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John Leguizamo, Michael Jai White, Martin Sheen, Theresa Randle, Melinda Clarke ... see more see more... , Miko Hughes , Sydni Beaudoin , Nicol Williamson , D.B. Sweeney , Mertin Sheen

One of the most popular independent comic books of its decade was transformed into this dark, bloody adventure intended to launch a profitable superhero franchise. Michael Jai White stars as Al Simmon... read more read more...s, a corrupt assassin betrayed and murdered by his evil government supervisor, Jason Wynn (Martin Sheen). Sent to Hell, Simmons is offered a chance to return to the earthly plane if he will become a "Hellspawn" ("Spawn" for short), one of many super-powered creatures assigned to encourage living souls along the path to damnation. Simmons hastily agrees to this deal and becomes a twisted, scarred version of his former self, living in a dingy alleyway, with no hope of regaining his life, as several years have passed and his wife Wanda (Theresa Randle) has married his best friend, Terry Fitzgerald (D.B. Sweeney). Despite the best efforts of his mentor, a demonic clown (John Leguizamo), Spawn performs mostly heroic acts, though he is not above seeking revenge on Wynn. Despite the film's middling box office take, plans for a sequel were announced. The same summer that Spawn was released, the comic was also the basis of a well-received cable TV series. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Flixster Users

46% liked it

167,924 ratings

Critics

20% liked it

40 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 37 min.

Directed by: Mark Dippé, Mark A.Z. Dippé

Release Date: August 1, 1997

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DVD Release Date: April 22, 1998

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Stats: 5,130 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (5,130)

  • fb729949618
    October 26, 2011
    fb729949618
    I thought Spawn was such a cool film as a kid, but remembering it now and having to review it, it is very flawed.....it has poor acting and a poor plot. One thing that is still cool to this day is when Spawn drops in the ballroom at the end and starts fighting......bad ass.
  • phubbs1
    October 11, 2011
    phubbs1
    I really liked this despite many problems with the film. The look is great, like the comic its very dark, gothic and grim. The rain comes down in sheets and the mist swirls around about the night whilst Spawn leaps around in his fantastic looking 'living' suit.
    The other fantasy ... read morebased creatures are also really well created, Clown especially...very dark, humorous and quite chilling, Leguizamo played it brilliantly, best thing about the film :)
    Violator is also pretty cool looking in life size model form yet like alot of the film the cgi version is pretty lame and ruins it. cgi is a problem with this film as its loaded with it, everything is cgi and frankly not much is any good. It ranges from excellent cgi on Spawns cape to shit cgi on most other things...hell being the worst with a terrible looking Malebolgia.
    The acting is hammy and in general its very cheesey, this film yearns to be harder and more violent (like the comic).

    Despite that it does have a certain charm which appeals to me, its dark 'Batman' like world with hellish creatures and brooding anti heroes still manages to be enjoyable. Spawn being a very likeable character, Wynn is suitably creepy, Bishop is changed to a female for some reason but pretty hot and with some nice gun/blade action and a thumping soundtrack this is a reasonable film, but I still wonder what it could of been if it was done for adults as it should be.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    August 24, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    I remember seeing this in the theatre and liking it. However as the years past by, I realized how lame this film really is. Spawn is the perfect example of a film that was a missed opportunity. By today's standards, the film looks dated like hell. I think its really too bad that ... read morethis had to happen, because the idea of Spawn is really a cool one. But the result of the film is one that leaves very mixed emotions about the finished product. I think it's a great shame because the concept of Spawn is terrific. The so called "talent" that graces the film is absolutely wasted and a lot of it is very silly. Also the special effects look like crap, and the film looks like crap overall. I know the film is nearing fifteen years old, and all that CGI was advanced back then. But with a plateau of action films that have since been released, well Spawn looks awful by comparison. The film is a mix of action and horror, and sometimes offbeat, eccentric humor. This could have been something really, really cool. But instead it's a dud. I watched a few years back, and I was appalled at how bad the film was. Well there were a few cool things about it, but for the most part, the film is terrible. The acting and story are quite sloppy, and it makes you realize that this film is in dire need of a reboot. The filmmakers had a terrific opportunity to do something great, but it falls flat and the film ends up being forgettable. This is a dated action horror film with bad acting, a bad script and is simply a wasted opportunity to have created one terrific film. Spawn doesn't work, and it really does show its age.
  • EightThirty
    June 25, 2010
    EightThirty
    19/06/2010 (DVD)

    Back in 1997 this flick was shockingly cool, a real "for the boys" type of film and I probably would of rated it higher.

    Even though it was quickly forgotten, watching it again got me remembering what a hit it was and how during that time, nothing looked as coo... read morel or did cool stuff like "Spawn"... the funny thing is today we've seen better CGI which makes the CGI done on this movie look ugly, but "Spawn" still looks cool.

    If you watch this and keep in mind that the CGI was done in 1997, it's a pretty entertaining watch.
  • fb733768972
    January 15, 2010
    fb733768972
    Did not like this movie at all! One of the worst hero/anti-hero films ever made!
  • ythelastman89
    December 7, 2009
    ythelastman89
    This has got to be one of the worst adaptions and horrible looking comic book movies. It is a kid friendly bastardization of the source material with a lot of big name actors that have no idea what to do. This is nothing close to what Spawn should ever be.
  • SirPant
    September 24, 2009
    SirPant
    The computer game on the Sega Dreamcast was so much better!
  • stormyweather980
    August 15, 2009
    stormyweather980
    I don't see why a lot of people don't like "Spawn." I thought it was a good movie and it has some of the best special effects I've ever seen. It's about Al Simmons (Michael Jai White), who is killed during an explosion after someone he knew turned his back on him. He comes back a... read mores a scarred man who agrees with the devil to lead an army of hell in order to seek revenge against Jason Wynn (Martin Sheen) and the others that did him justice, and to have a chance to get his life back with his wife and kids. Since he agreed with the devil about this new mission, he now has the ability to turn himself into Spawn. With this new suit of armor and the ability to do many things such as make spikes come out of him and to turn a motorcycle that he's riding into a huge Spawn head, he will try to seek revenge and possibly get his life and family back.
    "Spawn" has an effective storyline and some jaw-dropping special effects. You'll see what I mean about the special effects just about all the way through the movie. All the people in the movie do a good job of acting, especially John Leguizamo as the goofy clown. "Spawn" has elements of a horror movie, an adventure movie, and even a drama movie all wrapped up into one great movie. I recommend anybody to at least watch "Spawn." NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2000. Definitely one of the best superhero movies of all time.
  • kiriyamakazou
    April 26, 2009
    kiriyamakazou
    Finally watched it again 12 years after I saw it in the cinema. It's just as bad as I remembered it being. The voice-over and lack of violence really harm the dark source material. The make-up is fantastic. Seeing Leguizamo as a short, fat clown is still incredible. Leguizamo is ... read morealso obviously having a lot of fun and it's his presence that keep this film vaguely interesting. It punches above it's weight with a large amount of poor CGI that now looks even more ridiculous than in 1997. It manages to evoke some camp charm and some successful gothic imagery, which makes it a strange mix between Burton and Schumacher's Batman films. With this and Batman and Robin in one year, it's no wonder that 1997 was the year comic-book movies nearly became extinct.
  • DragonEyeMorrison
    June 15, 2008
    DragonEyeMorrison
    Very bad CGI-epileptic fest, Macfarlane should be ashamed.

View All Spawn Reviews

Critic Reviews

Owen Gleiberman
July 6, 2010
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

The film gives you the pleasurably junky sensation of living inside an apocalyptic videogame. Full Review

Todd McCarthy
March 26, 2009
Todd McCarthy, Variety

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. Full Review

Lisa Alspector
April 26, 2007
Lisa Alspector, Chicago Reader

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

Rita Kempley
January 22, 2002
Rita Kempley, Washington Post

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

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

As a visual experience, Spawn is unforgettable. Full Review

Stephen Holden
January 1, 2000
Stephen Holden, New York Times

... an incoherent blitz of noise, chintzy special effects and bargain-basement allegory. Full Review

Andy Seiler
January 1, 2000
Andy Seiler, USA Today

There's no suspense, no emotional involvement with the characters, and the cynical, sophomoric storytelling is confusing.

Mick LaSalle
January 1, 2000
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

... a nonstop bombardment that recalls Judge Dredd, but with better diction. Full Review

James Berardinelli
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

As a comic book, Spawn may be first rate, but, as a movie, it's a retread. Full Review

July 12, 2010
Film4

What it doesn't have is much of a plot. Full Review

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Facts

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    • Al Simmons/Spawn: Just get me to a hospital.
    • Clown: A hospital? Have you looked in a mirror lately, burnt man walking? Even the entire cast of 'E.R.' couldn't put you back together again.
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