The Spirit (film)/YMMV

Comic

• Funny Aneurysm Moment: In 1941 (after Adolf Hitler had established himself as a tyrannical conqueror, but before the true scope of the Holocaust had become public knowledge), the story "The Dictator's Reform" had a No Celebrities Were Harmed version of Hitler get taught a lesson by The Spirit, who showed him that people who have lived under free regimes will never stop fighting against oppressive conquerors. Hitler's response? "I ... I never thought of it in that way ... I ... I would have to kill all the once free people in the world before I can be absolute master!!" In 1941, this is supposed to signify Hitler having an epiphany about how futile his goals are and pulling a Heel Face Turn. To later audiences, it seems uncomfortably close to what Hitler actually tried to do. Nice Job Inspiring the Holocaust, Spirit.
• Rescued from the Scrappy Heap: Ebony White in the reboot.
• Tear Jerker: Many, most are obvious, others can be with reflection. Hell, with some thought, stories like 12/8/46's story "The Killer" can be heartrending, especially since it can actually happen in real life.
• Values Dissonance: In the early strips, Ebony was a rather... broad stereotype. Fortunately, when Will Eisner joined the army, he realised he was being unfair to blacks, and Ebony was Put on a Bus, and when The Bus Came Back, he was toned down a lot.
  • Also, The Spirit didn't really have much trouble over fighting or hitting women. Even worse, sometimes it was played for laughs.
    • The reboot seems to have the unwritten rule that The Spirit can beat up any woman so long as she throws the first punch.

Film

• Crowning Moment of Funny: When The Octopus discovers that his henchmen brought him the wrong chest.
  • The purse snatcher/news interview scene. One of the few moments in the film where it actually feels like a Spirit comic.
• Crowning Music of Awesome: The Strength of the Righteous Man, though it was only played in the most memorable trailer, not the movie itself. SUBMIT TO IT, PUNK.
• Ear Worm: "Falling in Love Again"
• Ham and Cheese: Done on purpose. Frank Miller just got everybody together and told them to relax and dine on the scenery like an all-you-can-eat buffet - Conspicuous CG is just so easy to maintain.
• Hilarious in Hindsight / Retroactive Recognition: Morgenstern (played by Stana Katic) is frequently told that she'll "make detective in no time." Yes. Yes she would.
• Spiritual Licensee: To some, it feels an awful lot more like a movie of The Tick (animation) rather than that of The Spirit, what with his running around narrating about "MY CITY!" and tortured metaphors.
• They Changed It, Now It Sucks / They Changed It Now Its Awesome: The healing factor. Take your pick.

---

Back to The Spirit (film)