Review: Originally when I heard they were making another Ghost Rider film I was not looking forward to it because I thought the first film was very much lack luster on so many levels. Now when I finally had heard that the 2 guys who had done the Crank films were going to be behind the helm of this film, well I was stoked to see it. Mainly because those 2 guys know how to make a good fucking action film in my opinion. Also they are good at taking that action and incorporating some good humor into the mix to help liven up the mood from time to time. Now let's get into this review!
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance once again follows Johnny Blaze who is hiding out in a remote area of europe when he is dragged into a clash with the devil to save a young boy and his mother's souls. If he does so he will be rid of the curse of the Ghost Rider, but there is plenty of obstacles in his way. Including a villian who has the power of decay. The only question now is will Johnny Blaze embrace the Ghost Rider and save the 2 souls on the line?! In a nutshell that is basically the plot, but there is some other things added in which I am not going to ruin for anyone. I see the story of the film to be nothing overly complex but at the same time not something that is bland and boring. Like you would expect from Neveldine and Taylor there is a shit ton of great action seqences and even some that will blow your mind they are so badass! One in particular that is awesome is when Ghost Rider takes over this mining machine and just obliterates an army of bad guys. Visually it's fucking amazing.
As far as the cast goes I think they did a great job of picking them out. Of course Nicholas Cage reprises his role as Johnny Blaze which you can tell he is having a blast playing. As well as Johnny Witworth (Empire Records), Christopher Lambert , Cristian Iacob, and Will Ashcroft to name a few. Some would probably say that the cast is not that stellar in this film but for me I think that each one of them play their characters perfectly. Especially if you look at it from the stand point that this is all based around a comic book character.
The biggest thing that these guys had going for themselves for this film is the visuals and the shots they got. For example this time around I thought that the Ghost Rider actually looked much more menacing and in alot of ways scary. Also nothing shy of badass. As far as the amazing shots that they got, I really liked this one that they did of when Moreu has his motorcycle tire blown out and he ejected over a cliff and they show from behind him as he is falling and shooting. If you watch a behind the scenes you will be able to see how they got the shot which is awesome. One last thing I really want to mention is that it may be just me but when Ray is changed and he gets the power of decay and darkness he seems to look alot like Beetlejuice, which is cool but I just had to mention that. Also he has one of the coolest special abilities I have ever seen a villian have.
Overall this is a bad ass sequel and one hell of a ride! If you had fun with the crank films and really enjoy watching Nicholas Cage have a blast as Johnny Blaze then you will enjoy this film!
-Daniel "Damnation" Lee
Director: Mark Neveldine & Brian Taylor
Genre: Action/Thriller
DVD Release Year: 2012
Theatrical Release Year: 2012
Time Length: 95 mins.
Company: Sony Pictures
Additional Screenshots:
