With the recent announcement that Jamie Foxx has been cast in the role of Al Simmons/Spawn in the upcoming reboot, I've decided to revisit the 1997 film and discuss both the triumphs and the follies that were. I'll start by saying that I was an original fan of the comic. I started reading Spawn from the moment issue #1 hit the shelves. Surprisingly, I didn't totally hate the film. Didn't totally love it either.
Spawn is the story of a Special Forces/Black Ops agent named Al Simmons (Michael Jai White). Al is a ruthless killing machine, and he is really good at his job. Al is also a really good husband to Wanda Simmons (Theresa Randle). She is the one thing that lets him forget all of the killing and mayhem that surrounds him when he isn't with her.
The head of Simmons' department, Jason Wynn (Martin Sheen), has set into motion a diabolical plan to shuffle Simmons free from his mortal coil. He baits Simmons to a chemical factory where he uses other agents to dispose of Simmons. Unfortunately, for Wynn, death is only the beginning for Al, and the nightmare for Wynn himself.
Due to his callus waste of human lives, Simmons goes to Hell where he is told that it will be his destiny to lead the armies of hell under orders direct from Malebolgia. All Simmons can think about is getting back to Wanda, and getting his revenge on Wynn. This causes Simmons to strike a deal with the devil; if Simmons can go back and exact his revenge, then Simmons will return to hell in an effort to lead the unholy army against the angels of Heaven's army.
Of course, Malebolgia always stacks the odds you, and it's no different for Al. Upon returning to Earth, Al quickly learns that 5 years have past, and everything has changed. Al finds that Wanda has married Al's former partner and best friend, Terry Fitzgerald (D.B. Sweeney). Al also finds that Wanda has a daughter. Cyan (Sydni Beaudoin) is about 5 years old, so is she Al's daughter, or Terry's?
Al is also terribly burned over his entire body, from going to Hell. This makes him unrecognizable, and terribly frightening. However, Malebolgia did equip Al with some delightfully strange items. Simmons has a suit of body armor that is given to the soldiers in Hell's army. He is also given a living cape, bestowed upon the general of said army. The armor and cape work to protect Al's new form, Spawn.
Spawn is also greeted by two, very different, "teachers". The first is the violent, venomous, vile, Violator! Violator appears as a clown (John Leguizamo). The Clown tries to get Spawn to kill Wynn and set into motion a chemical spill that will send Wynn to Hell to also serve Malebolgia. Then there is Cogliostro (Nicol Williamson). Cogliostro is more of a guiding light that appears in the form of a homeless vagrant. Cogliostro tries to guide Spawn to do good. He tells Al that his future is not set and that he has been given another chance, and that he should use that chance to battle evil on Earth and to reclaim his soul.
Now, we do get some pretty great performances from Michael Jai White, Martin Sheen, and John Leguizamo, but that is to be expected. We also get a cameo by the man himself, Todd McFarlane, as a skid row bum. My issues were not with the cast or the performances. My biggest problem was with the overall story, directing, and effects. This film came out in 1997, but looked like it came out in 1987. The best visual from the comics has long been Spawn's cape. His cape looked friggin' lame in the movie!
Sheen is great as a diabolical, sinister criminal. I loved him in that type of role, and he played it well. However, Leguizamo completely steals the show! I do not believe that The Clown/Violator could have been cast any better. He is seriously the best part of this film. Placed into a hugely grotesque fat suit and covered in prosthetics, you can't even tell who the actor is. Not only that, but he plays the character so well that you can't help but laugh as you hate him more and more.
White played Spawn pretty well, but with a R-rating, that should have been a PG-13, I'm sure that neither White nor McFarlane had the ability to take the film or character of Spawn as far as they needed to to make the film good. I really feel that the film was hindered by the production company and the need to please the ratings board.
I have been so excited, for years, in regards to the reboot of this movie. McFarlane promised an R rated script, and really seemed to take his time crafting the story. Then the news came this week that Jamie Foxx would be playing the lead. My heart sank. My excitement left my body. I am not a fan of Jamie Foxx as an actor. He was great in Ray, but that was because he was doing an impersonation. He's good at that. But anything else I've seen him in, I just couldn't stand his character or the way Foxx played that character.
Now don't get me wrong, I will pay some hard earned money and see the reboot in the theaters. But my expectations have been severely lowered. And maybe that's a good thing? Maybe I will love the movie, even if it ends up being mediocre? Hope it's awesome though!
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