought this film was a really great experience, and I couldn’t help but notice that it also served as a cult comedy.  For example, in one scene, Eva Mendes’ character is persuading a man (sometimes known as holding him at gunpoint) to try to ahem “reallocate some funds” into her bank account.  While she is doing this, she is literally xeroxing her butt, a copy that she later uses as a calling card.  It’s moments like that the made me, and everyone in the theater, give a little chuckle.  As far as the action goes, it was in the manner of 300 and Sin City, both films that I enjoyed and own, so I didn’t mind it at all.  The best part is, they’ve set the film up very nicely for a sequel.  Overall, I’d give this film 4.4 out of 5 stars.