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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
Spawn
Generally unfavorable reviews
Based on 17 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 2 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
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.)
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database View The Trailer Official Studio Site
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...
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.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times John Anderson
The special effects are effective and aggressive, although one might occasionally confuse a divine vortex with a flushed toilet.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
Spawn doesn't make a lot of sense, but the imagery whooshes by in glitzy psychedelic torrents.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt
The adventure is vulgar and violent, although the special effects are impressive.
Read Full Review >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).
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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]
Washington Post Rita Kempley
The nonsensical screenplay can barely stand-up to the hellzapoppin, Beelzebubbin effects mustered by first-time director Mark Dippe.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader Lisa Alspector
This hopelessly redundant action gross-out aspires to a form of hip vacuousness--and may achieve it.
Read Full Review >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.
Read Full Review >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.
