Spawn (1997)

Director:

Mark A.Z. Dippé

Writers (WGA):

Todd McFarlane (comic book)
Alan B. McElroy (screen story) ...

Release Date:

1 August 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller | Action | Fantasy | Horror

Tagline:

Born in darkness. Sworn to justice.

Plot:

A mercenary is killed, but comes back from Hell as a reluctant soldier of the Devil.

Plot Keywords:

Betrayal | Based On Comic Book | Person On Fire | Impersonator | Loss Of Family

Awards:

1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Michael Jai White	...	Al Simmons / Spawn
John Leguizamo	...	Clown / Violator
Martin Sheen	...	Jason Wynn
Theresa Randle	...	Wanda Blake
Nicol Williamson	...	Cogliostro
D.B. Sweeney	...	Terry Fitzgerald
Melinda Clarke	...	Jessica Priest
Miko Hughes	...	Zack
Sydni Beaudoin	...	Cyan
Michael Papajohn	...	Glen, Zack's Dad
Frank Welker	...	The Devil Malebolgia (voice)
Robia LaMorte	...	XNN Reporter (as Robia La Morte)
John Cothran Jr.	...	African Liaison
Caroline Gibson	...	News Anchor
Tony Haney	...	African Liaison

MPAA:

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

Runtime:

96 min | USA:98 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

South Korea:12 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Germany:18 (director's cut) | Iceland:14 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) (director's cut) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Finland:K-16 (video premiere) (director's cut) | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | UK:12 | UK:15 (director's cut) | USA:PG-13 | USA:R (director's cut) | Mexico:B

Filming Locations:

Hollywood Center Studios - 1040 N. Las Palmas Ave., Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

The heavy metal band Iced Earth, which has made an album based on the comic Spawn, were offered to be on the soundtrack. They turned it down, because they thought there was too much techno music on it.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: At the North Korean biological weapons plant all of the warning signs on the tanks are written in English.

Quotes:

Spawn: What's happening to me?
Clown: Nothing. Just your necro-flesh going through its larval stage. Soon you're gonna get hair in funny places and gonna start thinking about girls.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Making of 'Evil Dead II' or The Gore the Merrier (2000) (V)

Soundtrack:

Spawn

The muppet show gone wrong

Everyone seems to agree that the original Spawn comic is excellent material for a pointless, violent, stupid and thoroughly amusing movie. This movie, however....It isn't all that violent (if you compare it to the comic book), but it is stupid and utterly pointless. Amusing? It could have been if they had inserted a prolonged torture scene of John Leguizamos Clown character: one of the most un-funny, irritating and tacky "comic relief" characters ever to have (dis)graced the screen. Move over Chris Tucker and Pauly Shore - we have a new candidate for overrated quasi-comedian of the decade. The special effects were kind of confusing - half of them were excellent and half of them looked like beautified Sesame Street animations (the demon "thing" of hell, for example, which had me crying with laughter). Let's hope for the next Spawn movie they take a few chances and make a grittier downbeat tale with more in common with the original comic and not like the muppet show from hell.