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Spawn

EMAILPRINTNew Line Cinema

Spawn reviews
34
7.0 User Score:

Generally unfavorable reviews

Based on 17 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 2 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Action  |  Fantasy  |  Horror  |  Suspense/Thriller

Written by: Alan B. McElroy (also screen story)
Mark A.Z. Dippé (screen story)
Todd McFarlane (comic book)

Directed by: Mark A.Z. Dippé

Release Date:
Theatrical: August 1, 1997
DVD: June 7, 2005

Running Time: 98 minutes, Color

Origin: USA

Summary

RATING: PG-13 for thematic elements involving the demonic underworld, violence, intense fantasy action and crude humor

Starring Michael Jai White, John Leguizamo, Martin Sheen, Theresa Randle, Nicol Williamson, D.B. Sweeney, Melinda Clarke, and Miko Hughes

A government assassin is brought back to life as a black superhero with supernatural powers. (Warner Bros.)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

88

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

It walks and talks like a big budget horror film, heavy on special effects and pitched at the teenage audience, and maybe that's how it will be received. But it's more impressive if you ignore the genre and just look at what's on the screen.

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70

Los Angeles Times John Anderson

The special effects are effective and aggressive, although one might occasionally confuse a divine vortex with a flushed toilet.

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70

Newsweek David Kaplan

Think Batman on crystal meth.

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67

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

Spawn doesn't make a lot of sense, but the imagery whooshes by in glitzy psychedelic torrents.

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50

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

Todd McFarlane's Spawn plays better on the page, but the adolescents of all ages who buy Spawn comics will probably enjoy the movie. Others should consider themselves forewarned.

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50

ReelViews James Berardinelli

Unfortunately, where the movie falls apart is in the storyline. While Spawn fans may be delighted by this effort, the uninitiated may have a hard time getting beyond the fancy special effects and often-incoherent plot.

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50

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

The adventure is vulgar and violent, although the special effects are impressive.

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40

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

It's all one big blur: sound, fury, and Martin Sheen devouring scenery as if it were going out of style (and in Spawn, it's definitely not).

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40

LA Weekly Manohla Dargis

If Spawn had anything close to a script, it would be a pretty nifty fantasy about conspiracy, apocalypse and a fat killer clown.

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38

USA Today Andy Seiler

Shot by a special-effects superstar making his first stab at directing, Mark Dippe, the result is dizzying in its unreality, and the visual tricks are impressive. [01Aug1997 Pg.02.D]

30

Washington Post Rita Kempley

The nonsensical screenplay can barely stand-up to the hellzapoppin, Beelzebubbin effects mustered by first-time director Mark Dippe.

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25

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

Almost every moment has flashes and explosions and a pulsing, relentless soundtrack. It's like being trapped inside a video game.

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25

San Francisco Examiner Walter Addiego

Otherwise, the movie, which borrows from a dozen pop sources and improves on none of them, is pretty much a washout.

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20

The New York Times Stephen Holden

But after 15 minutes, this yellow-orange vision of spiraling circles of hell, snorting devils and demonic shapes continually morphing out of one another, begins to seem redundant and conceptually impoverished.

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20

Variety Todd McCarthy

Spawn is a moodily malevolent, anything-goes revenge fantasy that relies more upon special visual and digitally animated effects for its intended appeal than any comics-derived sci-fier to date.

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10

Chicago Reader Lisa Alspector

This hopelessly redundant action gross-out aspires to a form of hip vacuousness--and may achieve it.

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0

Salon.com Laura Miller

The special effects look model-shop cheesy, as if they'd been created using a handful of action figures and MacPaint, and the rest of the picture has the flat visual finish and phoned-in performances of a TV movie.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 7.0 (out of 10) based on 2 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

maxx k gave it an8:
The movie has its flaws, but I found it to be really good. The special effects were ok, nothing special. The acting was great, especially John Leguizamo as the Clown.

Sam gave it a6:
Is it a terrible movie? No. Is it an ok movie? Sure. Does it deserve the 3 and a half out of for stars that Roger Ebert gave it? Not even close.

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