Grade: F
When “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance” was first announced I thought to myself, “this is going to be just as bad as the first one.”
As it got closer and closer to it’s release date however, I set my expectations a little higher and thought, “you know what this movie might have a chance to succeed where the first one didn’t.”
With Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor (directors for “Gamer” starring Gerald Butler), behind the camera, I thought the gritty action-packed style they bring to their films would fit well with the “Ghost Rider” universe. But after seeing the film I realized I had set my expectations too high and was sorely disappointed with what Neveldine and Taylor had created.
This sequel story once again follows daredevil cyclist Johnny Blaze (Nicholas Cage), who, after selling his soul to the Devil, has become Ghost Rider “The Spirit of Vengeance.”
When the Devil tries to take human form in the body of a young boy it’s up to Blaze, as “The Rider,” to stop him and ensure that he doesn’t obtain his full power on Earth. If he can protect the child, in return the demon within him will be lifted and his life as “The Rider” will cease to exist.
Nicholas Cage has returned to reprise his role as Johnny Blaze and has brought with him the same stale overdramatic acting seen throughout his film career. As I say about many actors, Cage isn’t Nicholas Cage playing the role of Johnny Blaze he is merely Nicholas Cage playing the role of Nicholas Cage. His acting doesn’t provide any insight in to what the character of Johnny Blaze is like because he can’t separate himself from being Nicholas Cage and truly enveloping himself in the role of Johnny Blaze. It’s actors like Johnny Depp and the late Heath Ledger that really know how to make a character truly unique. No matter how many times I watch “The Dark Knight” I don’t ever see Heath Ledger in the role of the Joker, I merely see the character and that to me is brilliant acting.
“Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance” was bland, the characters uninteresting and the acting overdramatized, which is a shame when you have veteran actors like Nicholas Cage and Idris Elba. Elba, in my opinion, could be one of Hollywood’s biggest stars in the next couple of years. The film failed just as the first and I think its time that Hollywood let this series die.
Do you think Nicholas Cage could have done a better job? Did you like the movie? Reply to Nathan in the comment section below.
