DC Showcase: The Spectre

The plot was okay according to short story but really want the spectre on main league in theaters with a proper long story. Loved the character.

If the ghost of Christmas Future had a creepier crime fighting relative, "The Spectre" would be it. By day, Detective Jim Corrigan investigates homicide cases; his latest case being the explosive murder of a Hollywood film executive producer. Incidentally, the victim is also the father of his girlfriend Aimee Brenner. The usual investigation red tape gets in the way of his investigation as Corrigan finds himself powerless to bring the suspects to justice. But Jim Corrigan has an ace up his sleeve. By night, Corrigan assumes his true form as "THE SPECTRE", an avenging spirit with immense supernatural powers. Unimpeded by the limitations of a human form, the Spectre seeks out the suspects of the murder case and dishes out his own supernatural form of justice. However, the clues might not be as obvious as he thought and the real suspect may be closer than he thinks.

From the get go, "The Spectre" animated short film is a beautiful tribute to classic film noir supernatural thrillers. Everything from the old school music to the "grindhouse" film grain is heightens that "1970s" feel. Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, who also directed the awesome G.I Joe Resolute movie, the animation and artwork here is astounding. Character movements are just so "real", so lifelike and extremely fluid. The artwork too has a higher level of detail even when compared to the full length "Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths" main feature that this short film came with. Easily better looking than many of the best Japanese anime too.

Writer Steve Niles is no stranger to the horror genre, having penned the critically acclaimed "30 Days of Night" series. Clocking in at barely over 11 minutes, the entire set up of "the Spectre" is a classic, though rather predictable, detective story. But the scenes involving the Specter, glowing green eyes swirling cape and inhuman voice adding to air of creepiness, are genuinely scary with a couple of real shocks. Fans of horror movies will be able to pick out some noticeable homages to films like "Chucky" and "Final Destination".

Seeing as how The Spectre might not be as famous as Batman or as popular as Superman, it was probably a wise move for Warner to only make one short film in order to gauge viewers' interest. The result was so spectacular, so oozing with style and boasting high end production values that it really is a pity Warner did not go all out to make a full length feature from the start. Having a mature narrative makes this short film accessible to even viewers who are not fans of animation as it plays out very much like a live action movie.

Definitely not to be missed. Get it now with the blu-ray or 2 disc DVD copy of "Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths" or get the "DC Showcase: Original Shorts Collection" DVD and blu-ray due out in November 2010. Oh yes, there is quite a fair bit of violence, actually more so than the main Justice League feature; so be warned.

This short was such a cool little surprise and I ended up liking it a whole lot more than the movie it came with! It had a lot of edgy noir-esc pizazz and a very appealing retro visual look with seventies type grain and a soft glow to the picture, and I was quite hooked by that style almost right away, it gave the short a terrific tone, as well as making the superb animation stand out more. I enjoy the brief murder mystery plot of it, for such a short..short they do a good job of giving it an effective setup, middle and payoff, but I really loved it because of the title character, a dark avenger I'd never even heard of before watching this. He was so awesomely mysterious and his abilities were so otherworldly, I was surprised to find out that he's actually one of the oldest comic book characters, having decades on creations like Ghost Rider and Spawn, whom he immediately made me think of. I'm not saying that my personal knowledge goes for everyone, but compared to Superman you'd be hard pressed to find the average person in the street who knew who the Spectre was, and that's a shame because there's some pretty great potential there, I could watch a whole series or an animated movie based around this guy if it were as well made and gripping as this short. He really kicked ass, when he wasn't masquerading as the hard boiled fifties gumshoe detective that he was in life, the Spectre was like a dispassionate judge who delivered frightening ethereal doom down upon those that the harsh form of cold cosmic justice that he embodied, deemed guilty! I think his particular style of merciless punishment prevents him from being considered a true hero, definitely more of an anti-hero.. What he did to the guilty was downright brutal, and while not quite gory, it certainly didn't pull any punches with the death and violence, with a very creepy sequence of a man trapped in a movie studio full of monster props that catch and eat him, and a beautiful but heartless debutante who had her own father assassinated for his money being blendered alive by a whirlwind of the ill gotten dollar bills as sharp as razors! I love the classic horror movie references, the brilliant homage to John Carpenter's Christine is pretty unmistakable, but I also spied little nods to The Exorcist and a quick music theme near the end that sounded very similar to that Italian band that were in a lot of giallo horror movies Goblin! So while you may require a pentient for the macabre to really love this, I found it to be a great thrilling and atmospheric short that made me want to see more of this ghostly guardian of dire justice who truly brings new meaning to the word Wrath! Excellent and well worth seeing. X

i really enjoyed this little gem which is included as a bonus on the Justice League:Crisis on Two Earths DVD:it's basically a sort of a film noir type mystery.it's only about 11 minutes or so,but it gives you a brief idea of who The Spectre is,if you're not already familiar with the character.this short film is a good way to introduce the character,and to gauge fan interest,as he is what could be considered a fringe character.i believe the character could probably do justice to a full length feature and hope that DC has that as one of their goals in the future.regardless,i really enjoyed seeing The Spectre on the screen,even briefly.for me,DC Showcase: The Spectre is an 8/10

The Spectre (2010) is the second of four DC Showcase films on a DVD titled Superman/Shazam: The Return of Black Adam. The plot centers around a spirit serving a human detective by day and transforming into a vigilante by night. When a famous actor dies, both the detective and The Spectre take on the case.

Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos (Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse), the film features the voices of Gary Cole (Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby), Alyssa Milano (Commando), Robert Paulsen (Pinky and the Brain), and Jon Polito (The Crow).

This easily stands out as my favorite short story in this DC Showcase collection. The film's grindhouse feel and creepy horror elements are amazing and are complemented by an impressive storyline filled with enjoyable twists and turns. There's a Constantine vibe to this, and this short could have easily expanded into a full-length feature film. I'd give it an 8/10 and strongly recommend it.