“The Spirit,” a visually driven adaptation of Will Eisner’s newspaper comic strip of the same name, hit DVD stores on Tuesday. If this title does not ring a bell, you certainly are not the only one. This silver screen bomb brought in only a meager $19.8 million domestically at the box office. While it would take just short of a miracle to make this movie worth seeing, the film’s producers do manage to cover up some of this stinker’s odor with the additions included on this DVD.

Denny Colt (Gabriel Macht, “Because I Said So”) is a formerly deceased rookie cop, who mysteriously returns from the beyond as the detective known only as The Spirit, to combat the evil forces of Central City. Standing in his way is The Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson, “Soul Men”), a cold-hearted villain determined to wipe out The Spirit’s beloved city on his way to obtaining immortality. To save Central City, The Spirit must not only track down his archenemy, but also face a pack of beautiful women, including the whip-smart Silken Floss (Scarlett Johansson, “He’s Just Not That Into You”) and the dangerous Sand Saref (Eva Mendes, “The Women”), who want to either seduce, love or kill the city’s masked crusader.

As creator of the “Sin City” and “300” graphic novels, director/writer Frank Miller unquestionably knows and understands the workings behind creating a comic book. In fact, as director of stunning 2005 “Sin City” film adaptation, he demonstrated that he could also create a successful comic book movie, which is not always an easy task – just ask the directors of “Catwoman,” “Daredevil,” both “Fantastic Four” films, “Ghost Rider,” “Howard the Duck,” all three “Punisher” movies…you get the idea. Yet, Miller fails miserably this time around and will certainly watch this movie join the members of the aforementioned black list of comic book flicks.

To say Miller is a visual genius would probably be an understatement. The way he translates the pages of a comic book onto the screen is eye-popping to say the least. He always picks just the right color, whether it is the crimson in The Spirit’s tie or the golden glow of a treasure chest, to focus the frame on in order to create a spectacular spectacle. The result is a film that truly looks and feels like a graphic novel.

The problem is the film only looks amazing. The action is lackluster, the characters are like Miller’s visual mannequins and they are just about as developed and the screenplay contains none of the compelling crime drama, adventure, comedy or love stories that made the comic so popular.

While the cast’s costumes evoke cinematic energy, especially Jackson’s wide-ranging wardrobe that runs the gamut from a samurai suit to a Nazi uniform, the actors themselves are unable to escape Miller’s dreary, overly ham-handed screenplay.

What is reassuring about this DVD is that it is able to retain the only thing the movie had going for it in the theaters. While the experience will obviously improve depending on the TV, the colors still have the same pop and the visuals are as eye-catching as they were in the theater. The sound quality is also top-notch, allowing the film’s hybrid soundtrack of ’40s jazz and moving heroic music to stir the audience’s senses.

The DVD’s special features do have some redeeming qualities, though. The “Green World” featurette offers an exciting in-depth look into the world of the green screen and how Miller and the visual effects team effectively used this technology to give the film its stunning comic book feel. The DVD also includes a fascinating “Miller on Miller” featurette that gives audiences the chance to dive into the bizarre, yet, brilliant mind of Frank Miller and learn how he became who is today from the man who knows him best, himself.

However, the alternate storyboard ending and audio commentary, both of which feature voiceovers from the cast and producers, are just as uninspiring as the dialogue in the actual film was.

In the end, “The Spirit” is destined to be one of those films that becomes, at best, a cult classic to the diehard fans of the comic. While the DVD’s additional features do offer some redemption to a film that is only visually appealing, it is nowhere near enough to make this film actually worth picking up.

*Grade: 2 out of 5 stars*