# Spawn (1997)

### reviewed by
Luke Buckmaster

    Review: Spawn (1997)

    by Luke Buckmaster

Comic books are often the origins to some very entertaining films. Which, when you think about it, makes a lot of sense. After all, who wouldn't appreciate seeing Batman battle some bad dudes or an agency of Men in Black protecting the Earth from intergalactic warfare? For me, comics are a source of entertainment and fun. But the creation of a film based on Todd McFarlane's popular hero "Spawn" is unfortunately never much fun at all.

Bearing a definite resemblance to the sets from the Batman series; the dark and gothic surroundings of Spawn help prepare us for the depressing time that lies ahead, where the question "Why did I come and see this again?" will be asked one too many times.

The film (and the comic series) is based around the peculiar experiences of Al Simmons (Michael Jai White). Being one of the finest professional assassins in the world, Simmons is more than aware of his talents yet underestimates those of the people around him. So after a stylish assassination at the beginning of the film (which incidentally was one of my favorite parts), he makes it perfectly clear that he "cares" about innocent people losing their lives. This alone is an unforgivable mistake. Michael Jai White wants us to believe that this soon-to-be hero can be as emotional and sensitive as anybody else. He has no problem in firing missiles or using impressive artillery, but later on complains that people's lives were in danger. Even if we push aside the fact that no one really wants to see an emotional-at-times-and-ruthless-at-other-times hero, White gives Spawn about as much emotion as a prison meatloaf - which you could imagine is not terribly impressive. Anyway, after a sudden outburst of emotion and ethics, Simmons soon finds himself burned to death with a face that looks like a toasted Pop Tart. He then goes on his merry old way to the fiery realms of hell (which, by the way, is fabulously animated) and makes a pact with the devil: he is able to return to Earth to see his beloved wife Wanda (Theresa Randle) if he agrees to lead Hell's Army in a battle to destroy mankind. As you may have guessed, Simmons heartily agrees and finds himself back on Earth - 5 years after his apparent death.

However a few things have changed. Wanda is now married to Simmons' former colleague Jason Wynn (Martin Sheen) and are producing sons and daughters whilst living a happy family life. And if this wasn't enough to get used to, he is rapidly introduced to the devil's number one assistant Clown (John Leguizamo) and Cogliostro (Nicol Williamson), who helps Simmons harness some new fighting abilities and works along side him in many fiendish battles. So as Simmons discovers that he is no longer human and always dressed in a mysterious black suit and red cape, he struggles to decide whether he should let the forces of evil prevail or to defend the Earth at any cost. Born into darkness and sworn to justice, Spawn is a hero to be reckoned with.

It doesn't take many brains to guess that Spawn is not going to get much more complicated than the old good versus evil skit; and although it wants us to feel for the character of Al Simmons, most audiences will be looking forward to the fighting scenes but not much else. To save the film from total failure, Spawn's dazzling eye candy is state of the art computer generated effects. The team from Industrial Light and Magic has once again distracted us from a fairly weak film by placing us in the middle of a special effects bonanza of the highest degree.

Fans of the comic books will get a thrill to find their hero right in front of their eyes, and the impressive sets of Spawn give a perfect conversion from the dark, gloomy comic artwork. But director Mark Dippe went no further than this, and Spawn fails to achieve many interesting aspects that would create fans rather than reward them.

It's interesting to note that the film spends all of its time explaining how the hero emerged, so in the grand scheme of things the end of the film is really right at the start of the comic series. Which is actually something pleasing considering that Spawn is a fairly modern character and unknown to many - so the possibility of a sequel or a series of films is not unlikely.

Spawn seems to me to be a movie you can like a lot better when you look back on it, where you remember how good the special effects were but not really care when you're watching them. The film is solid and consistent with average action, a below average plot, dismal acting and great special effects. Is it worth seeing? Well the cinema, when I got out of my chair and began to walk out, I asked myself "What kind of people would really love that film?" Of course, the answer hit me almost suddenly when one of my friends blurted out "Wasn't that awesome!" You got it - teenagers.

2 out of 5 stars Spawn's dazzling screen mayhem will appeal to some teens, but most people should wait for this one to hit the video shelves so they can fast forward to the semi entertaining battle scenes and a creative depiction of the undead.

Movie Zone: http://moviezone.alphalink.com.au bucky@alphalink.com.au

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