Talking posters? That’s just crazy talk! What’s next? Moving pictures in a flickering box? An interconnected network that instantly shares data around the world at the click of a button? Oh, wait, those things already exist? Fine, then maybe the talking poster for the new comic book turned motion picture The Spirit isn’t that weird after all.
[Click here for the talking poster, but hurry back so we can talk about it!]Roll your mouse over each character (Eva Mendes as Sand Saref, Scarlett Johansson as Silken Floss, Jaime King as Lorelei and out actress Sarah Paulson as Ellen Dolan) and you will hear her signature line. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been using it like a mix machine and making my own talking poster mash-up. It’s kind of fun. Or perhaps I’m just a geek who is too easily amused.
Also amusing, or should I say arresting, is the film’s teaser trailer:
The film is an adaptation of the 40s noir newspaper comic by the same name from writer/artist Will Eisner. In the comic, a young detective is killed only to return as a crime-fighting, mask-wearing vigilante. Gabriel Macht (Because I Said So) plays The Spirit in the film by Frank Miller (writer/director of Sin City and creator of 300). Miller’s last stint behind the camera was the visually stunning but narrative-leaden Sin City. Miller uses that film’s striking graphic novel style again in The Spirit.
The Spirit’s nemesis is the evil The Octopus, played by Samuel L. Jackson. Miller told Entertainment Weekly last year that his take on The Spirit tries to capture the strip’s essence without feeling nostalgic:
“The character has a terrifying side to him. This is a man who’s died and come back to life. So it twists into fantasy. And of course there are tons of women in it. There have to be – it’s The Spirit. They’re all in love with him, and he’s in love with all of them. You might say he’s a bit of a slut.”
And who are these women in love with our slutty hero? Eva plays jewel thief who is the love of his life, but on the wrong side of the law.
Also vying for his affection is the “whip-smart girl-next-door” Ellen Dolan, played by Sarah. While she plays a good girl, I hope Sarah gets to be a little naughty in The Spirit. It’s just more fun that way.
Then there is Silken Floss, who might sound like a dental assistant but is really a “punk secretary and frigid vixen” and right-hand-gal to The Octopus in the film. This is an occupational demotion for original comic strip’s Dr. Floss who was a nuclear physicist and surgeon.
Also, doesn’t Scarlett look remarkable like Nicole Kidman in her poster? Seriously, if her name wasn’t written in big letters I might never have guessed it was her at all.
Rounding out his ladies in waiting are “murderous nightclub dancer” Plaster of Paris (Paz Vega), “sexy young cop” Morgenstern (Stana Katic) and “phantom siren” Lorelei (Jaime King).
So, what do you think? Like the talking poster? Love the femme fatales. Does The Spirit move you to see this film? (Oh, you knew that one was coming.)
