Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

You will never find me complaining about too many comic book movies being made. Of course some are better than others. I think most people would place Ghost Rider on the lower end of that spectrum. Yet, here we are with a sequel. Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance reunites Nicholas Cage with his flaming motorcycle as former daredevil Johnny Blaze. After making a deal with the devil to save his father, Blaze is cursed to change into the rider, flaming skull and all. But the origin story is just glossed over in this film since the viewer already saw that part in the original.

When announced, I didn’t know how I felt about Nicholas Cage coming back for the role, but he does really well actually. At first, he seems terrible, but then all of a sudden with a scene where he is trying to fight back the need to change into the rider, it become clear that he is actually giving a great performance. Nicholas Cage knows how to “act” crazy and showcases that here. The rest of the casting shows restraint on where to place the other big names. Instead of breaking the bank on a damsel in distress, the lesser known Violante Placido does well as the female lead, with a bit of an edge. Then Ciaran Hinds as Roarke (the devil) and Idris Elba as Moreau bring welcome credibility and quality. Also, congratulations to Elba on entering the multiple Marvel character club. (He is in Thor if you don’t remember.)

This sequel is definitely a comic book fan take on the character. The original was keen on keeping everything age appropriate. Spirit of Vengeance presents the edge that has always kept Ghost Rider a marginal character in the Marvel universe. He is a vigilante who has no problem with heavy violence. So that is celebrated with the film, which shows how brutal The Rider can be. How about when he spits flaming bullets in the face of an enemy like a machine gun? Imagine Iron Man or Spider-Man doing something like that. It wouldn’t happen. Even though Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance is a significant upgrade from the original, it is still a fringe film meant for a very specific demographic. But will it surprise you? “Hell yeah” (said in an imitation Nicholas Cage’s raspy voice.)

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.