The Spirit (PG-13, 2008)
common sense media says
Violent, sexy superhero flick is all style, no substance.
parents & educators say
- 60% say violence is an issue
- 60% say sexual content is an issue
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this update of a 1940s comic book from one of the creative forces behind 300 is overflowing with hyper-stylized and excessive violence -- and suffused with smirking sexuality. There's only one instance of nudity (female buttocks), but the movie's sexual politics are decidedly retrograde -- all the female characters are either tarted-up villains, "bad" girls with hearts of gold, or long-suffering true loves who stand by their men. Also be prepared for buckets of stylized (but still graphic) bloodshed and lots of gory wounds and deaths. While the violence has the hyperactive, cartoony feel of a comic book, it's also brutal and depicted with extraordinary detail.
Violence:
Constant, hyper-stylized, bloody action. Characters are knifed, shot, punched (in the head, groin, stomach, and more), run over with cars, struck with arrows, impaled with weapons, exploded into bloody gobbets, encouraged to commit suicide, decapitated, punched, and more. Not surprisingly, there are plenty of dead bodies as a consequence. Characters also break necks with their bare hands. A genetic experiment gone wrong (a foot with a head sticking out of the ankle) is dissolved in acid. Disembodied eyeballs are seen swirling in a drain, and a severed finger is seen moving under its own power. Bloody wounds are seen in hyper-stylized contrast, so the blood seems white. Some of the characters, in comic-book fashion, have abilities that make them impervious or insensible to violence.
Sex:
Lots of suggestive talk, clothing, and cleavage; some kissing and unbuttoning; one instance of nude female buttocks. Every female character in the film is presented as a two-dimensional doormat of desire who longs for the hero. Plenty of innuendo and implied sexuality. References to child prostitution.
Language:
Language includes "asses," "damn," "fart," "bastard," "goddamn," "hell," "piss," and more. Characters also use ethnic references like "guido" and "Jew."
Consumerism:
Some brands mentioned by name or displayed on screen -- Bulgari jewelry, Diet Pepsi, etc.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
Characters smoke plenty of cigarillos and cigarettes and drink beer and hard alcohol. The villain finances his research through drug trafficking.
More on The Spirit
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Review It
Based on 5 parent & educator reviews:
- 60% say violence is an issue
- 60% say sexual content is an issue
Most useful reviews by all members
ilikemusik23
adult
adult
No Spirit Here...
While i was very excited to see this movie and has been waiting the whole year to see it, i have to say this is the WORST movie i have seen in quite a while. Yes the style of the film is cool, but the acting and story are GOD AFWUL!!! DONT EVEN RENT THIS!!!
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nodeb8
adult
adult
HOW DID THIS GET RATED PG-13? I am appauled at how unreliable the rating system has become!!
I am sorry, but there is no way I would even bring my 15 yr old to this movie. Thank you CommonSense Media for being here to inform concerned parents!!
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MayorMaypop
teen, 15 years old
teen, 15 years old
not a good movie, not clean, boring.
bad movie, weak plot, boring over all, alot of sexual content, nudity, conversations are inapropreate, highly sexual. dont watch this
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starwars reviewer
kid, 13 years old
kid, 13 years old
Whoah! How much more CAN you love your city?
The spirit appears to have a rather disturbing affection to his city, noting her wrinkles and smoothness. Still, he seems to get every woman, no matter how inanimate! I mean really, is it possible to attract that many people? Then again, it cannot be hard seeing as the city was just a backdrop, with only a few inhabitants. The streets were bare, and no one seemed to notice the CRUEL VIOLENCE HAPPENING IN THE STREETS! Tha acting was wooden, the scenes were bleak and terrible and... Samuel L. Jackson! I love his acting! What could have pushed him to this? Mabye those insideous eggs he keeps blabbering on about. This is a terrible and violent movie, with nudity and blood. I can say if you are a fan of the Spirit comics, prepare to be blown away! And no, not the way you may think.
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kmichael97
parent of 19 year old
parent of 19 year old
under-rated
might be in black and white kinda but it isnt the average superhero movie. bloody and kinda of brutal. like the part when the octopus explodes and his rib flies into the wall and a chunk of meat falls off the rib. pretty bad sexuality. and violent gunwise. but what the hell!!!! it was a great movie i loved it!!!!!
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Synchronicity
teen, 18 years old
teen, 18 years old
Don't listen to the critics...this is a great film
Every so often, there's a movie that most critics (supposedly) hate, but is a really good film. The Spirit is one of those types of movies. The people who've reviewed The Spirit probably don't know who Frank Miller is, and if the reviewer does know, (s)he doesn't know that this was his directorial debut. If you liked Sin City, no doubt you'll like this film. In terms of content, I think this film was pretty close to an R. This was pretty violent for a PG-13, with shootings, stabbings and lots of blood; however, this movie's in a film-noir style, so the blood looks fake. There are graphic scenes of a severed finger and a ribcage, though. There was also quite a bit of sexual content, such as when Sand makes multiple copies of her butt, throws one of the pictures at someone, and says the person made an a-- of himself. I was laughing pretty hard at that scene as well as The Octopus dressed as a Nazi (but in a humorous context). Other than these issues and a few uses of "godd-mn" by the police officer dude, this is a great movie.
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Parker H.
teen, 16 years old
teen, 16 years old
Funny
I have never read the comic book but the movie was funny and action packed. I don't agree with the age meter because there is mild sexual talk and violence. But the violence is comical and not serious and bloody. You do see a woman's butt and her bare frontal silhouette. (She makes copies of her butt on a copy machine which is funny.)
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tim45
adult
adult
Good comic book adaption film
This movie was good. the action scenes were very stylized. also this film had very funny parts in it. the violence was pretty bad for a pg-13 film. it had a bloody scene in it. the actors/actresses did their job like they were supposed to. the only main problem with this film was that in didn't show the city enough. overall, the film is enjoyable to watch. the action scenes are great. some dialougue was cheesy, but that's how it is supposed to be. frank miller, well done.
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SACYUC
teen, 15 years old
teen, 15 years old
Good film, but not the best i have ever seen.
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Errweb
teen, 17 years old
teen, 17 years old
A movie only for action fans
It is quite a good movie, for people who like action, but there are some action scenes, brief nudity and sexual content which isn't age appropriate. The style of the movie is pretty good, but the acting is ludicrous. Personally I also found this movie quite slow in the begining.
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NDC
kid, 11 years old
kid, 11 years old
This is just the worst movie ever. I watched the first 5 minutes of it and decided i hated it. I don't recommend this to anyone.
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