Spawn

Dir: Mark A.Z. Dippé

1997

***

I’d happily watch it again but Mark A.Z. Dippé’s 1997 Spawn adaptation was a huge disappointment when it came out. The problems started well before the film was made but in the beginning everything seemed promising. Columbia Pictures showed interest in making a film adaptation of Spawn when the comic book was launched in 1992. Myself and other who had picked up Spawn from the very beginning were excited that a big studio was interested – they needed to get it right. Unfortunately, negotiations fell through as Todd McFarlane felt that the studio was not giving him enough creative control. As a fan I knew this was about integrity but it was sad when McFarlane sold the film rights to New Line Cinema for $1 in exchange for creative input and merchandising rights. New Line president Michael DeLuca, a comic book collector himself, expressed interest in having "a character that has as established an audience as Spawn", but he also suggested that success hinged on an adaptation that "maintains a PG-13 rating but retains its darkness.” This was the first problem. The second problem was hiring production company Pull Down Your Pants Pictures, a company formed by former Industrial Light & Magic artists Mark A.Z. Dippé, Clint Goldman, and Steve 'Spaz' Williams. Dippé and Williams were still part of ILM at the time and stated that the film was "our ticket out of the company" which always gave me the impression their hearts weren’t really with the story or character and the film was 100% about self-interest. Seriously, no matter how good they were, who would hire a company called Pull Down Your Pants Pictures? The script wasn’t bad but some of the changes to character were unfortunate. Al Simmons (Michael Jai White) is a Force Reconnaissance Marine Colonel and Black Ops operative. Jason Wynn (Martin Sheen), the head of the covert government agency for which Simmons works, assigns him to infiltrate a biochemical weapons plant in North Korea. Unknown to Simmons, Wynn has ordered his top assassin Jessica Priest (Melinda Clarke) to murder him while he is on the mission. After Simmons dies, he is set on fire by Wynn and the flames cause the plant to explode. Simmons arrives in Hell, where one of the rulers of Hell - Malebolgia (Frank Welker – who is also the voice of Fred in the original Scooby-Doo cartoons) - offers him a Faustian deal: if Simmons becomes his eternal servant and leader of his army in Armageddon, he will be able to return to Earth to see his fiancée, Wanda Blake (Theresa Randle). Simmons accepts the offer and returns to the living world. Upon his return, Simmons learns that five years have passed since his death. Wanda is now married to his best friend Terry Fitzgerald (D. B. Sweeney), who is living as the father to Al's daughter Cyan. Soon Simmons encounters a clown-like demon named Violator (John Leguizamo), sent by Malebolgia, who acts as Simmons's guide down the path to evil. He also meets a mysterious old man named Cogliostro (Nicol Williamson in his final film appearance before his death), a fellow Hellspawn, who has successfully freed his soul and now fights for Heaven. Simmons learns that Wynn, who is now a weapons dealer, has developed a biological weapon called Heat 16. During a reception, Spawn attacks Wynn, kills Jessica, and escapes with the help of his necroplasm armor. Following the attack by Simmons, Violator convinces Wynn to have a device attached to his heart that will release Heat 16 worldwide if his vital signs flatline as a deterrent against assassination attempts. However, Malebolgia wants Simmons to kill Wynn and initiate the apocalypse. Spawn confronts Violator, who turns into his demonic form and beats Al down. Cogliostro rescues Al and teaches him how to use his necroplasm armor. Simmons learns that Violator and Wynn are going to kill Terry, Cyan, and Wanda. Terry sends an email incriminating Wynn to a fellow newsman. Just as the email is sent, Cyan and Wynn enter the room. Wynn destroys Terry's computer and takes the family hostage. Spawn arrives and nearly kills Wynn, but Al extracts the device from Wynn's body instead and destroys it. With his plan foiled, Violator sends Spawn and Cogliostro to Hell, where they both battle the demon before subduing him. Spawn is then confronted by Malebolgia, who tells Spawn that he will never lead Hell's army. Spawn escapes with Cogliostro just before they are overwhelmed by Malebolgia's forces. Violator, having recovered, follows them. A final battle ensues, ending with Spawn decapitating the demon with his chains. Violator's head taunts the group and threatens his return before melting and returning to Hell. Wynn is arrested, and Spawn, realizing there is no place for him in Wanda's world anymore, dedicates himself to justice rather than succumbing to his lust for vengeance. It’s a good story but a little over-complicated. I’m also not sure why they messed with the original origins story. In the original, Spawn is killed by striking super-villain Chapel, created by by Rob Liefeld for the comic Youngblood. I guess they didn’t have the rights to that character but the Spawn comics had plenty of other characters to choose from, I don’t know why they thought it best to create a new one (Jessica Priest). Also, Terry Fitzgerald, Al Simmons' best friend before his death, is black in the comics. In the film, he is white and portrayed by D. B. Sweeney. Todd McFarlane later explained that this change was made by the studio to avoid having too many black leads, as they believed this would give the false impression that film's target audience was the African American demographic. Utterly appalling stuff (although I’m a huge D. B. Sweeney fan) but at least the film can boast that it is the first film to feature an African American actor portraying a major comic book superhero – which is pretty damn cool. Jai White did a good job but it is odd to think he was picked over Samuel L. Jackson, Wesley Snipes, Denzel Washington and Will Smith but not so strange that he was chosen over Snoop Dogg, Tony Todd LL Cool J and Will Smith who were also considered. Supposedly Tupac Shakur was also considered, which I have to say would have been pretty cool. The overall film was described as being disjointed and a little messy, which it is hard to disagree with but I also quite liked it for those very reasons. There was something authentic in the mania of it all, I just wish they had made it for an adult audience as it was in the comics. I can’t help but think, what with films like Deadpool, that Spawn was made well before its time.The Spawn video game on the Sega Dreamcast was amazing.