Monday, May 11, 2009

The Spirit on TV

The Spirit ~ No, this is not the 2009 film where Frank Miller killed Will Eisner a second time, this is the 1987 ABC telemovie and pilot featuring Sam J. Jones (Flash Gordon) in the title role. Word is that Eisner himself nixed the series because he hated this version so much, and only allowed it to be aired once due to contract restrictions.

It is however available on YouTube, which is where I recently saw it. I’m ashamed to admit it, but when this originally aired, I didn’t know who the Spirit was. I know, for shame.

The TV movie isn’t really that bad when viewed in comparison to Miller’s travesty. It is camp in a way that fans of the 1966 “Batman” series could appreciate, only less humor and more bad sets and acting. It is still an enjoyable watch, and eons better than what Miller did. At least Jones dresses like the Spirit. Shame there wasn’t a series, had I been aware, I would have watched.


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2 comments:

  1. Hi there! Thanks for stopping by my blog and becoming a follower...I am here to check out yours and return the favor. I have to say I actually thought the movie was o.k., and I was surprised, because I wasn't a huge fan of "Sin City" at all. I am glad some modern directors are taking a stab at film noir, since the genre is much more interesting than a lot of the stuff out there.
    T.

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  2. I know everyone hated The Spirit, but I didn't mind it. I've been planning on watching this TV version of The Spirit, but I always forget about it. Thanks for reminding me. I appreciate these types of films, heck, I'm even a fan of the '94 Fantastic Four film! The cheesier ones are usually more faithful to the source material (aside from the cheesy aspect of course).

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