Spawn -- 1997 -- PG-13

From the opening teaser, I was afraid I was getting into a fanboy movie that I'd only get if I had read the comics. My fears were abated, however, when the plot unfolded and I was easily able to follow it. 

The characters were okay and about average for an action movie. The plot was pretty decently filled out and I knew what was going on and mostly why. One of my complaints here was that the main character was extremely dim as to what was going on. I have never read Spawn, nor did I know anything about him before I watched this film, yet I knew what was going on. Our hero had a gun obsession when on multiple occasions, he clearly did not need them.

Several times during the film, a solution (read: fight move) was obvious, but the characters deliberately took the more difficult route presumable to prolong the action. Spawn had abilities that were impressive after he learned how to use them, and yet in the final battle, he chose to thump on a critter with his fists instead of the more obvious solution of those rather nasty chains.

An action movie with all the weaknesses of an action movie: thin characters, overuse of guns, and deliberately prolonged sequences, but in the end, it was an enjoyable experience...if not a guilty pleasure. The film did have more than one very impressive and colorful explosion, some good drama between Spawn and those he left behind, and an everyman that was easy to relate to which helped to raise us above the stadard flick and make it a good watch.