Spawn (1997)
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A murdered Marine returns from Hell as a powerful being known as a 'Hellspawn' to navigate a world that has moved on without him.
The story
U.S. Marine Corps Force Recon Lieutenant Colonel and CIA operative Al Simmons is assigned to infiltrate a biochemical weapons plant in North Korea. Despite his growing moral qualms, Simmons proceeds with the mission, unaware that his superior has ordered his assassination. After the plant explodes and he is set on fire, Simmons is taken to Hell. There, he strikes a deal with a ruler named Malebolgia: in exchange for becoming the leader of Hell's army in Armageddon, he is granted the ability to return to Earth. He returns as a 'Hellspawn', only to discover that five years have passed and his former life has been replaced by a new reality.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After returning to Earth as a 'Hellspawn', Al Simmons (now known as Spawn) discovers that his wife, Wanda, is married to his best friend, Terry. He encounters the Violator, a clown-like demon who acts as his guide, and befriends a young boy named Zack and an elderly former Hellspawn named Cogliostro. Spawn learns that his former superior, Jason Wynn, is now a weapons dealer. During a reception, Spawn attacks Wynn and escapes using his powers. In response, the Violator convinces Wynn to attach a device to his heart that will release a biological weapon, Heat 16, if his vitals fail. Spawn eventually confronts the Violator and learns that Wynn and the demon are targeting his family. After a series of confrontations, Spawn manages to disable the device. In a final confrontation, Spawn defeats the Violator and chooses to dedicate himself to justice rather than revenge, ultimately returning to the streets with his allies.
- First release year
- 1997
- Runtime (minutes)
- 96
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Mark A.Z. Dippé
- Writers
- Alan B. McElroy · script
- Cast and characters
- Michael Jai White · Spawn; John Leguizamo · Clown; Martin Sheen; Theresa Randle; D. B. Sweeney; Nicol Williamson
- Genres
- superhero; action; fantasy; science fiction
- Themes
- redemption; sacrifice; vengeance
- Tone and mood
- dark; violent
- Premise and plot tags
- superhero; dark fantasy; reincarnation
- Source material / true-story basis
- Image Comics
- Franchise connections
- Spawn
- Reception
- The film received generally negative reviews but was a box office success.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 17% · scale: percentage · review count: 47; Metacritic · score: 34 · scale: 100 · review count: 17
- Production trivia
- One of the first films to feature an African-American actor portraying a major comic book superhero.; The film's budget was increased to $40–45 million due to the scale of visual effects.; The character of the Violator was modeled using a 24-inch reference model and an 11-foot model.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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