History Film / TheSpirit

** Denny rises from his grave in a manner similar to [[KillBill The Bride]].

* DeathByCameo: FrankMiller. ''Again!''

* DirtyOldMan: FrankMiller

* {{Fanservice}}: It's a Frank Miller film. With Creator/ScarlettJohansson, Creator/EvaMendes, Paz Vega and Jaime King. You work it out.

* AdaptationDistillation: According to some. AdaptationDecay according to others. It depends on what one gets out of the original stories.

* AdaptationDistillation: According to some.

** Thankfully the actor playing the clones is only credited as being "Athos, Etc." in the end titles.

* ActorAllusion: Creator/SamuelLJackson's character just ''can't'' shut up [[{{Sphere}} about how much he loves eggs]].
** When Jackson opens the chest, it glows much like the briefcase in ''Film/PulpFiction''.
*** And he's [[Anime/AfroSamurai dressed like a samurai]].
** Creator/EvaMendes [[Film/GhostRider had a relationship with someone who can't really die.]] They even have a flashback with TimeShiftedActors!

* DoingItForTheArt: FrankMiller lavished love and ham on every single frame. Creator/SamuelLJackson in particular seems having the most fun with it.

* HeyItsThatGuy: Retroactively. Officer Morgenstern is played by Stana Katic, currently Detective Kate Beckett on ''Series/{{Castle}}''.
** As chief Dolan said she would, she made Detective in no time.
** Also retroactively, The Spirit is [[{{Suits}} Harvey Specter]].

* ActorAllusion: SamuelLJackson's character just ''can't'' shut up [[{{Sphere}} about how much he loves eggs]].

* DoingItForTheArt: FrankMiller lavished love and ham on every single frame. SamuelLJackson in particular seems having the most fun with it.

** '''''[[SamuelLJackson I'M GONNA KILL YOU ALL KINDS OF DEAD!!!]]'''''

* LargeHam: They are indeed ordered in large quantities, and SamuelLJackson delivers with customary gusto. [[ChewingTheScenery The green screen will never be the same again]].

* VictoriasSecretCompartment:
** Silken Floss at the end.
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic: The Octopus bashes the Spirit with ''[[TakeThatUs the severed head of Frank Miller]]''.

* MyNameIsNotDurwood:
** "''Heracles''? I always thought it was pronounced ''Hercules''!"
** This line [[LampshadeHanging hangs a lampshade]] on the fact that the Romanized version of the name (Hercules) has generally replaced the original Greek (Heracles) in popular culture.

* FootFocus: There's a rather lengthy focus on the Spirit and Plaster of Paris running through the snow in their bare feet.

This is for the 2008 film version of ''The Spirit''; for the comic series, see [[TheSpirit here]].

** An accidentally predictive one for Stana Katic, that she'll make [[{{Series/Castle}} detective]].

* AffectionateParody:
** Of comic books. (Though more of deliberately decadent, exploitive action comics than of the medium in general.)
** SelfParody: Frank Miller claims this was his intention.

*** [[spoiler:It's implied that he'll be regenerated from the finger that Silken Floss put in her VictoriasSecretCompartment.

* ParodyRetcon: During filming and promotion, Miller and co. talked like it was a serious movie in tribute to the comics and Eisner in general. Then the movie actually came out and...

In Central City, rookie cop Denny Colt [[BackFromTheDead returns from the dead]] as a private detective, known only as "The Spirit," to fight crime. After he finds his nemesis, The Octopus, in a mud hole, [[FemmeFatale Sand Saref]] uncovers two chests in water nearby. She tries to flee with both chests, but the Octopus shoots at her, snapping the line that connects the chests together. After a fight with The Spirit, The Octopus takes the remaining chest and escapes with one of his thugs.

The Octopus wanted the mystical Blood of Heracles to become immortal and Sand wanted the Golden Fleece of the Argonauts, but both ended up with the wrong one. The Spirit must track down and stop The Octopus before he trades chests with Sand, becoming immortal.

* AxCrazy: This does not even '''begin''' to describe The Octopus.

** Octopus just loves his eggs...except for when they're thrown at his face. They never are in the film, but he considers any embarrassment or failure (as well as most attacks on his face) akin to one. And doesn't take kindly them.
** Never hurt a cat in front of The Spirit.

** InUniverse, The Spirit loves his Central City, he REALLY LOVES it.

** The bellboy was a dwarf...

* CloningBlues: The Octopus' Henchmen are all ([[ExpendableClone extremely expendable]]) clones. So expendable in fact that, at one point, the only reason The Octopus doesn't kill some is because "they're running out."

* TheEndOrIsIt: [[spoiler:Silken Floss, along with Adios and Amigos, escapes into the fog with The Octopus's finger.]]

** It's implied that he'll recover from the finger that Silken Floss put in her VictoriasSecretCompartment.

* FootFocus: There's a rather lengthy focus on The Spirit and Plaster of Paris running through the snow in their bare feet.
* FriendlyEnemy: Oddly enough, The Octopus shows shades of this during his first fight with The Spirit.

** ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Including the Commissioner, who delivers a WhatTheHellHero at Spirit after the Octopus kills two of his cops, but gives him one last chance.
* FromASingleCell: Both The Spirit and The Octopus already have this, but The Octopus strives for CompleteImmortality.
* FunnyBackgroundEvent: On The Octopus' "butcher's chart" of The Spirit, there are dotted lines going around his mask and tie.
** Also, Morgenstern's facial expressions when The Spirit is talking to the commissioner.

* GroinAttack:
** The Octopus on The Spirit. With a ''9 foot lug wrench''. Ow.

* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:Sand Saref, Plaster of Paris, and Silken Floss...y'know, all the beautiful evil women.]]

** And death incarnate. And the CITY.
** Let's re-emphasize: THE ANGEL OF DEATH IS IN LOVE WITH THE SPIRIT!

-->'''Spirit''': ''(to The Octopus)'' Why do you KEEP saying that?!

** And The Octopus's apparent egg fetish...

* ScrewTheRulesIHaveSupernaturalPowers: What The Octopus ''plans'' on doing once he gets his MacGuffin.

* SharpDressedMan: Both The Octopus and The Spirit.

** Iger Street, Old Man Kurtzberg, Ditko Delivery -- all names of comic book artists. An Eisner drawing of The Spirit is shown as well.
** According to the movie credits, the "butcher's chart" of The Spirit was drawn by GeofDarrow.

** Starts pretty serious but, then, it becomes downright silly.
** Then again the comics the movie was based on slide all over the scale too.

** Well, he tried to make a smart clone. But the results were just... [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5xWXJpSvzM plain damn weird]].

* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: Because The Octopus and The Spirit are immortal.

* ToiletHumor: The Octopus ''knows'' that toilets are always funny. So he picks one up and [[ImprovisedWeapon smacks The Spirit with it]].

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic: The Octopus beats the Spirit with ''[[TakeThatUs the severed head of Frank Miller]]''.
* WhoWantsToLiveForever: The Spirit hopes that he can die...someday...

** An accidentally predictive one for Stana Katic that she'll make [[Series/Castle detective]]

*** And he's [[AfroSamurai dressed like a samurai]].

* RefugeInAudacity:
** The fact that the Octopus is black (and a tad insane) is main reason he was able to PutOnTheReich without looking like a giant asshole. Though none of his outfits really make sense.
** Three of his outfits (Kabuki, Nazi, Russian pimp) reflect America's past enemies.

** EvaMendes [[Film/GhostRider had a relationship with someone who can't really die.]] They even have a flashback with TimeShiftedActors!

* {{Fanservice}}: It's a Frank Miller film. With ScarlettJohansson, Eva Mendes, Paz Vega and Jaime King. You work it out.

* DeadLittleSister: Sand's father.

** When Jackson opens the chest, it glows much like the briefcase in ''PulpFiction''.