Spawn (1997)
Average Rating: 4/10
Reviews Counted: 42
Fresh: 8 | Rotten: 34
Spawn is an overbearing, over-violent film that adds little to the comic book adaptation genre.
Average Rating: 4/10
Critic Reviews: 10
Fresh: 2 | Rotten: 8
Spawn is an overbearing, over-violent film that adds little to the comic book adaptation genre.
liked it
Average Rating: 2.8/5
User Ratings: 167,924
Movie Info
One of the most popular independent comic books of its decade was transformed into this dark, bloody adventure intended to launch a profitable superhero franchise. Michael Jai White stars as Al Simmons, a corrupt assassin betrayed and murdered by his evil government supervisor, Jason Wynn (Martin Sheen). Sent to Hell, Simmons is offered a chance to return to the earthly plane if he will become a "Hellspawn" ("Spawn" for short), one of many super-powered creatures assigned to encourage living
Aug 1, 1997 Wide
Apr 22, 1998
New Line Home Entertainment
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Cast
-
John Leguizamo
Clown -
Michael Jai White
Al Simmons/Spawn -
Martin Sheen
Jason Wynn -
Theresa Randle
Wanda -
Melinda Clarke
Jessica Priest -
Miko Hughes
Zack -
Sydni Beaudoin
Cyan -
Nicol Williamson
Cogliostro -
D.B. Sweeney
Terry Fitzgerald -
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All Critics (42) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (8) | Rotten (34) | DVD (7)
The film gives you the pleasurably junky sensation of living inside an apocalyptic videogame.
A moodily malevolent, anything-goes revenge fantasy that relies more upon special visual and digitally animated effects for its intended appeal than any comics-derived sci-fier to date.
This hopelessly redundant action gross-out aspires to a form of hip vacuousness -- and may achieve it.
Dippé, an old SFX hand, needs to think about how to tell a story.
Top CriticThe nonsensical screenplay can barely stand-up to the hellzapoppin,' Beelzebubbin' effects mustered by first-time director Mark Dippe.
As a visual experience, Spawn is unforgettable.
Has aged about as well as a banana in the sweltering sun...
As a movie, 'Spawn' can't make up its mind what it wants to be any more than its protagonist knows who he is or what he wants to be.
What it doesn't have is much of a plot.
It's simply a parade of toys and tricks, without a jot of playfulness, knowing humour or campery to endear itself.
Most of the rest of the cast suffocates beneath mountains of special-effects makeup.
The movie definitely lost something in the translation.
A would-be cult film carefully constructed from parts of other cult films.
Annoying.
An ugly, ugly film that makes no sense.
Great literature hardly ever translates to the screen ...
Spawn is a far from perfect movie, but interesting enough to make me look forward to the inevitable sequel.
... the filmmakers filled their film with tons of FX, leaving little place to action scenes.
The movie belongs to Jai White, whose eyes, voice and movements lock the audience into his heart and struggle.
A misguided attempt to sanitize a concept whose most distinctive trait is its darkness.
It is merely redundant, a now-familiar plot of gloom-soaked heroism decked out with the expected trappings of perpetually rainy alleys, Gothic spires and a couple of explosions.
Audience Reviews for Spawn
Super Reviewer
The other fantasy based creatures are also really well created, 'Clown' especially...very dark, humorous and quite chilling. Leguizamo played him brilliantly swinging from nasty, vicious and cheeky with the bat of an eyelid. Best thing about the film easily.
'Violator' is also pretty cool looking in life size model form yet like a lot of the film the CGI version is pretty lame and ruins it. CGI is a problem with this film as its loaded with it, almost everything is CGI and frankly not much is any good. It ranges from excellent on 'Spawns' cape to poor videogame type visuals on most other things. Hell being the worst with a terrible looking 'Malebolgia' and very plain unexciting looking backdrops which look like a school kid created it at home.
The acting is hammy and in general its very cheesy. This film yearns to be harder and more violent (like the comic). It is dark and 'Crow' like for sure but its so watered down its quite painful.
Despite that it does have a certain charm which appeals to me, its dark 'Batman' like world with hellish creatures and brooding anti heroes still manages to be enjoyable. 'Spawn' being a very likeable character, 'Wynn' is also suitably creepy, 'Bishop' is changed to a female for some reason but pretty hot with some nice gun/blade action and altogether with a thumping soundtrack this is a reasonable film.
But I still wonder what it could of been, what it could of achieved had it been made for adults as it should of been. Visually its pleasing if you like this kind of thing and it still beats 'Ghost Rider' any day of the week.
Super Reviewer
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- Clown: Peek a boo! I see you!
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- Al Simmons/Spawn: Just get me to a hospital.
- Clown: A hospital? Have you looked in a mirror lately, burnt man walking? Even the entire cast of 'E.R.' couldn't put you back together again.
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Latest News on Spawn
February 19, 2013:
Todd McFarlane Says the Spawn Reboot Is Still HappeningAnd he claims an Oscar-winning actor is ready to star, too. (Fingers crossed for Roberto Benigni!)
August 22, 2007:
Todd McFarlane, New Wizard of OzAccording to Variety, Todd McFarlane (creator of Spawn) will be working with screenwriter Josh Olson...
July 6, 2007:
"Bat" Bits: "Dark Knight" Casting, Justice League, and ... Spawn?Man oh man, "The Dark Knight" just keeps sounding cooler and cooler -- new castmembers,...
Fresh Links
Featured
Movie: ID: 13886 Title: Spawn Release Date: 1997-08-01 00:00:00.0 MPAA: 3 Status: 1
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