As it is released on DVD The Hidden S wonders if
The Spirit will become the
Rocky Horror Picture Show of superhero films...
When director Frank Miller's
The Spirit hit theaters last December there was some sense that it might do very well at the box office.
Iron Man and
The Dark Knight had set new standards for superiority as far as comic book films go, and Miller has God-Like status as a comic creator (and his work as co-director of
Sin City was equally revered in the comic fan universe).
On top of that, the film was cast to hip perfection with Scarlet Johannson, Eva Mendes, Jamie King and the always crowd-pleasing Samuel L. Jackson as the villain of the piece, the Octopus. Oddly enough a relative unknown -Gabriel Macht- was cast as Denny Colt/The Spirit, but the assumption was that the money went into the supporting cast and the guy looked the part in the trailer. The trailers were among the best of the year and seemed to hold the teasing promise of a third great superhero film for 2008.
And then...nothing.
The Spirit did less than $40 million worldwide (!). Here is a list of films that did much better at the box office than
The Spirit: Drillbit Taylor, Transporter 3, Death Race, Meet the Spartans, Forbidden Kingdom and
The Other Boleyn Girl. In fact,
The Spirit just beat out
Kit Kittredge, All American Girl and the animated film
Igor.
I realize that box office take does not mean everything, but what it does mean is that there is little reason to start the countdown for a sequel. So what happened? Why did a film that had all of the elements for at least a moderate level of success fail with the ticket buying public? Well, since you asked...
1. The film was too "Inside Comics"
My wife is not a comic bookfan. But she knows who Iron Man is. My wife knows Batman is Bruce Wayne and that Clark Kent is Superman. She might not clamor to see a film about Iron Man but she appreciates Robert Downey, Jr. She might not have an opinion on Batman, but she appreciates actors like Michael Caine, Christian Bale, et al. Does she know the Spirit? No.
Will Eisner's the Spirit has developed a reputation in comic circles that may have become overblown (possibly because of the sudden rise of Will Eisner's reputation late in his life). The Spirit is a great character, but there are many great creations in comics whose reputation is nowhere near Eisner's Spirit. Examples? Iron Fist, The Doom Patrol, Challengers of the Unknown, Manhunter/Paul Kirk Version. Combine that with the age of the character (just under 70) and the fact that he has had a very inconsistent comic book history and you have a tough sell to anyone but the most hardcore (likely older) fanboy. Miller has always said how much Eisner means to him as an artist and the success of Sin City helped give Miller the clout to get this movie made. Unfortunately, he might have been the only one really stoked about a Spirit movie.
2. Miller is not a good director
Not so much that Miller is a bad director; it is the fact that Miller is all over the map in this movie. Miller alternates a good scene with a bad scene all too often in this film. He got away with it in Sin City more readily because that film had an even more high powered cast, and he also had the steadying influence of Robert Rodriguez to rely on.
Mainly though, Miller lets Sam Jackson have too much slack. This is a problem because at this point, a little bit of Jackson goes a long way (he is a bit like Jim Carrey in this regard). Also, Miller's tone is schizophrenic; he alternates between parodies of hard-boiled diaglogue, such as The Spirit saying "I'm going to kill you all kinds of dead"), sexual kink (Silken Floss: "On Your Knees then"), and broad comedy (The Spirit: "I need a tie and it better be red."). These switches are tough for even a subtle and experienced director to pull off and Miller, at this point in his career, is neither subtle or experienced.
3. The leading man lacked charisma
Casting an unknown actor in the role of an unknown superhero seems in retrospect a questionable move on the part of the filmmakers of The Spirit.
I liked Gabriel Macht's performance as the Spirit. I thought he was charming and he seemed to be channeling Adam West (probably a touch delivered through Miller's directon). A charming performance alone however does not add up to carrying a film and in this regard the young actor doesn't have the leading man ummph to make more than a lightweight, albeit pleasing, impression. I kept seeing Brendan Fraser in the role and if the Spirit had been made a decade ago it would have been a part that would have fit Bruce Campbell to an absolute "T."
So, will The Spirit have an afterlife on DVD? Obviously, this is impossible to determine at this point. However, it does have an excellent chance to build up a cult following. Why I feel this way I can't completely say except that it is a very idiosyncratic superhero film and it is offbeat enough to stand out from the crowd. In some ways I could even see it becoming the Rocky Horror Picture Show of superhero films with dialogue that seems tailor made for quoting, repeating and printing on a t-shirt. If the DVD is successful, it could make money for the studio for years and, if this happens it could conceivably spawn a sequel or even a TV series. Stay tuned...
The Hidden S...
As it is released on DVD The Hidden S wonders if The Spirit will become the Rocky Horror Picture Show of superhero films...
When director Frank Miller's The Spirit hit theaters last December there was some sense that it might do very well at the box office. Iron Man and The Dark Knight had set new standards for superiority as far as comic book films go, and Miller has God-Like status as a comic creator (and his work as co-director of Sin City was equally revered in the comic fan universe).
On top of that, the film was cast to hip perfection with Scarlet Johannson, Eva Mendes, Jamie King and the always crowd-pleasing Samuel L. Jackson as the villain of the piece, the Octopus. Oddly enough a relative unknown -Gabriel Macht- was cast as Denny Colt/The Spirit, but the assumption was that the money went into the supporting cast and the guy looked the part in the trailer. The trailers were among the best of the year and seemed to hold the teasing promise of a third great superhero film for 2008.
And then...nothing. The Spirit did less than $40 million worldwide (!). Here is a list of films that did much better at the box office than The Spirit: Drillbit Taylor, Transporter 3, Death Race, Meet the Spartans, Forbidden Kingdom and The Other Boleyn Girl. In fact, The Spirit just beat out Kit Kittredge, All American Girl and the animated film Igor.
I realize that box office take does not mean everything, but what it does mean is that there is little reason to start the countdown for a sequel. So what happened? Why did a film that had all of the elements for at least a moderate level of success fail with the ticket buying public? Well, since you asked...
1. The film was too "Inside Comics"
My wife is not a comic bookfan. But she knows who Iron Man is. My wife knows Batman is Bruce Wayne and that Clark Kent is Superman. She might not clamor to see a film about Iron Man but she appreciates Robert Downey, Jr. She might not have an opinion on Batman, but she appreciates actors like Michael Caine, Christian Bale, et al. Does she know the Spirit? No.
Will Eisner's the Spirit has developed a reputation in comic circles that may have become overblown (possibly because of the sudden rise of Will Eisner's reputation late in his life). The Spirit is a great character, but there are many great creations in comics whose reputation is nowhere near Eisner's Spirit. Examples? Iron Fist, The Doom Patrol, Challengers of the Unknown, Manhunter/Paul Kirk Version. Combine that with the age of the character (just under 70) and the fact that he has had a very inconsistent comic book history and you have a tough sell to anyone but the most hardcore (likely older) fanboy. Miller has always said how much Eisner means to him as an artist and the success of Sin City helped give Miller the clout to get this movie made. Unfortunately, he might have been the only one really stoked about a Spirit movie.
2. Miller is not a good director
Not so much that Miller is a bad director; it is the fact that Miller is all over the map in this movie. Miller alternates a good scene with a bad scene all too often in this film. He got away with it in Sin City more readily because that film had an even more high powered cast, and he also had the steadying influence of Robert Rodriguez to rely on.
Mainly though, Miller lets Sam Jackson have too much slack. This is a problem because at this point, a little bit of Jackson goes a long way (he is a bit like Jim Carrey in this regard). Also, Miller's tone is schizophrenic; he alternates between parodies of hard-boiled diaglogue, such as The Spirit saying "I'm going to kill you all kinds of dead"), sexual kink (Silken Floss: "On Your Knees then"), and broad comedy (The Spirit: "I need a tie and it better be red."). These switches are tough for even a subtle and experienced director to pull off and Miller, at this point in his career, is neither subtle or experienced.
3. The leading man lacked charisma
Casting an unknown actor in the role of an unknown superhero seems in retrospect a questionable move on the part of the filmmakers of The Spirit.
I liked Gabriel Macht's performance as the Spirit. I thought he was charming and he seemed to be channeling Adam West (probably a touch delivered through Miller's directon). A charming performance alone however does not add up to carrying a film and in this regard the young actor doesn't have the leading man ummph to make more than a lightweight, albeit pleasing, impression. I kept seeing Brendan Fraser in the role and if the Spirit had been made a decade ago it would have been a part that would have fit Bruce Campbell to an absolute "T."
So, will The Spirit have an afterlife on DVD? Obviously, this is impossible to determine at this point. However, it does have an excellent chance to build up a cult following. Why I feel this way I can't completely say except that it is a very idiosyncratic superhero film and it is offbeat enough to stand out from the crowd. In some ways I could even see it becoming the Rocky Horror Picture Show of superhero films with dialogue that seems tailor made for quoting, repeating and printing on a t-shirt. If the DVD is successful, it could make money for the studio for years and, if this happens it could conceivably spawn a sequel or even a TV series. Stay tuned...
The Hidden S...
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