The Spirit

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2:07

The Spirit

PG-13

Released Dec 25, 2008

1h 42m

Action

Adventure

Romance

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

14%

Tomatometer

114 Reviews

25%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Apparently murdered cop Denny Colt (Gabriel Macht) returns as the Spirit, dedicated to protecting Central City from crime. His archenemy, the Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson), is a ruthless killer who will destroy the Spirit's well-loved city to find the secret of immortality. As the Spirit pursues his quarry, he meets many beautiful women who would be happy to either kiss or kill him.

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Critics Consensus

Though its visuals are unique, The Spirit's plot is almost incomprehensible, the dialogue is ludicrously mannered, and the characters are unmemorable.

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Tammy Oler

Bitch Media

The Spirit isn't so much the female characters or the cleavage shots, but the fact that they're entirely deployed in the service of a dumb, juvenile fantasy of malehood.

Dec 18, 2020

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David Fear

Time Out

Rated: 2/5

Nov 18, 2011

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Jake Wilson

The Age (Australia)

As an action director Miller is almost as clumsy as Baz Luhrmann, but he's far from naïve, and presumably the delirium of The Spirit is exactly what he intended.

Rated: 2/5

Feb 13, 2009

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Frank Miller’s The Spirit misfires in every way a movie can

Rated: 0/4

Mar 3, 2024

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...an unmitigated disaster...

Rated: 1/4

Jan 1, 2023

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Focuses all of its efforts on flashy visuals and cartoonish humor - forgetting to leave room for action sequences and a story.

Rated: 4/10

Nov 28, 2020

Full Review

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Travis C

I just watched this for the first time in years, and forgot how much I loved it! This movie came out before liking superheroes was "mainstream." Frank Miller has a very specific directing style and this was very much his film. The cast was great, everyone seemed to be on the same page when it came to how much to act or, occasionally, overact. This movie was very faithful to the source material, so if you aren't a comic book fan, you might not be prepared for this movie. Watch this movie with an open mind and take in everything. The Spirit seems to be a satire of super heroes at times, but it's really a love letter to the comic book medium.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/14/25

Full Review

Audience Member

Samuel L Jackson is the only fun thing in this movie. I guess the art style of the movie was good too, BUT THOSE ARE THE ONLY TWO THINGS. I am severely disappointed by this one. I went into this thinking it would be a moderately fun time, with a new hero I’d never heard of and came out bored and sad. This certainly had potential. I just think Frank Miller didn’t really flesh out the script enough, there’s no reason I should feel lost have the time then find out I wasn’t lost the movie Just hasn’t explained it yet. I’m giving this a 1/5 stars.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/10/25

Full Review

Audience Member

Most people can't understand or get behind this movie, and that's fine. It's mostly in part to the fact that, they saw the art style and director and thought "Oh, it's a sequel to Sin City". It's not, and that's why people didn't like it. On it's own, it's an amazing film that doesn't take itself too seriously. It's goofy, on purpose. It's stock full of amazing stars, and they do great jobs at acting badly. Again, all purposeful. It's a goofy take on a crime noir super-hero vs. super villain story. If I could give it more stars, to offset the bad reviews, I would. Go into it ready to laugh, and you'll have a great time.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/09/25

Full Review

Oaklee D

Turned it off after the first fight scene between spirit and the octopus, the film is incredibly goofy and not in a good way.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

08/31/24

Full Review

Jerod S

What the heck. How do you butcher something so badly? Can't follow the plot of this comic book character or understand what they heck they're ever talking about. Waste of so many talented actors.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

08/24/24

Full Review

Ivan A

I’ve seen better acting in SNL sketches.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

06/23/24

Full Review

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Frank Miller

Director

Gabriel Macht

Denny Colt

Samuel L. Jackson

The Octopus

Sarah Paulson

Ellen

Eva Mendes

Sand Saref

Dan Lauria

Dolan

The Spirit: Official Clip - Give Up the Ghost

2:13

The Spirit: Official Clip - A Fabulous Swap

2:15

The Spirit: Official Clip - Dental and Nazi

2:10

The Spirit: Official Clip - Shut Up and Bleed

2:11

The Spirit: Official Clip - Plain Damn Weird

2:15

The Spirit: Official Clip - Femme Fatale

2:23

The Spirit: Official Clip - The Spirit vs. The Octopus

2:13

The Spirit: Official Clip - What Other Box?

2:08

The Spirit: Official Clip - My City Screams

2:18

The Spirit: Official Clip - It Ends Tonight

2:18

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RT on DVD: Frank Miller Talks The Spirit, Michel Gondry Releases New Music Video DVD

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Critics Consensus: Benjamin Button Rewards the Curious; It’s Bedtime for Bedtime Stories

The Spirit: Trailer 1

2:07

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Synopsis

Apparently murdered cop Denny Colt (Gabriel Macht) returns as the Spirit, dedicated to protecting Central City from crime. His archenemy, the Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson), is a ruthless killer who will destroy the Spirit's well-loved city to find the secret of immortality. As the Spirit pursues his quarry, he meets many beautiful women who would be happy to either kiss or kill him.

Director: Frank Miller
Producer: Deborah Del Prete, Gigi Pritzker, Michael E. Uslan
Screenwriter: Frank Miller
Distributor: Lionsgate Films
Production Co: Odd Lot Entertainment, Lionsgate Films
Rating: PG-13 (Brief Nudity|Action|Some Sexual Content|Stylized Violence)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 25, 2008, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 7, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $19.8M
Runtime: 1h 42m

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