Theatrical adaptations of comic books can vary in quality and levels of audience enjoyment. Fans always seem to be looking for a fantastic adaptation of the material and representation of the characters — the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy being some of the best examples of doing both well in recent memory. Back in the ‘90s, we got great adaptations like Blade but we also got Mark A.Z. Dippe’s take on Todd McFarlane’s Spawn. Co-written by Dippe and Alan B McElroy the film today holds little more than nostalgia, coming across as the literal definition of “rough,” but the recent Arrow 4K release may just hit the sweet spot for those who want to revisit the movie.
SPAWN reversible liner. Photo courtesy of Arrow Video.
If you’ve never seen the 1997 film, seen the animated show (1997-1999) on then-HBO (currently available on HBO Max), or read the comics, then you have no idea what you’re getting into, so we’ll break it down for you. Spawn, the movie, focuses on Al Simmons (Michael Jai White), a top-of-his-class, go-to-man, black ops agent who is loyal to a tee to his commanding officer, Jason Wynn (Martin Sheen). However, Wynn betrays Simmons and after he is left for dead, Simmons is given an option — be a minion of Malebolgia and lead the army of the dead as his General in exchange for him being allowed to come back to life and see his wife (Theresa Randle) or essentially die. He chooses to become the devil’s minion. Simmons/Spawn wants to break off the deal as everything he agreed to it for is gone as five years have passed without him knowing and he cannot get his wife back. Simmon’s mission to reclaim his life has kicked off and includes encountering a fiend represented by Clown (John Leguizamo) and it certainly won’t be an easy journey for Simmons or fight for Spawn.
Looking at the 4K copy of Spawn, there are two things that have to be very clearly defined here. First and foremost, as a 1997 release, special effects could’ve been spotty or could’ve looked great — The Star Wars original trilogy special edition release is a prime example, another being Blade for something that wasn’t ground-breaking. For Spawn, think The Mummy Returns (2001) special effects and how those transferred over to 4K. While the movie looks cleaner and better, the special effects are truly a comical endeavor here, but again, if you’re watching the 4K of Spawn, you have a good idea of what you’re getting yourself into. The 4K itself, aside from the special effects, looks great; the colors are bright and vibrant, especially Spawn’s transformative cape with its dark undertones shining appropriately in this restoration. The sound mix is also the original DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround, making this an incredibly well-rounded 4K disk for the Spawn-heads in your life or anyone who’s a fan of the cult classic. To be clear though, this is for fans of the movie — and only fans of the movie; this isn’t a blind by. The movie is polarizing and boasts some questionable CGI, but the movie is fun if you know what you’re getting into.
SPAWN expanded packshot. Photo courtesy of Arrow Video.
Arrow is known for the quality of their transfers and special features, and the 4K restorations of both the director’s cut and theatrical cut are both from the original camera negatives, so this is the best Spawn will ever look at home. The differences between the two cuts are more crude jokes and some extra violence. In terms of special features, though, there are a lot of legacy features here, but there are also some new commentary tracks and new interviews which can all be found on the 4K director’s cut disk. The two most notable of these are “Hell’s Perfect Son,” a brand new interview with actor Michael Jai White (The Dark Knight; Black Dynamite) and “The Devil’s in the Details,” a new interview with Howard Berger (Kill Bill: Vol. 1) and Greg Nicotero (The Grey) who are animatronic creature and special effects artists.
Overall, Spawn on 4K is special for the people who love the movie adaptation of McFarlane’s comic. This is a risky blind buy simply because of the quality of movie that Spawn is. It can be compared to Super Mario Bros. (1993) and it’s a fun time if you sit back and toss some popcorn into your mouth for 96 minutes. The transfer is simply the best the film will ever look, but it does make that CGI look more than questionable, but, again, it works within the campy ridiculousness that is Dippe’s adaptation of Spawn.
Spawn 4K UHD Special Features:
4K ULTRA HD LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
- 4K restorations of both the Director’s Cut and Theatrical Cut of the film from the original camera negatives by Arrow Films
- Reversible sleeve featuring two original artwork options
- Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by John Torrani
- Double-sided foldout poster featuring two original artwork options
DISC 1 – DIRECTOR’S CUT
- 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
- Original DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio and lossless stereo audio options
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- *NEW* Brand new audio commentary with comic book expert and podcast host Dave Baxter
- Audio commentary with Todd McFarlane, Mark A.Z. Dippé, Clint Goldman, and Steve Williams (1998)
- *NEW* Hell’s Perfect Son, a brand new interview with actor Michael Jai White
- *NEW* Spawn Support, a brand new interview with actors Melinda Clarke and D.B. Sweeney
- *NEW* The Devil’s in the Details, a brand new interview with animatronic creature and special makeup effects artists Howard Berger and Greg Nicotero
- *NEW* The Devil’s Music, a brand new interview with music supervisor Happy Walters
- *NEW* Order Out of Chaos, a brand new interview with editor Michael Knue
- Todd McFarlane: Chapter & Verse, an archival featurette from 1998 in which Spawn creator Todd McFarlane reflects on how the film adaptation stacks up against his original comic book vision
- The Making of Spawn, archival behind-the-scenes featurette
- Preview: Todd McFarlane’s Spawn – The Animated Movie
- Theatrical trailer
- Scene-to-storyboard comparisons
- Original Todd McFarlane sketches
- Spawn concept and sketch gallery
DISC 2 – THEATRICAL CUT
- 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
- Original DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio and lossless stereo audio options
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Available on 4K UHD and Blu-ray October 7th, 2025.
For more information, head to the official Arrow Video Spawn webpage.
To purchase, head to the official MVD Entertainment Spawn webpage.
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Categories: Home Video, Reviews
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