Spawn (film)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Spawn | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Mark A.Z. Dippé |
| Produced by | Clint Goldman Jon Peters |
| Written by | Alan B. McElroy (screenplay and screen story) Mark A.Z. Dippé (screenwriter) Todd McFarlane (comic book) |
| Starring | Michael Jai White John Leguizamo Martin Sheen Nicol Williamson Theresa Randle D. B. Sweeney |
| Distributed by | New Line Cinema |
| Release date(s) | August 1, 1997 |
| Running time | 92 min. (94 min. Director's Cut) |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $40,000,000 |
| Gross revenue | $87,840,042 |
| Followed by | Spawn 2 (2008) |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Spawn is a film adaptation of Todd McFarlane's creator-owned Image comic book of the same name. It was released in the United States on August 1, 1997. The film was directed and co-written by Mark Dippé (a former animator at Industrial Light and Magic) and executive produced by McFarlane and Alan Blomquist. The movie starred Michael Jai White as Al Simmons/Spawn, John Leguizamo as Al's demonic guide and antagonist Clown/Violator, veteran voice actor Frank Welker as the voice of Malebolgia, Melinda Clarke as the assassin Jessica Priest, Nicol Williamson as Al's mentor Cogliostro, Theresa Randle as Al's widow Wanda Blake, D.B. Sweeney as Wanda's husband Terry Fitzgerald, and Martin Sheen as Jason Wynn, Al's former government employer
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[edit] Plot summary
The premise of the movie is similar to the initial storyline of the original comics. Al Simmons, a military soldier/assassin, has been betrayed by a covert government agency head named Jason Wynn. Wynn orders his top assassin, Jessica Priest, to assassinate him. After Simmons dies, he is immediately transported to Hell, where Malebolgia, a demonic ruler of the various realms, offers him a Faustian deal. If Simmons becomes his eternal servant and leader of Hell's army in Armageddon, he will be able to return to Earth to see his beloved fiancee, Wanda Blake. Simmons accepts the offer and is transformed into a Hellspawn, which is a servant of Malebolgia in a necroplasm suit that is not only a living, breathing creature, but is also his only protection in the world.
Once he returns to the land of the living, Simmons learns that five years had passed. Wanda is now remarried to his best friend Terry and living the life he had always longed for, including the daughter he never knew, Cyan. Along his journey in this new life, he encounters a strange clown-like demon called Violator, who acts as a guide to put "Crispy" (as Violator calls Spawn) on the path to evil, and a mysterious old man named Cogliostro, who, as a fellow Hellspawn, teaches Al how to control his energy, which is very sparse. Jason Wynn is now a high-class weapons dealer rather than a government bureaucrat. He is also the ultimate target of the Spawn.
After Spawn killed Jessica Priest, Clown told Jason Wynn to go under a surgery where a device that will be attached to Wynn's heart will trigger the worldwide release of a deadly virus, should his heart stop beating. Spawn confronts Clown (who turns into Violator) and ends up battling him where he loses. Cogliostro manages to help him recover. Spawn learns that Clown and Jason are heading over to Terry's house.
Meanwhile, Terry has just finished an online communication with a fellow newsman that he has sent evidence that will expose Jason Wynn. After the transmission, Cyan enters the room with Jason right behind her. He destroys his computer and holds the family hostage as Clown arrives. When Spawn arrives, he ends up in a fight with Jason Wynn. Spawn doesn't realize that by killing Jason, he will activate the signal that will launch Armageddon. After not killing Wynn and extracting the device, a final battle ensues between Spawn and a transformed Violator, ending with the villain going back to Hell and his reputation is ruined. Spawn's identity is nown known to Terry, Wanda, and Cyan. Jason Wynn ends up arrested. Spawn now having dedicated himself to justice.
[edit] Cameos
At the government-hosted gala, a red-headed woman briefly walks by who is wearing earrings with the Spawn comic book logo. This cameo, albeit brief, is generally considered to be a nod to the angelic Spawn-hunter Angela. Despite her popularity in the comic series, she may have been absent from the film because of ongoing legal disputes between Spawn creator Todd McFarlane and Neil Gaiman, who was hired as a guest writer for Angela's debut issue, Spawn #9.
[edit] Difference from comic
Although the film was based on the comic book series, some details were changed for the theatrical version of Spawn. Terry Fitzgerald, Al Simmons's best friend in his former life and a black man in the comic, was played by D. B. Sweeney, a white man, in the film. McFarlane has explained that this was done by the studio to avoid having too many black leads and creating a perception the film was aimed at just a black target audience.[citation needed]
It is also revealed in the film that Jessica Priest, a white woman, was Al Simmons's murderer. In the comic book series, however, Al Simmon's murderer was originally Chapel, a black male character originally created by Rob Liefeld for the comic Youngblood. However, due to the eventual severing of professional ties between Liefeld and McFarlane, the story may have been altered for the purposes of the film. Chapel remained in the Spawn television series, which premiered on HBO months before the film was released. Additionally, it was later revealed in the comic book series, in a case of questionable retcon, that Jessica Priest was indeed Al Simmons's murderer after all. Also in the film, Simmons worked for an agency called A6, while in the comic book he worked for the CIA.
The nature of Spawn's powers and allies are also different. Cogliostro, for example, while revealed to be Cain in the comics, is here portrayed as an assassin for the church in the fifteenth century, who has forsaken most of his Spawn-based powers apart from a blade that come from his right wrist and is his favored weapon in battle. Also, while Cogliostro does warn Spawn that he will die if his powers are drained, no reference is ever made to Spawn possessing a 'counter' like in the comics, which makes the precise limits of Spawn's powers unclear.
[edit] Reception
Roger Ebert praised the film, awarding it 3½ out of 4 stars, ending his review with, "As a visual experience, Spawn is unforgettable."[1] However, on television, his co-host (at the time), Gene Siskel, said the film lost him a mere 2 minutes after its introduction. The two had a rather heated debate over the film on screen.
Spawn featured, for its time, impressive special effects courtesy of Industrial Light and Magic. Though it received mixed reviews, it was considered a modest box-office success, earning $54.9 million domestically, a little over $87 million worldwide.
[edit] DVD release
There are two versions of the film, the PG-13 version and the R-rated Director's Cut. HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc 10th Anniversary Collectors Edition versions are planned to be released later in 2007. [2] [3]
[edit] DVD Easter Eggs
The Director's Cut DVD contains 2 easter eggs: a Marilyn Manson video[4] and the Clown's backward line[5].
[edit] Clown's backward line
Access the building with 3 doors per the Marilyn Manson Video instructions above. Choose the right door 3 times and allow the animation to complete. Choosing the right door the 4th consecutive time plays the Clown's Backward Line, "?sdrater eht lla teg ew dna srewollof doog eht lla pu sgoh dog emoc woH"
[edit] Sequel
A sequel, tentatively titled simply Spawn 2, has been in development hell since 1998. [6] [7][8] Michael Jai White confirmed himself to be a part of the project in 2001, as did producer Don Murphy,[9][10] though their current involvement has not been confirmed. McFarlane has stated that the film will be primarily centered around the detective characters Sam and Twitch, leaving Spawn without a speaking part.[7][8] During a FanboyRadio.com interview, Todd McFarlane confirmed that the sequel is a franchise reboot - not a direct sequel - similar to Batman Begins and the 2004 version of The Punisher.[11] In 2007 plans were made for Todd McFarlane Funding to make a new Spawn movie, scheduled for release in 2008.[12] The movie may simply be called Spawn, according to Home Media Magazine. Instead of a dark gritty approach, the film will focus more on the fantasy element of Spawn.[13]
[edit] Soundtrack
| Spawn: The Album | ||
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| Soundtrack by Various | ||
| Released | 29 July 1997 | |
| Genre | Various | |
| Label | Sony | |
| Producer | Various | |
| Professional reviews | ||
Spawn: The Album was released in July 1997 and brought together popular rock bands at the time including Metallica, Korn, Slayer, Marilyn Manson and Silverchair with well known DJs and producers such as The Crystal Method, Roni Size, and Atari Teenage Riot. A similar concept was previously implemented on the rock/hip-hop fused Judgement Night soundtrack. The album debuted at #7 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and stayed in the chart for 25 weeks. The album is certified Gold for selling over 500,000 copies in America.
[edit] Track listing
- "(Can't You) Trip Like I Do" - Filter & The Crystal Method – 4:28
- "Long Hard Road Out of Hell" - Marilyn Manson & Sneaker Pimps – 4:21
- "Satan" - Orbital & Kirk Hammett/Metallica – 3:45
- "Kick the P.A." - Korn & The Dust Brothers – 3:21
- "Tiny Rubberband" - Butthole Surfers & Moby – 4:12
- "For Whom the Bell Tolls (The Irony of it All)" - Metallica & DJ Spooky – 4:39
- "Torn Apart" - Stabbing Westward & Wink – 4:53
- "Skin Up Pin Up" - Mansun & 808 State – 5:27
- "One Man Army" - The Prodigy & Tom Morello/Rage Against the Machine – 4:14
- "Spawn" - Silverchair & Vitro – 4:28
- "T-4 Strain" - Henry Rollins & Goldie – 5:19
- "Familiar" - Incubus & DJ Greyboy – 3:22
- "No Remorse (I Wanna Die)" - Slayer & Atari Teenage Riot – 4:16
- "A Plane Scraped Its Belly On A Sooty Yellow Moon" - Soul Coughing & Roni Size – 5:26
Note: There are several limited editions of the soundtrack. A US version featuring different cover artwork, an Australian version featuring yet another cover (with the same image as on Spawn #39) plus a bonus track "This Is Not A Dream (UK Mix)" by Apollo 440 & Morphine, and a Japanese version with identical cover as the Australian one including a bonus disc containing 3 remixes and the bonus track from Australian version. The McFarlane Collector's Club also made an LP release available to members featuring the standard album art and translucent red discs.
[edit] References
- ^ Ebert, Roger (August 1, 1997). Spawn. Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved on 2007-07-28.
- ^ HD DVD RELEASE SCHEDULE. High-Def Digest. Retrieved on 2007-03-21.
- ^ BLU-RAY RELEASE SCHEDULE. High-Def Digest. Retrieved on 2007-03-21.
- ^ Marilyn Manson Video. Easter Egg Archive. Retrieved on 2007-07-17.
- ^ Clown's Backward Line. Easter Egg Archive. Retrieved on 2007-07-17.
- ^ Head, Steve (2001-3-12). Michael Jai White Gives IGN FilmForce the Latest on Spawn 2. IGN. Retrieved on 2007-03-21.
- ^ a b Spawn. Comics 2 Film. Retrieved on 2007-03-21.
- ^ a b Campea, John (2006-02-27). Spawn 2. The Movie Blog. Retrieved on 2007-03-21.
- ^ Stax (2002-12-3). Spawn 2 Update. IGN. Retrieved on 2007-03-21.
- ^ Stax (2003-07-10). Who Might Direct Transformers?. IGN. Retrieved on 2007-03-21.
- ^ Fanboy Radio #357 - Todd McFarlane LIVE (MP3). FanboyRadio.com (13 December 2006). Retrieved on 2007-10-16.
- ^ Weinberg, Scott (June 4, 2007). Todd McFarlane Funding a New "Spawn" Movie?. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved on 2007-10-16.
- ^ Todd McFarlane Begins Work on New 'Spawn' Film. Bloody-Disgusting.com (May 31, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-10-16.
[edit] External links
- Spawn at the Internet Movie Database
- Spawn at Box Office Mojo
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