Blu-ray Review: Incredibles 2 (2018)

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Coming off the heels of a string of smash successes centered on talking toys, bugs, monsters, and fish, Pixar's sixth feature film was a radical departure for the always surprising computer animation house.

Revolving around not only human beings – who in 2004 had only ever been in the periphery of other Pixar releases up until that point – but superheroes at that, Brad Bird's The Incredibles managed the impossible task of delighting children with its fast-paced excitement as well as adults who undoubtedly appreciated the film's emphasis on family overall.

Though a focal point of other superhero fare including the Justice League, X-Men, or Avengers, which were subtextually built upon the idea of choosing your own surrogate family, Bird's Incredibles took the term "family picture" to a new literal level. And in doing so, he dared to make the ordinary extraordinary, which is the theme carried over in this 2018 sequel which picks up precisely where the previous film left off in spite of a fourteen year gap.

"Done properly, parenting is a heroic act," my favorite supporting player, technical super suit designer Edna Mode (voiced by Bird) says to a stressed-out Bob Parr aka Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) in Incredibles 2.

Not allowed to moonlight as a "Super" anymore, in the film, Bob experiences a role reversal with his wife Helen aka Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) after the superhero program is shut down because, as Rick Dicker (now voiced by Jonathan Banks) explains, "politicians don't understand people who do good simply because it's right."

Recruited by the private sector in the form of Bob Odenkirk's telecom giant Winston Deavor who, along with his sister Evelyn (Catherine Keener) is working to "make all supers legal again," with his connections, lobbyists, and by embedding super suits with tiny cameras for a PR campaign, soon Helen is employed full-time because she causes less property damage than her Incredible spouse.

Enjoying the perks of the job from a new Elasticycle to a luxurious temporary home for her loved ones since the Parrs are still in hiding since their last adventure, though initially cautious, soon the former stay-at-home Supermom falls back into the routine of her younger mohawk days, which amazingly Bird and company didn't bring to life in flashback.

And as Bob juggles solving complex math problems for son Dash, inadvertently embarrassing daughter Violet in front of her crush, and realizing Jack-Jack's alarming and quickly out of control super powers, Helen takes center stage in the lightning paced sequel’s most impressive sequence as she races to stop a runaway hovertrain.

While the action in the original feature was one of its benchmarks, following Brad Bird's work directing one of the most jaw-dropping Mission: Impossible films yet via Ghost Protocol in between the two Incredibles, Elastigirl's adrenaline pumping, highly cinematic hovertrain rescue thrills on the same level as a live action tentpole movie.

Although admittedly, one fight scene amid blinding white flashing lights later on in the film should necessitate an epilepsy warning before the film even begins – and indeed movie theaters alerted attendees during its initial run – Incredibles 2 never lets the epically executed action get in the way of its family-centric message.

Working together literally and metaphorically, as the rest of the Parrs including Samuel L. Jackson's "Uncle" Lucius aka Frozone predictably jump into the picture's ultimate showdown, the film still drives home the picture's overarching theme while reinforcing the lesson of its predecessor, namely that the family of distinct individuals are – like the rest of us – stronger when united.

Comprised of two Blu-rays, one DVD, and a code for a digital copy of the film, Disney Pixar fills the three disc set with a wide variety of bonus material such as behind-the-scenes featurettes, mini-docs exploring multiple characters and more, which has been the studio’s M.O. since the beginning.

And given that the production schedule was moved up a year after Pixar flipped the release date of Incredibles 2 with Toy Story 4, some of the disc’s extras (including ten deleted scenes) hint at storylines and ideas Bird has acknowledged he had to cut for time, which cast members are hoping might pay off in a third entry.

More about the people behind the quest than the quest itself, even though there are nods to previous genre favorites like Burton's Batman and Raimi's Spiderman 2, Incredibles 2 is a refreshing variation for those suffering from superhero overload.

Using the opportunity of a new release to showcase another stellar short film, in addition to Bao, be sure to look for the delightful Incredibles short Auntie Edna that – fitting into the overall narrative – plays like a five-minute deleted scene and gives us a chance to see Edna and Jack-Jack in action.

Amusing enough to make me think that Edna (and therefore Bird) could follow in the footsteps of Finding Nemo's Dory and have their own fabulous spin-off, even if this isn't the case, it's safe to say that with their history of Incredibly outside-the-box thinking, whatever Pixar cooks up next will be sure to blow our minds.

Text ©2018, Film Intuition, LLC; All Rights Reserved. http://www.filmintuition.com Unauthorized Reproduction or Publication Elsewhere is Strictly Prohibited and in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.  FTC Disclosure: Per standard professional practice, I may have received a review copy or screener link of this title in order to voluntarily decide to evaluate it for my readers, which had no impact whatsoever on whether or not it received a favorable or unfavorable critique. Cookies Notice: This site incorporates tools (including advertiser partners and widgets) that use cookies and may collect some personal information in order to display ads tailored to you etc. Please be advised that neither Film Intuition nor its site owner has any access to this data beyond general site statistics (geographical region etc.) as your privacy is our main concern.

Blu-ray Review: RoboCop (2014)

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Alternate Title: Robocop; OmniCorp

Before filming even began on the long-awaited reboot of the RoboCop character that director Paul Verhoeven first introduced us to via his own unique blend of nihilistic Kubrickian political satire and ultraviolent dystopian free-for-all in his eponymous 1987 original, the director assigned to the remake called his friend and fellow moviemaking countryman in the form of City of God co-helmer Fernando Meirelles to vent.

Likening the Hollywood studio system of filmmaking by committee to “hell,” the man that had been hired to replace Darren Aronfsky to head up the reboot – acclaimed Elite Squad series and Bus 174 Brazilian filmmaker José Padilha – confessed to Meirelles that he was having “the worst experience of his life” making the movie.

Not ready to throw in the towel altogether – especially given the incredible talent involved, optimistically, he predicted that RoboCop would still be “good” in spite of the challenges.

However, given Padilha’s cinematic background and interest in exploring socioeconomic terrain onscreen, it wasn’t hard to read between the lines of Meirelles’s account of their conversation to understand that the satiric potential of RoboCop to explore timely issues (like corporate defense contracts) that had drawn Padilha to the project were being quickly removed from the final draft.

Yet instead of offering him the chance to navigate the whys and hows that can add shade or dimensionality to the thin line between wrong or right in the film, Padilha was being stifled by suits nervous that screen evidence of a higher IQ might threaten the pleasure (read: box office potential) to be had by viewers just hoping for a Michael Bay-like popcorn picture.

For honestly at times in the CG-heavy explosion sequences, that’s what this new version of RoboCop resembles more than anything else – a lengthy lead-in or teaser (weirdly made by a rival studio) – designed to tie in to Bay’s latest Transformers entry.

Likewise, given his revealing confession that “for every ten ideas he has, nine are cut,” you get the feeling that the prospect of hiring an idea guy (like an Aronofsky or a Padilha) sounded great to the studio in theory. Unfortunately, in reality, they should’ve just gone for a by-the-numbers helmer of the Bay school of film direction to deliver stylish, shiny sequences of spectacle over substance (as men battle machines ad infinitum) without the sophistication of imbuing the movie with so much intellect that we're left thinking about it beyond the final credits.

For unfortunately one of the biggest crimes in taking away Padilha’s creativity was – for all the ideas that they took away – obviously the one that would’ve been the most necessary in making the film work would’ve been in deciding how to best use their charismatic lead (in the form of The Killing and Easy Money’s Joel Kinnaman) effectively.

Of course, this is nothing new and a flaw of the original as well as our one-dimensional police officer turned eponymous hero was pretty thinly drawn – damn near on par with an extra aside from his movie star charm and formulaic sympathy-bait moments that help endear him to the audience early on.

In a gallant attempt to right a Verhoeven wrong, the remake tries to punch up his pre-RoboCop home life a little bit more but an extra moment or two of domestic happiness isn't enough to remedy the problem altogether as we're still left with a bland lead.

Fleshing out his role ever so slightly with some charming scenes that spotlight his relationship with his son and loving wife (played by the gifted but under-utilized Abbie Cornish), unfortunately once Kinnaman’s cop gets his robotic makeover, the overall film fails Kinnaman almost as much as Padilha by giving him very little to do.

Offering some terrific scene-stealing opportunities to its standout supporting cast featuring an impressive array of talents you’d typically find in an Oscar bait fall release, the ensemble cast headed up by Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Jackie Earle Haley, Jennifer Ehle, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, and Samuel L. Jackson class up the picture whenever they’re onscreen.

Namely, with Cornish and Kinnaman also included, the film’s saving grace is in its remarkable company of actors – most of whom would never be included on a typical shortlist of A-list names to consider for a big-budgeted blockbuster.

Therefore, just like with the assignment of Padilha and the initial attempt to recruit Aronofsky to take up the helm, I do need to salute whoever is behind-the-scenes calling the shots as a fan of cinema, even if unfortunately due to studio mandates, they’re unable to allow those they hire the chance to truly be free to make the films they desperately want to make.

Nonetheless, like a painter who’s just been given a new collection of hues, Padilha does have the chance to create some breathtaking images with all of the new supplies at his disposal.

As referenced earlier, the film’s action sequences are particularly outstanding including an inventive shootout that’s filmed like a cross between laser tag and Tron— blending mixed media of CG and real visuals with a triumphant score by composer Pedro Bromfan to ratchet up the pulse-pounding tension.

Unfortunately, these moments are few and far between as in the end, the darkness of the dystopian-tinged picture is way too dominant in its dull lighting, requiring you to crank up your television’s most unnaturally bright picture settings in order to compensate and take everything in, even on this otherwise stellar 1080p Blu-ray high definition presentation (screened on a 240hz television).

Removing the overt crucifixion motifs and religious overtones of Verhoeven’s original, for those just content to turn their minds off and enjoy surface level commercial entertainment that never even attempts to plunge into the ultra timely and ever-topical narrative for greater meaning or depth, you’ll enjoy this capably executed yet immediately forgettable remake.

While Michael Keaton’s character as a brilliant yet opportunistically amoral mad scientist goes way too unrealistically far off the deep end way too fast, it’s still great to see the actor onscreen again, even if you get the feeling that like Padilha, Keaton was perhaps more attracted to the film’s satirical potential than he was in its popcorn movie outcome.

Foolishly timed to a Valentine’s Day release, while it essentially underwhelmed audiences in the United States who were far more interested in relatively original efforts like Ride Along and the surprisingly subversive satire disguised as traditional family fodder The Lego Movie, familiarity sold well overseas as RoboCop garnered more than three hundred million dollars in box office earnings.

Rewarding the taste of comfort food over food for thought, RoboCop is the latest exercise in lather, rinse, and repeat filmmaking that makes me hope they’ll get the knots out before the next reboot (as this follows Endless Love and Carrie for unnecessary celluloid recycling).

While it isn’t guilty of any crimes against moviegoers or cinema at large on its own, the one thing it’s innocent of is using the people it brought aboard to their maximum potential vs. international box office appeal.

For even the cop in Robocop would have to agree that just because you have the right to reboot, it doesn’t mean you should as sometimes you should use the right to remain silent until you have something original to say… provided you’re given the opportunity to say it.

Text ©2014, Film Intuition, LLC; All Rights Reserved. http://www.filmintuition.com Unauthorized Reproduction or Publication Elsewhere is Strictly Prohibited and in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.  FTC Disclosure: Per standard professional practice, I may have received a review copy of this title in order to evaluate it for my readers, which had no impact whatsoever on whether or not it received a favorable or unfavorable critique.

DVD Review: Oldboy (2013)

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“Reparations must be made,” Joe Doucett (Josh Brolin) is warned by a man calling himself ‘The Stranger’ (Sharlto Copley) at the other end of an iPhone that was given to Joe that he barely knows how to use but reparations for what, Joe Doucett has no idea.

Having been kidnapped and held captive in a monitored hotel room-like prison for twenty years with nothing but a television available to fill him in on the events occurring in the outside world, Joe has dedicated the remainder of his life to figuring out the identity of the man who placed him there and why.

But as the formerly selfish, manipulative adman who lied for a living realizes far too late, the real mystery isn’t why he was taken but why he was released as those reparations come back to the forefront in the film’s final act.

Awakening in the middle of a field in an oversized Louis Vuitton trunk with the aforementioned phone in his pocket along with a wad of cash and sunglasses to shield his eyes from the daylight he hasn’t seen in so long, Joe emerges in a fast-paced, technologically advanced world, physically drained but mentally ready for revenge.

Having been framed for the brutal murder of his ex-wife when his DNA was collected and planted without his knowledge – in addition to finding the person who’d ruined his life and killed his wife, he’s determined to track down his now-grown daughter whose fleeting image he’s seen on true crime television specials over the years.

Though he’d barely made time for his daughter before his capture, in addition to the objects he’s been given, Joe carries with him the only thing he possesses that's of significance from his time away in the form of a pillowcase full of letters he’d written to his daughter over the years.

In fact, it was only after seeing a brief video of her playing the cello on TV that Joe cleaned up his act and made the change from from a prisoner who’d given in and hit rock bottom to transforming into a dedicated man on a mission by giving up alcohol and getting into shape to prepare himself for the release he somehow knew would come.

Relying on a childhood friend (played by Michael Imperioli) as well as a beautiful young community health worker (Elizabeth Olsen) who has overcome her own difficulties, Joe sets out on a journey of his past to find The Stranger that’s determined to control his fate.

A visceral piece of pulse-pounding revenge cinema, Spike Lee’s Oldboy feels like a '70s era exploitation tinged remake of the 2003 Korean word-of-mouth arthouse smash by the same name from director Chan-wook Park.

And while this no-holds-barred picture’s attention to lurid detail ensures that all of the shocking revelations and thrills found in the original show up in some form or another, it doesn’t have the same sense of urgency that the previous film did.

In Lee’s hands, you feel as though you’re being pulled in way too many directions at once and while there are a number of fascinating supporting characters that steal focus, it doesn’t have the rawness or immediacy of the original.

However, to be fair to Lee, there’s no telling how much the final cut of the film is actually the way he’d intended it to be as Oldboy notably lacks his signature stamp of filmmaker approval as a “Spike Lee Joint,” with the credit for the 2013 Sony release listed merely as a Spike Lee Film.

While obviously I’m speculating here, knowing what I do about the filmmaker, his oeuvre and in particular his reverence for Budd Schulberg and Paddy Chayefsky (via films such as A Face in the Crowd and Network to which he'd alluded in Bamboozled) and the intriguing use of subjective reality evidenced throughout Doucett’s hotel room television, I wondered if he was aspiring to play up this angle.

Given the final act of the film’s argument that people believe what they see on television, I was curious if he was hoping to add a new pop cultural commentary or satirical spin to what would otherwise be simply a straightforward American remake of a foreign hit.

Though the controversial Greek tragedy worthy twist remains, while all in all, the 2003 work is superior, Lee’s film actually gives Oldboy a darker, more daring, yet eerily fitting conclusion that once again comments on crime, reparations and punishment and will perhaps play even better to Western audiences.

An unlikely addition to Lee’s filmography as it currently stands, while I would certainly love to see his definitive cut of the film, unfortunately besides yet another riveting turn by chameleon-like actor Josh Brolin and some intriguing pop cultural issues that could make for fascinating post-film discussion, there’s not a lot left to recommend in this new look at cinema’s Oldboy.

Text ©2014, Film Intuition, LLC; All Rights Reserved. http://www.filmintuition.com Unauthorized Reproduction or Publication Elsewhere is Strictly Prohibited and in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.  FTC Disclosure: Per standard professional practice, I may have received a review copy of this title in order to evaluate it for my readers, which had no impact whatsoever on whether or not it received a favorable or unfavorable critique.

Blu-ray Review: Changing Lanes (2002)

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Obviously it’s an understatement to say that life is full of contradictions but an especially challenging one is trying to figure out when to remain still and when to fight back.

It’s a lesson that’s extraordinarily hard to pass on to the next generation—wanting to ensure that they don’t become violent bullies but at the same time (or at least it my point-of-view) reminding them that if they are being struck, it’s definitely okay to stand up for themselves. Provided, that is, that any physical response they make to defend themselves is purely in self defense. But, as we all know when tempers flare-- lines get crossed fast and the victim can become a bully shortly after the first punch is thrown.



Filmmaker Roger Michell’s Changing Lanes—a cinematic representation of an angry moral minefield—raises all of these contradictions and questions shortly after the film begins when two men with completely different backgrounds (both undergoing an overwhelming amount of stress) collide in a traffic accident during the a.m. rush hour on New York’s FDR drive.



Intriguingly, we discover that both men are on their way to settle legal situations. On the one hand we have Samuel L. Jackson as a recovering alcoholic Doyle Gipson who's preparing for his last plea to the family court judge to receive visitation rights to his children. And to balance out the equation, Gipson is matched with Ben Affleck’s smooth-talking yuppie Gavin Banek who is on his way to present an important series of documents in an ethically shady case that’s netted his law firm a ridiculous sum of money.



While it’s Affleck’s speeding Banek that crashes into Gipson, the two begin go through all of the motions they’re supposed to as responsible citizens by trading insurance information and ensuring the other person is okay. However, while Gipson wants to do everything by the book—Banek’s patience wears thin after a few seconds of requisite cordiality before his privileged sense of upper class entitlement and legal ease takes over. After he tries buy off Gipson with a blank check for the damage done to his vehicle, he feels his work is done and-- ignoring Gipson's request for a ride-- Banek leaves the scene of the accident with the thoughtless comment, “better luck next time.”



Although most audience members by now would simply assume that Banek is the villain and Gipson the unlucky hero—both men prove in their subsequent responses over the course of a very long, sinister Good Friday that they’re more than willing to bully and push back. And in doing so, each one ratchets up the level of pain in actions that go well beyond self defense into the realm of deadly serious attacks.

To their credit-- especially since the film is already a bit overly exaggerated and heavy-handed as it is-- filmmaker Michell and his screenwriters Chap Taylor and The Player scribe Michael Tolkin genuinely make an effort to sidestep any major “black and white” racial overtones, aside from one killer scene where Jackson gets the chance to deliver one of his trademark long monologues to two racist strangers while discussing his idea of a perfect Tiger Woods ad.

Yet—and despite the fact that from the earliest scenes the characters are presented on the surface as generic stereotypes (of both “race” and “class”)—Affleck and Jackson bring a great amount of layers to the roles that find them playing decidedly against type. To this end in both the press notes and behind-the-scenes documentaries, the former acknowledged he’d never had the opportunity to really act prior to this film (following Pearl Harbor up with Lanes) and the latter enjoyed the opportunity to play an uncool, unhip square for once.

However, the racial inequities, class struggles, religious symbolism of Good Friday and idea that both men were different levels of ethically ticking time bombs are laced throughout. Although on the surface they appear to have nothing in common—on that particular day when their vehicles and lives intersected and we realize they had an obscene amount to lose, their similar natures come out. As a result, they go into urban warfare using everything at their disposal when Banek tries to manipulate Gipson into giving back an important legal file he accidentally left in his hurried escape from the traffic accident and is too impatient to just meet up and talk things out.



However, life in an untouchable skyscraper gives Banek the edge to seriously destroy at will in an effort to save his career, marriage, and reputation when the file isn’t immediately returned. And although his former lover and colleague (Toni Collette) stars as his “conscience,” she also provides him with the contact information of a man (Dylan Baker) who can speed up the recovery process by taking a white-collar criminal approach to ruining Gipson.



It’s once this particular cyber attack is leveled in destroying Gipson financially that the film (which had already been moving from angry towards ferocious) becomes downright psychopathic and mean-spirited as a sort of twenty-first century version of Falling Down. And accordingly, the men take their frustrations out on each other in the most reprehensible of ways involving frightening Gipson’s children and nearly killing Banek on the road.

At its surface, of course, it's meant to illustrate the lesson that we never know exactly what’s going on in another human being’s life at any given moment. Yet, what started as an ingenious if obviously magnified and slightly dubious thriller of rage-fueled revenge gone wild instead falters given the exaggerated circumstances of the men and consequently turns into an absolutely repugnant depiction of attack and counter-attack run amok.



However, this being said, Lanes was critically lauded upon its initial release for its provocative approach and unabashed depiction of the very worst urges lurking in the hearts of men. Despite this, I feel pretty confident in the assumption that the film would not have been nearly as well received if Michell and his writers hadn’t tacked on a protracted penance filled ending which simply appears out of nowhere like a speeding car as the filmmaker’s attempt to crash some semblance of hope into the narrative.



Bolstered by a brilliant concept and terrific performances—especially by Jackson, Collette, and Sydney Pollack as Affleck’s boss and father in law—the film manages to push well past plausibility and audience empathy for the characters in its grueling final act in its transformations of two ordinary men who become the worst of bullies, never sure if and when they should step back and call a truce or just pummel each other beyond recognition.



And it’s in this strange attempt at marrying these two conclusions after we’ve just experienced one horrific event after another to the point that we no longer care about Banek or Gipson (or honestly 90% of the film’s cast) that made me question the filmmakers motive for Lanes as anything more than just in the end a clunky grown-up version of an after-school special.



Aside from the heavy-handed Good Friday religious symbolism that pervades, the work had enormous potential as a definite morality play set in contemporary America. In fact, seeing the film again now in a world where it seems that every week another citizen goes off the deep end and causes violent chaos in a gory shoot-out, it’s even timelier today than it was in 2002.

However, simplicity instead of exaggeration should’ve been the goal of those involved to try and make the two characters even remotely relatable or worth the investment, in lieu of depositing them in elaborate “schemes” and only-in-Hollywood plot points.



For this is especially the case as it concludes disappointingly with a reaffirmation of the same two stereotypes of the men that had opened the picture rather than making us feel that-- despite the excellent turns of the men portraying them-- Banek and Gipson had really changed all that much after all. Thus, Lane’s “happy ending” is damned in the end because it isn’t genuinely earned in the least as anything over than a convenient screenwriting contrivance.

With the theatrical trailer being the only special feature upgraded to high definition, we’re treated to the familiar yet interesting behind-the-scenes making-of-featurettes the include interviews with the cast and crew, an extended scene and deleted ones. Likewise, it contains a feature length commentary track by the director who-- after Lanes-- moved his career into far creepier territory with the eerie Enduring Love and excellent yet disturbing film The Mother (both of which starred the man who would become James Bond a.k.a. Daniel Craig).

Of particular interest to fellow writers would be the “Writer’s Perspective” extra that includes some insights from Michael Tolkin who was brought into work on the completed screenplay (always a sign that Wonder Boys, The Hours, and No Country for Old Men super producer Scott Rudin knew it was in trouble at the structural stage).

The Blu-ray itself is of excellent quality with first-rate sound throughout in one of the best Paramount soundtracks included on their slate of impressive 5/19 Blu-ray releases (that also included 3 Days of the Condor, Paycheck, Enemy at the Gates, and The Machinist) and a very sharply defined visual presentation that adds extra clarity to some of the tight, boxed-in shots, rapid-cuts, and darkly lit scenes.

Heightening that sense of feeling like a caged claustrophobic victim-- the Blu-ray completely pulls you in with an exceptional transfer of the unique production design and visual style, even if at times you'll have to remind yourself that there's no one you can push back amidst the chaos since after all, it's only just a film.

Blu-ray Review: The Spirit (2008)

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If renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz made a comic book movie, it would probably look a lot like Frank Miller's The Spirit. However, Miller's fingerprints are all over the work which marks his first solo directorial effort, after having collaborated with filmmaker Robert Rodriguez on Sin City (note: Blu-ray review forthcoming) and Zack Snyder on 300. In fact, based on the earliest previews alone-- I initially thought that footage of The Spirit were really clips from the upcoming Sin City 2.

Featuring some of the most gorgeous and talented actresses currently working in the field of cinema today including Eva Mendes, Scarlett Johansson, Paz Vega, Sarah Paulson, and Jamie King-- graphic novel author and artist, the innovative Frank Miller thoroughly relishes in Comic Book Hall of Famer Will Eisner’s original 1930s creation that centered on an everyman hero with a signature red tie and black eye-mask who leaves a string of broken hearts in his wake as he fights for the justice of his true love—Central City.

In the luscious Blu-ray featurette “History Repeats”—just one of several excellent behind-the-scenes featurettes that also give you a history lesson on the world of comics (regardless of what you may have thought of the film), we take an invaluable and knowledgeable insider’s look at the origins at Eisner’s “Urban Zorro” styled 1938 newspaper comic that gave the young man unprecedented power while still in his twenties to ditch the idea of three or four panel imagery in lieu of seven full pages every week.

And with his decision not to make a Superman like ultra-strong superhero, he wanted to go with an everyman--possibly one that most male readers could identify with as Eisner’s protégé Frank Miller jokes that the veteran comic book innovator worked so hard, he seldom had the pleasure of female company so in order to get by, he sublimated by drawing an endless parade of extremely sexy, powerful women all magnetically drawn to the mysterious crime fighter.

As Miller even goes as far to explain—it wasn’t the drawing of the women themselves that provided the ultimate sensuous thrill but the inking of them-- paying loving care to ensuring that every curve was well defined and it’s a dedication that comes through even more today. This is exceptionally evident as Miller went to extensive lengths (far more than Rodriguez did in Sin City) to guarantee—along with his extremely gifted special effects team—that at all times, the women look unbelievable no matter how much chaos they cause or danger from which they flee. Or to put it another way-- they’re a walking and talking version of a Vogue Magazine layout or Vanity Fair spread shot by Liebovitz as Miller went so far as to film a scene featuring Eva Mendes underwater without any water to ensure the end result is spectacular.

But far more than fetishistic in the pre-James Bond comics that may very well have been (although I'm unfamiliar with the source material)-- thankfully Miller rewrote female characters to make them much richer. In doing so he reworked Sarah Paulson’s Ellen Dolan as a surgeon who literally is the only one who knows the Spirit’s body so well that she can stitch him up whenever he’s injured and crafted a brand new, exceptionally bright and psychologically knowledgeable female rookie police officer (Stana Katic) to work alongside the hard-nosed Commissioner Dolan (Dan Lauria). Likewise, he designed a great role as the easily bored but bright Silken Floss (Scarlett Johansson) to be the brainy sidekick to Samuel L. Jackson’s evil Dr. Octopus.

Yet still-- more than 70 years later in Frank Miller's gorgeous feat of artistry in tackling Will Eisner’s work from a purely visual standpoint, ultimately it is the women in the world of The Spirit that hold our attention the most. Sadly, poor Gabriel Macht who takes on the titular role of a former police officer who returns from certain death to fight for justice is a clinically cool, less-than-interesting and underwritten lead who manages to deliver his great Raymond Chandler like film noir dialogue, even though he’s the least interesting one in the lot.

Of course, this isn’t saying much since—aside from Lauria’s Commissioner, Jackson’s deranged Octopus (who goes from western villain to Nazi in a few unintentionally humorous scenes that just don’t work) and Louis Lombardi’s dozens of identically genetically engineered dim-bulb henchmen—Macht is one of the only men in a world filled with women and feline cats.

However, it isn’t just Macht who suffers but also some of the strongest female characters (i.e. Sand Saref, the police officer, Ellen Dolan, Silken Floss) when a few too many supporting players are introduced as merely distraction causing eye-candy including Jamie King’s Angel of Death Lorelai and Paz Vega’s bizarre Plaster of Paris. And soon, it feels like it’s a circus of gorgeous women suffering from the Joel Schumacher era Batman problem of trying to juggle far too many characters in what becomes a disarmingly beautiful but nonsensical circus.

While undoubtedly, one of the major problems in the work involves its structure as a few surprises about the Spirit’s origin. Namely, new converts to the mythology of The Spirit want to know why he’s indestructible as well as how everyone else still assumes he’s dead save for one individual would’ve probably paid off in a far more emotionally satisfying way had they been revealed a bit earlier or more time had been spent fully fleshing out the tale of the man formerly known as Denny Colt who shortly into the film realizes that his childhood sweetheart turned international jewel robber, Sand Saref (Eva Mendes) is back in town and accused of murder.

Although he stayed extremely true to the heart of the original comic, Miller—who is responsible for ushering in the newer vision of a darker Batman that Tim Burton introduced Generation X to two decades back-- decided he wanted to make the comic more violent and raw than Eisner had back in the day.

While initially Miller walked away from the prospect of helming a big-screen adaptation of the work—the rights of which were acquired by Michael E. Uslan in 1992 (following his successful production of Burton’s Batman)-- finally he changed his mind, deciding that he couldn't bear to “let anyone else touch it,” as the production notes reveal. Thus, in what the producers called “a coup” in bringing aboard the man “who was Will’s protégé, peer, friend and battler partner,” as executive producer Deborah Del Prete of OddLot noted, it honoring Uslan’s promise to Eisner in which—as Uslan recalls-- he “swore to Will that nobody would touch The Spirit-- not a company, not a person -- unless they were willing to respect the property and do it the right way.”

And while the intent and passion is in every single frame as in another behind-the-scenes featurette, one of the CGI wizards note that “every shot was a special effect,” allowing Miller the freedom to use his “graphic notepad” to draw everything he wanted to film and show the actors and crew when they arrived on the set which consisted of an entirely green box with green screens and green props—more often than not, it just feels stale and uninviting.

Still, while it’s hard to feel invested in the over-crowded storyline and the fact that the second half is mind-numbingly slow as it grows stranger and stranger, Miller makes up for the narrative shortcomings with mind-blowing use of color including an emphasis on my favorite color combination of red, black, and white (or in my mind a joke to the comic's newspaper origins and the childhood joke of “what’s black and white and read all over?”).

In the end—a digital masterpiece of just how far you can go with the medium (yet one that also serves as a cautionary tale that plot is far more important than picture and perhaps another writer should have been brought on board)—the Blu-ray heightens the experience of The Spirit in what could be used as a visual moving painting you can simply watch and marvel over (while wanting to put the sound on mute).

Filled with audacious effects that can blend together different elements from different decades giving the film an indefinable sense of time period, and along with Matrix cinematographer Bill Pope play with light by “taking things away” using a “subtle variation that there is barely perceptible background” in some scenes—the sound and picture quality of Lionsgate’s first official Lionsgate Live title (that also features Molog), giving greater interactivity to Blu-ray fans by serving Blu-ray owners updateable and exclusive content “such as commentaries, games, ringtones, wallpapers, trailers, and much more via a series of on-screen notifications and widgets,” is phenomenal.

Moreover, it elevates the work despite its shortcomings much like Twentieth Century Fox’s Blu-ray of Max Payne did as well. Likewise it boasts a digital standard edition copy of the film that’s compatible with both Mac and PC for use on your portable devices. And another plus of The Spirit that I’m hoping will catch on with other studios in regards to Blu-ray releases is a completely customizable menu set-up that allows you to adjust its effects as well as the inclusion of bookmarks under the Special Features menu that makes it a bit easier to navigate than some other overly complicated presentations.

Additionally, it also contains an alternate storyboard ending complete with voice-overs by stars Samuel L. Jackson and Gabriel Macht as well as a greater in-depth look at working in an entirely digital “Green World” and more historical features about Miller and Eisner as well as commentary for the feature from Miller and Deborah Del Petre.

And while the film failed to match the importance of screenplay with the art--exceeding far beyond our wildest expectations with Miller’s extraordinary artwork and beautiful way he captures the women of Central City—at just 108 minutes, it’s much easier to digest than the bloated, extreme, misanthropic and even chillier Watchmen, made by his 300 co-director Zack Snyder.