THE SPIRIT
Beautiful comic-book imagery cannot rescue this corny, troubling misfire.
Should You Watch It?
The answer is no. The Spirit looks like a beautiful comic book brought to life, but its story, dialogue, and acting are overwhelmed by deliberately exaggerated corniness. The result is difficult to take seriously as either an action movie or a comedy, and the film is more silly than profound, memorable, or fun.
There are some moral elements. The hero has a strong sense of duty and works to save his city and its people from evil villains. But those elements are surrounded by strong action violence, some very strong violence, foul language, rear female nudity, sensuality, pagan mythology, and suggestions that the hero plays around despite having a steady girlfriend.
With one star for entertainment quality and a −2 Family Content rating, this is not a worthwhile family choice or a rewarding use of your time. The practical answer: skip it and choose something else for movie night.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESDenny Colt is a murdered cop who mysteriously returns to life as The Spirit, an apparently invincible crimefighter protecting Central City.
When the Spirit’s arch-enemy, the Octopus, pursues a treasure connected to Hercules and seeks power to rule the world, the hero must stop him. Along the way, the Spirit faces his old flame, an international jewel thief, while trying to protect the city and the women he loves.
Is It Any Good?
One star means the film’s visual strengths cannot overcome its basic failures. The Spirit is visually like a beautiful-looking comic book come to life, with complex images and characters.
But that complexity is not matched by the main story, dialogue, or acting. Everything is played far over the top, and the deliberate, extreme corniness makes the movie hard to accept as either an action film or a comedy. It is not much fun, and the story never becomes as profound or memorable as its striking appearance suggests.
The Worldview
The film presents Greek gods and myths as real within its story. The villain believes the blood of Hercules contains the “DNA of a god” and may make him all-powerful. This pagan framework is joined by criminal ambition, revenge, and the hero’s tendency to pursue women despite having a steady girlfriend.
The film does contain moral elements. The Spirit has a strong sense of duty, protects his beloved hometown, and works to stop evildoers. Those virtues align with the biblical call to resist evil and protect others, but the movie does not offer a biblical understanding of God, human morality, or sexual faithfulness.
The central moral impulse—protecting people from evil—is worth affirming, even though the film surrounds it with pagan mythology and compromised behavior. Scripture says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Strong, slightly mixed pagan worldview refers to Greek gods and myths as if real, villain says there’s the “DNA of a god” in the blood of Hercules, and hero likes to make time with the ladies, plus some moral elements about stopping evildoers and protecting people in one’s beloved hometown; 36 obscenities (no “s” or “f” words), 14 strong profanities and two light profanities; plenty of strong action violence shot in a comic book style with some very strong violence but no really graphic gore though there is some blood, such as indestructible hero and indestructible villain fight and get hit with large objects, hero gets shot multiple times, hero’s heart stops a couple times but serum in his blood keeps bringing him back to life, gunfights, explosions, henchman run over, large object squashes henchman, villain explodes, villain’s arm severed, man knocked out by injection, two policemen shot to death, woman stabs hero with sword, and serum brings hero back from the grave; suggestions that hero plays around with the ladies even though he’s got a steady girlfriend, kissing, woman in belly dancer costume dances suggestively before hero who’s been tied up by villain, light sexual innuendo, including in one scene where woman talking to hero is undressed and there is a shot of rear female nudity; stylized image of rear female nudity in one shot and female cleavage and upper male nudity in other scenes; alcohol use; reference to selling drugs to pay for other criminal activities and hero drugged to sleep; and, stealing, villain, female sidekick dress up in Nazi uniforms for one scene, revenge, and the Angel of Death is in a female form and is called Lorelei.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
The Spirit believes protecting his city is his moral duty. What responsibilities has God given you to protect and serve others?
Galatians 5:13 · Philippians 2:3–4The film treats Greek gods and myths as real. How does the Bible distinguish the living God from the world’s other claimed powers?
Acts 17:22–31 · Isaiah 44:6The hero has a steady girlfriend but is portrayed as interested in other women. What does Scripture say about faithfulness and honoring marriage?
Hebrews 13:4 · Matthew 5:27–28The film uses striking images but struggles with its story and dialogue. How can attractive presentation make it harder to recognize whether an idea is good?
Philippians 4:8 · 1 Thessalonians 5:21The Final Word
The Spirit has beautiful comic-book visuals and a hero with some moral purpose, but its one-star entertainment quality cannot overcome its extreme corniness and substantial content concerns. For your family or your own conscience, SKIP IT. Consider these alternatives instead:
