Image by yotambientengosuperpoderes via Flickr

By Michael Leader

We’ve been to see some new footage from January’s new comic-movie release…

Frank Miller’s directorial debut, The Spirit, has been attracting a lot of fanboy rage and geek disdain. Adapted from the weekly newspaper comic by industry innovator Will Eisner, it is set to be the most divisive comic book movie of the year, putting a cap on what has been a superlative 12 months for heroes (super or otherwise) on the silver screen.

I just had the opportunity to see a preview clip-reel of the film, which consisted of short, less-than-5-minute segments, punctuated by introductory and explanatory sections from Deborah DelPrete, one of the producers. I’ll save my overflowing emotions for later, let me give you the long and short of what we were allowed to see, in stylish prose.

Clip 1. Opening scene, plus credits. The Spirit (Gabriel Macht) gets a call (on his cell phone!) from Detective Sussman, telling him to get down to the docks. As the opening credits flash across the screen, The Spirit embarks: first through the cemetery, then atop apartment blocks – a black silhouette, with a red tie standing out in the night-time dark. A lone harmonica plays, building up to a full-blown rousing strings theme straight out of the Danny Elfman superhero theme text book. As he jumps from roof to roof, The Spirit speaks to his city through a voice-over – ‘my city… she’s there for me… my sweetheart… my play-thing’. He detours, after hearing a scream, and makes short work of the two goons holding up a dame in an alleyway. As he bids the girl farewell, she gasps at the sight of a knife in his back, and at the dismissive way he tugs it out and discards it. ‘What are you?’ she whispers; The Spirit looks confused, contemplative, and leaves without an answer. A cop sidles up to her, ‘that’s The Spirit’.

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