"The Spirit" - C

Disclaimer: Nothing I have to say about this movie will diminish the wonderful experience of reading Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns. For me, The Dark Knight remains the greatest comic followed closely by Jademan's The Force of Buddha's Palm. So .... on with the review.

"The Spirit" is one of the more singular titles flooding theaters as 2008 comes to close. It sure brings the originality in a field crowded with love stories and kid flicks.

Gabriel Macht slips on the simple black mask and dapper suit to patrol Central City, a gritty crime-heavy metropolis where the sun never shines. The Spirit soon finds himself caught up in a mystery caper with his former best girl, "Sand Saref" (Eve Mendes), and his continuous nemesis, "The Octopus" (Samuel L. Jackson).

Missed opportunities: If you've not experienced the bloody genius of "Sin City," then "The Spirit" will seem truly original and maybe one-of-a-kind. But as I've already seen it and appreciate its artful handling, I was let down by the newcomer. "The Spirit" lacks to an overall "cool" compared with its predecessor.

Just as the manner and method of storytelling reflects the comic origins for the movie, so "The Spirit" suffers some of the pitfalls of straight comic-to-film transference. There are pacing and plot problems that become almost tedious and are not overshadowed by strong performances.

Jackson's just ok; not as evil as you've seen him before. Macht is rigid and seems to carry off the part pretty well, if you're expecting a deficit in the dynamic department. The ladies steal the show with Mendes and Scarlett Johansson ("Silken Floss") providing the comic relief and some much-needed tension.

"The Spirit" isn't terrible, but it is pretty flat. Hopefully, they'll do a better job next time out as Robert Rodriguez helps get the job done.

Grade: C (I'm sure it could have been much worse)