“It doesn’t matter how far you run. There are some demons you just can’t escape,” says Johnny Blaze, played by Nicolas Cage.
After sitting in the theater for about 45 minutes, I felt like I needed to escape this new demon after going through a disappointing experience watching Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (3D) directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor (Crank). I had high hopes for this sequel, but with the mediocre acting and some cheesy effects, my burning passion for a positive review was put out.
The story began with Johnny/Ghost Rider hiding out in Eastern Europe in an attempt to escape his struggle with the spirit of the Ghost Rider. As explained by Blaze at the start of the film, he was a stunt motorcycle rider who performed shows with his father.
After his father was stricken with cancer, the Devil offered to save his father for Johnny’s soul. The Devil held up his end of the bargain by curing Blaze’s father. However, he got killed in a motorcycle accident at his next show.
With Johnny having signed a contract for his soul, the Devil made him the Ghost Rider, a demon capable of numerous supernatural abilities.
While Johnny has been staying at an isolated area in Europe, a French monk named Moreau (Idris Elba) finds Johnny to ask for his help in locating Danny (Fergus Riordan) and Nadya (Violante Placido), a mother and son who are being hunted by a group of mercenaries led by
Ray Carrigan (Johnny Whitworth from Limitless). In return, Moreau and his fellowship of monks can help free Johnny from the Ghost Rider curse.
As the Ghost Rider, Johnny can sense Danny’s whereabouts just as the boy has been captured by Carrigan, who is following orders from his boss Roarke (Ciarán Hinds), the Devil.
Now with Johnny more involved in this divine mission, he starts to build a friendship with Danny and his mother while contemplating a major decision in regards to being the host of the Ghost Rider. Should he save himself, or save the world from evil and stop Roarke? I think you know what choice he makes…
The acting was just god awful. I wanted to give Cage a chance with this film, but he really disappointed me.
Whenever he spoke, he over exaggerated his lines. Some lines included, “the bee…I thought…it was going to sting your face,” “You’re…a bad man!” With the pauses being so drawn out and awkward, it really annoyed the hell out of me (no pun intended). After seeing Wicker Man (2006), I both laugh and cringe whenever I think of Cage and bees.
I had to do a face palm whenever he turned into the Rider. While Blaze was looking for Carrigan and Danny, he and Nadya interrogate one of Carrigan’s contacts, whose part of an illegal fighting ring.
Since the Ghost Rider is brought out whenever there are signs of evil, he struggled to keep it in. I understand it’s tough to keep yourself from turning into a flaming skeleton of death and destruction, but Cage just took it to a whole other level.
You’re supposed to feel scared and worried that Blaze is going through this transformation, but with an overly dramatic performance done, it just led to laughter.
With Peter Fonda doing a great job playing the Devil in the first Ghost Rider, I was curious to see how Hinds would portray the role. Fonda’s performance portrayed the Devil as a manipulative and deceptive being, which is what I would think when the Devil is trying to get something that he wants. I didn’t get that impression from Hinds at all. He had this low gravelly voice which made him hard to understand at times, and his facial expressions made him look stoic and unemotional. I guess that would be another portrayal of the Devil, but I personally liked Fonda’s performance better.
Moreau (a “French, alcoholic d**k,” as described by Blaze) was probably my favorite character of the entire film. With the impressive action scenes at the very start, he seemed like an awesome supporting character.
As part of a brotherhood of machine gun wielding, wine guzzling, demon hunting priests, I liked him more than the Ghost Rider. He appeared again later in the film as he helps Blaze free himself of the Ghost Rider spirit. At one point, he said he’ll “share a 2,000 year old bottle of wine once all of this is done,” and I might’ve gone ahead to join him.
After seeing Spirit of Vengeance in 3D, it really made the special effects (Nick Allder) too much for me to handle.
If I saw fire coming at me one more time, I was going to sprint toward the emergency exit doors fearing for my life. Once was enough, but with fire constantly in your face, it got pretty annoying. If you see the movie, see it in 2D.
The cinematography by Brandon Trost wasn’t too bad either. The car and motorcycle chases had some solid tracking shots. Plus, the high adrenaline scenes made me feel like I was actually in the chases and gunfights.
I’m glad that this PG13 rated disaster turned out to be 95 minutes, because I couldn’t stand to be in the theater for much longer.
If you’re a diehard Marvel comics fan and LOVE Ghost Rider, then this film might be enjoyable for you. Don’t go in with high expectations though. Honestly, I liked the first film a lot better than this. Gotta love sequels, huh?
Johnny explains that the Ghost Rider has “no reason, no conscious, just hunger.” Well, Johnny, I would have to say that this film has no acting, no sense, just trash.
PHOTO COURTESY of fmoviemag.com
