IHC Movie Reviews: Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance (2012)

Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance, the sequel/reboot of 2007’s Ghost Rider finally hit theaters this weekend. The first film is widely considered one of Marvel’s worst films and quite a few people don’t think a sequel is needed, or wanted. In this installment, 8 years has passed since the original and we catch up with Johnny Blaze, ex stunt rider who now harbors the curse of the Ghost Rider after making a deal with the devil. Does this sequel need to exist, or should it be banished back to the depths of hell?

I know I’ll be one of the few people who admit it, but I didn’t completely hate the first film. At least, I liked every part of the film where Ghost Rider was on screen. There were a few things that I liked about it, and I don’t really think that it deserves the hate that it got. Personally I think there are much worse Marvel films that bastardize the source material more, and are just worse movies in general.  That being said, when this film was announced, I was a little shocked. I really didn’t think the performance of the first one warranted a sequel, but I guess the studio thought differently. When Neveldine/ Taylor got hired to direct it, it changed my mind a little bit. I loved the Crank films, and even thought Gamer was pretty good. The marketing for the film even got me more and more interested. The video showcasing the lengths the directors went to film footage had me floored. A director who rollerblades behind a car at speed to get a shot? That has to be a good film.

The storyline is pretty simple. Son of the devil is coming to earth and needs a body to inhabit. The devil sends a lackey to keep make sure everything goes according to plan, and keep the Ghost Rider at bay. With a smaller supporting cast of characters including a little bit of a love interest and a tattooed monk, the film instantly one ups the original in that category. The cast is decent, and the acting is fairly average. With a somewhat decent script, story, and actors, the film stays kind of on track for most of the film. The story is there, but it does get kind of loose around the middle and it’s not until close to the end that it comes together. Again, the best part of the film is when Nic Cage gets to just cut loose and get to go full tilt crazy. Again, the highlight of the film is any time Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider is on screen.

The rest of the film looks pretty good. The Ghost Rider himself has been redesigned, doesn’t look as cartoonish as he did in the first film. The skull is now charred and black, and he emits a thick black smoke all the time. His leather jacket looks burnt and bubbled, and he just looks generally more menacing this time. The rest of the effects work looks pretty solid, and it shows that they really took their time with it, unlike the first film. If you’ve seen any of the Crank films, you kind of know what to expect as far as camera work. It’s fast, it’s frenetic, and there are some scenes that are pretty awesome to watch. I wish the directors had been given the go ahead to do an R rating though. That would just make some of the over the top antics pay off so much more. It really feels like they had to tone everything they wanted to do down.

Now, there are a lot of problems with the film. While the story line is there, it’s loose, it’s basic, and there are holes big enough to drive a bus through. And it just feels generic, and not that interesting. Honestly, the whole cursed town plot from the first is more interesting than this mess. The acting, while not as horrible as the first film, could have used a lot of work. While it was nice to see some familiar faces like the big black guy from Thor and the Highlander, with a little bit better casting the characters could have been a lot better. And my main beef with the story is how they just turned the Ghost Rider into a character nothing like he’s supposed to be. As Johnny Blaze, he’s supposed to be a tortured soul, living with what he’s done as the Rider. But there’s almost none of that. As the Rider, he’s supposed to be a vengeful force to be reckoned with that has no second thoughts about what he does. But it’s just not there, and it’s disappointing.

It’s a film that tries so hard to be good and occasionally jumps the line, only to fall further and further back. It has its merits, but overall, it’s just another sequel to a franchise that should have never been. It’s not going to go down as the worst Marvel turd out there, but it is easily in the top 10. If for some reason you loved the first one, you’ll really like this one. If you’re a casual fan of the comics and enjoy most of Marvel’s flicks, you’ll probably enjoy it. If you’re a Marvel purist and hate everything Marvel Films has done short of Iron Man, you’ll hate this too. Me? I personally didn’t completely hate it, but I thought it could have been a lot better. It’s a step in the right direction from the first one, but the step might have come too late.