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This is a live action movie adaptation
of Todd McFarlane's comic of the same name. Al Simmons is a government
assassin until he is double crossed by his superior and murdered. He is
burned to death. He goes to Hell, where Malebolgia - the Devil himself
- offers him a deal. Al will come back to life and see his wife again and
in return he will lead the devil's army in a war against the gates of Heaven.
Al accepts the offer, because of the love for his wife Wanda. But when
he comes back to earth his whole body is horribly distorted and in great
pain. He soon finds that five years have passed and Wanda has married his
best friend. However, soon his body is covered with a living suit with
strange powers. Al is now the Spawn. His "go between" with the devil is
a clown with extremely crude humor who goes back and forth between earth
and hell. The clown wants the Spawn to kill Al's former boss, Jason Wynn,
which the Spawn is more than happy to do. However, the clown has been working
with Jason Wynn all along (even arranging the double cross which killed
Al), and how has Jason's heart wired to a device which will release deadly
viruses on the whole earth if Jason dies. Therefore, if Spawn kills Jason,
he kills the world, starts Armageddon, and allows Hell's army to attack
the gates of Heaven. (Jason, like Al, did not understand the full implications
of the deal he made with the devil.)
This movie is well made, contains lots
of action yet develops the characters just enough to feel you know them.
The special effects are also very good, especially the living cape. The
DVD, by the way, is not the same cut as was shown in the theaters in the
United States. The DVD is at least close to the original cut, but due to
contractional obligations it had to be recut for the theaters due to being
rated R. The merchandising contracts called for the movie to be rated PG-13.
Basically the replaced cuts are action scenes showing either more death,
more graphic death, or the clown's humor is a little more crude. The directors
commentary points out the changes.
If you are interested in purchasing movies,
Try CDNOW's movie
section.
While there is no nudity of any kind in the movie itself, in the background while the credits are running there are several scenes depicting nude bodies. All are very quickly flashed on and back off the screen.
Please submit all questions and comments to johnb53@nwol.net
