Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

Starring: Nicholas Cage, Ciaran Hinds, Violante Placido, Fergus Riordan, Johnny Whitworth, Idris Elba, Christopher Lambert
Directed by: Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Thriller
2012

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Johnny Blaze (Nicolas Cage) has fled to Europe to escape his curse. He soon gets called upon to protect a young boy (Fergus Riordan) from the Devil (Ciaran Hinds) himself.

Review:

Tim: I was very disappointed with the first Ghost Rider, although in retrospect, I was probably too kind to that film. With this sequel, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, I'm probably too kind again, but this is clearly not a good movie at all. I've always been a huge Marvel fan, and I understand that that lens sometimes lends me to love their movies more than I should. I probably should have hated this film, but it was still somewhat fun. Yes, it's an average movie, and yes, it's disappointing, but it's not all bad.

I really hated how Nicolas Cage played Johnny Blaze in the first film. While I did not love his performance here (at all), he somewhat toned down the more ridiculous aspects of his performance. He was still not good at all, but I found him far less annoying in this film. While his acting is bad (why does he constantly feel the need to over-act?), it's obvious he cares deeply about this character. That helps his performance.

This movie is hurt some by the fact that no one but Cage returns from the first film. The actors here represent a huge drop in quality from the original film. Ciaran Hinds is fine, but besides him, the cast was badly in need of more star power. Idris Elba was a great addition, but he is only one actor. I thought Violante Placido did a good job, but the cast as a whole needed more energy and needed more big names.

What really disappointed me about this film is that with the thousands of stories they could have told from the Ghost Rider comics, the writers chose to tell a story about the Devil trying to inhabit the body of a young boy. Are you kidding me? That's the best story they could come up with? How many countless, forgettable movies have used this exact same, tired story? It just felt like a huge missed opportunity by going this route.

I will say that the special effects are a bit better here. The finale chase scene is pretty impressive to watch, with the destruction of the motorcade, the smoke and the flames from Ghost Rider, and the general carnage on the highway. While by no means a "classic" scene, it's easily the most fun I had with the entire movie.

I did not particularly care for the weird animated scenes throughout the film. I understand the need to tell backstory, but it felt completely disruptive of the overall narrative. I just did not care for these scenes. It also didn't help that directors Neveldine and Taylor (whom I've never been impressed with) put in weird, unnecessary moments, like the picture of Jerry Springer, or Ghost Rider peeing flames. Those were juvenile, stupid moments that ruined the flow of the film. They really need to learn how to direct better.

So, while I was disappointed with Ghost Rider, I feel even more disappointed with this sequel. The first film managed enough money to make this sequel a reality, but this film certainly did far worse at the box office. I am hoping this represents the end of the Nicolas Cage era as Ghost Rider, and I'm praying that this character eventually reverts back to Marvel. These guys have had two films to make a good Ghost Rider movie, and they are absolutely 0-2.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 6



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Ghost Rider, Daredevil, Crank