Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance REVIEW - By Chris Molinar
This is Flying Ace Comics' first attempt at a review; not just a review, but a movie review at that. Keep in mind that this is not a professional review and is just one geek's opinion. In the vast scheme of everything, you like what you like, and that's all that matters.
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance is the second film under the "Marvel Knights" banner; the first being Punisher: War Zone--a movie which I personally didn't like and didn't think was a good start for Marvel's "darker" banner (I will pick Thomas Jane's Punisher anytime over War Zone based on substance). As much as I would like to say that Ghost Rider 2 is an improvement over its Marvel Knights predecessor, I don't think it's even much of an improvement over its franchise predecessor as well.
The original Ghost Rider, starring Nicolas Cage, though not a HUGE success when compared to Marvel's Avengers and subsequent tie-in movies, was still a very interesting movie and pretty fun, to boot. Nic Cage brought a quirky personality to Johnny Blaze...kind of mixing in parts of Evel Knievel and Elvis Presley. Peter Fonda's Mephistopholes (or "Mephisto" to his friends) was also kind of fun, throwing in a bit of Peter Fonda's personality and even topped off the character with a slick walking stick which hinted that "The Fallen One" had been injured when he hit the ground after being cast out of Paradise. And let's not forget the super-foxy Eva Mendes bringing a bit of romantic intrigue to Johnny's past and present, dredging up conflict against his newly-acquired powers of Hellfire.
Unfortunately, somewhere between the first movie and Spirit of Vengeance, somebody decided to make things more "interesting" by giving the series a cold reboot, changing up things which had been established in the first movie--some of it slightly, and some of it quite noticably. Some of which is never mentioned again, as if it never happened. Nicolas Cage once again reprises Johnny Blaze, Hell's bounty hunter--The Ghost Rider. However, it's not the Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider we came to know and admire in the first movie. Gone are the slight "Graceland" accent and cocky charm that made him a likable rogue. Instead, we're introduced to a broken-down Johnny Blaze, suffering from his powers and keeping to himself, struggling to stay away from evil, as not to uncontrollably turn into the Rider...in Eastern Europe. From a production standpoint, I can see that they decided to use Eastern Europe as a less-expensive location shoot; but from a logic standpoint...if you've seen EuroTrip or Eli Roth's Hostel movies, that makes no sense whatsoever...might as well have hidden in the Deep South in a town that sells the most linen and rope.
Along the way, Blaze meets a mother and child who are in the sights of none other than Mephisto--now played by a completely different actor; something that is explained in the movie, but is pretty disappointing if you liked Peter Fonda as the Devil. The mother's name escapes me--both the character and the actress who played her, which says something about her performance. I don't know if it's her indistinguishable accent, or the fact that she mumbled through her lines, that I couldn't really understand what she was saying most of the time. Thankfully, her kid had a full-on American accent, so at least he could be understood. However, children as major characters in movies tend to sway me away from any movie. I can trace that back to The Phantom Menace, but I digress. |
The design of Ghost Rider himself is noticably different than it was during Cage's first foray into the leather and chains. While looking quite like his comic book self in the original movie, this time around, he's given a "grittier" look. By "grittier", I mean "burnt". His skull is blacker, his leather motorcycle jacket is given a burnt look and texture to it, and the menacing spikes they went out of their way to introduce in the first movie are gone. Not to say he still doesn't look like a badass, but it looks like they tried too hard to achieve what they already had. There's not much that can be done after lighting a man's skull on fire. The beloved Hellcycle is also given a "grittier" and more "realistic" look. So if you loved the Hellcycle, a.k.a. "Grace" in the first movie...you probably won't like what the new Hellcycle looks like now.
In some aspects, Johnny Blaze's powers go through some noticable changes as well. The Penance Stare takes a backseat this time around. Sure, it gets some screen time, but doesn't have the same awesomeness that it once did. However, a couple of new abilities are introduced into the movie universe, serving their purpose as the Deus Ex Machina to the storyline.
A couple of bonuses we get are in the form of supporting actors; one of which being Idris Elba, best known to the Marvel Universe as Heimdall, the guardian of the Bifrost in Kenneth Brannagh's "Thor" movie of last year. The other big name supporting actor with a small role is Christopher Lambert, best known as Connor MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod in the Highlander movies, as well as Lord Raiden in the original Mortal Kombat feature film.
When all is said and done, would I recommend this movie to someone just starting out in the Marvel Universe of movies? No. Would I recommend it to fans of the original Ghost Rider movie? Probably, but I'd prepare them for the changes first (which is why I'm writing this). If you're a completionist like I am, then yes I would. Am I looking forward to the possible other "Marvel Knights" franchise movies such as Moon Knight and a possible Daredevil reboot after PWZ and GRSV? Not really.
Easily, I'd say rent it first if you haven't seen it already, and test the waters. If it's your speed, add it to your collection. If not, you've only spent a dollar at the Redbox or used up one space on your Netflix Queue.
Plus, there's always this...fun or stupid? Maybe a little of both? You decide.
Rating: 2.5/5
'Til next time!
-Chris
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