This take on Will Eisner's 1940s comic sees dead cop Denny Colt come back to life as a masked hero called the Spirit (Gabriel Macht) to help the police crack down on crime in his beloved Central City and wage a war against his arch enemy the Octopus (Samuel Jackson).

The film, which combines live action and computer-generated backgrounds to create a real comic book like effect, looks stunning but sadly lacks a coherent story. The plot is confusing - the Octopus tries to get hold of the blood of Heracles with the help of his glamorous hornrim-sporting accomplice Silken Floss (Scarlett Johansson) so he can become immortal and fulfil his aim of world domination. Its all a bit random with other characters such as Denny Colt's childhood sweetheart Sand Serif (Eva Mendes), who appears as a jewel thief, thrown in for good measure. Samuel L Jackson is annoying as the Octopus and many of the slapstick jokes don't work. The amazing visuals can't save The Spirit from falling flat.

Director Frank Miller co-directed Sin City with Robert Rodriguez and it has to be said that was a much better film.