Johnny Blaze (Nicholas Cage) has run halfway across the world with the hopes that keeping himself secluded will eliminate the possibility that his alter-ego, Ghost Rider, can no longer hurt anyone. One day he is approached with a way to rid himself of what he considers to be a curse. All he has to do is protect a boy named Danny (Fergus Riordan) from his father, the devil (Ciarán Hinds). Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance sees him accepting the deal, hoping that his life will eventually return to normal.
As is the norm for Cage, his performance is goofy and a bit cheesy; he comes off as a sort of absent minded surfer dude and often fails to appeal to audiences. This far too typical demeanor of Cage’s carries over into Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance and is an instant turn off. His performance as Johnny Blaze is incredibly discouraging, and as the lead of the film, any chance Spirit of Vengeance had to find genuine success in Hollywood was thrown out the window.
To surround Cage, casting directors Colin Jones and Gail Stevens employ a number of nobodies, Hinds (Roarke) and the uber-talented Idris Elba (Moreau). The nobodies live up to expectations, and deliver on nearly no level whatsoever, whereas Hinds, who relieves Peter Fonda of his duties as the devil, can’t live up to the ominous and creepy performance of Fonda. Elba, who regularly shines in roles of both great magnitude and support, fails to deliver the same amount of vigor as he has in the past. The expectations for Elba are often high, making his dreadful performance terribly frustrating and disappointing.
Ghost Rider’s (2007) villain was horrific and whiney, making his scenes nearly unbearable to watch. Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, for some unknown reason, uses a villain horrifically similar to the one in the previous installment. Johnny Whitworth (Ray Carrigan/Blackout) performs in a similar fashion to the previous Wes Bentley and appears to audiences to be whiny, childish and wildly unintimidating. While the remedial nature of the antagonist is dialed back a tad, the same lack of relatability and fierce overcompensation for the lack of acting ability ultimately leads to Blackout being forgotten by most by the time Spirit of Vengeance is over.
In many ways Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance appears to attempt to erase what was done in the first installment of this franchise. Entire, pivotal scenes depicting Ghost Rider’s existence are re-written, his appearance is entirely recreated and the sentiments toward his “curse” and the love of his life, Roxanne Simpson (Eva Mendes) have been thrown out the window. There are times when revamping certain aspects of a film within its sequel are done in order to better represent something or to fix an oversight from before, however, this is certainly not the case in Spirit of Vengeance. Blatantly recreating Rider’s existence diminishes what was done in the past, and, furthermore, was completely unnecessary. It adds nothing to the story, and the continued reference to the devil bringing Rider to life serves no purpose in the grand scheme of this film. Technically the absence of Roxanne is dealt with early in the film, however, leaving her behind (due to Mendes’ choice not to participate in this installment--GOOD FOR HER!) makes much of the previous film feel like a waste. There are so many horrific changes made between films and the film (and audiences) suffers as a result.
As if this sentiment hasn’t already been expressed enough, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance stinks. The casting (and as a result the acting), the storyline, the dialogue and the unnecessary changes all lead to the film being unbelievably boring. To add to the distress of the film, the direction is depressingly subpar. Certain scenes drag on-and-on and consist of some awkward exchanges between Cage’s Ghost Rider and nearly everyone else. As Ghost Rider oddly tilts his head and the music gets darker and faster, viewers begin to suspect that something significant is coming. To their disappointment, nothing ever comes.
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance fails, in nearly every facet, to entertain audiences. Every moment that passes feels as if it has dragged on for hours, making it difficult for viewers to remain focused. Cage fails miserably as Rider in this Marvel sequel, and the rest of the cast does nothing to make up for his flaws. It’s hard to find anything positive regarding Spirit of Vengeance and viewers fail to enjoy it in any regard.
Directed by Mark Neveldine & Brian Taylor. Written by Scott M. Gimple, Seth Hoffman, & David S. Goyer. Starring Nicholas Cage, Violante Placido, Ciarán Hinds, Idris Elba, Johnny Whitworth, etc.
⭐⭐⭐½/10
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