Spawn: Director's Cut (1997)

Spawn: Director's Cut (1997)

Dir. Mark A.Z. Dippé

Even after making the usual allowances in all but story for a B-Movie production, Spawn's live action introduction is still a bag of shit.

A voiceover and montage provide some groundwork for folks who didn't read the comic book before suffering the movie, but it feels more like a rushed afterthought, a quick fix for an overlooked necessity.

Many of the events in lead character Al's life are taken directly from the comics: he's an assassin for the US government; he has a partner but no children; he makes a Faustian deal without giving it much thought, etc. The pact with Hell means we needed the clown to be there, too, but he's an insufferable turd that further sullies every scene he's in.

The FX budget appears to have been blown on realising the Violator and Spawn's red cape, leaving just a few dollars to create Malebolgia and the entirety of Hell. As such, the horrors of the fiery pit are horrific for all the wrong reasons.

It's rare that I give a damn about franchise reboots, but in Spawn's case it'd be entirely justified, to wipe away the stain left by the first attempt.

- Grrrr. Arrrr. Unhhh. Evil stuffs. I'm Malebolgia, bitches, in the hell of bad CGI. -