This is an amusing one, I just watched a UK television advert for The Spirit and laughed my ass off when the quotes appeared from the usual suspects, you know the ones who always deliver for the studios so as to keep in their good books and always get the freebies. Anyway, this quote didn't quite deliver for the advert.

The quotes are usually supposed to deliver anticipation and tell the reader that this much revered and well respected *cough* reviewer loved the film, and it really is the best thing ever. Not in this case though.

The Spirit advert kicks off and everything seems to be going great. Quotes flash up underneath wonderful looking moments from the film, a few huge words in red, out of context, saying how great the film is, with the name and publication underneath.

Then the following appears:

“XX says it's the greatest film of the year!”

Insert a short pause and the end of the advert arrives:

“Released January 1st”

Does anyone else get the irony of that?

I have to say that for the reviews I've read from sites I respect, I reckon The Spirit isn't half as good as any of the quotes suggest, apart from this one. In the UK this probably could be the best film of the year, considering it's released on January the 1st and could be the very first film you see, even if you queue up at the doors for opening time.

In a way the quote actually has a negative effect, and considering that it is the only film released in the UK on the 1st of January, and that both The Reader and Che: Part One are released on the 2nd, it might only stay that way for one day!