The Spirit opens Christmas Day, based on the classic Will Eisner newspaper comic book insert about a masked vigilante. Comic book artist Frank Miller (Sin City, 300) makes his directing debut in what Variety says "plunges into a watery grave early on and spends roughly the next 100 minutes gasping for air."
Newsarama -- a leading comic book site -- says of Samuel L. Jackson's performance as the villainous Octopus, "'Over the top' doesn't do justice to the ridiculousness of Jackson's portrayal. If the respected actor dialed it down about 70%, then it would have been over the top."