Everyone knows that I am an absolute comic book and superhero fanatic, but there is no character over whom I am more conflicted than Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider, the supernatural antihero whose first transition to film has haunted me for years. In my freshman year of college, I convinced a large group of dorm-mates to go see Ghost Rider, including one who was taking his longtime crush on their first date…as anyone can imagine, it was a disaster, and it was my fault. I am a huge fan of Nicolas Cage, so despite the apparent miscasting of him as Johnny Blaze, I had been excited to see the film that was nothing short of an epic failure; for the next five years, I was known as the only guy that liked Ghost Rider, despite my repeated acknowledgments that the film was, in fact, terrible. Needless to say, my first reaction to the trailers for Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, in 3D no less, was along the lines of: “Oh dear God, why!?!” My closest friends were going to have a field day, so I knew that I had to see this newest superhero sequel to have any chance of rectifying the abuse that I had suffered over the years; and really, I didn’t see how filmmakers could do any worse, so maybe there was light at the end of the tunnel…then again, given the character, that light could signal my entrance to the gates of cinematic hell.
It may not be saying much, but Spirit of Vengeance actually improves on 2007’s Ghost Rider in every way imaginable, with stronger characters, a better story, and cooler action…at its best though, it can probably still only be described as trashy fun. Unlike its predecessor, Spirit of Vengeance does not take itself too seriously, often poking fun at the ludicrous subject material and only going over the edge a handful of times. Thankfully, Nicolas Cage is notably more subdued in his performance as the demonic bounty hunter, and he is strengthened by an entertaining supporting cast, including Idris Elba who sports an inexplicable yet workable French accent, and Johnny Whitworth, a supernatural antagonist who is the type of villain you love to hate. The story actually has a coherent conflict that needs to be resolved, while the chaotic direction and cinematography actually complement the ridiculous character, so add-in some cool special effects and gratuitous violence, and the film ends up being more than tolerable. To think, if the original Ghost Rider had followed similar guidelines to Spirit of Vengeance, maybe the franchise wouldn’t be the laughing-stock that it is today; but, that still doesn’t mean that any awards are going to be granted or that non-fans of comic books should rush to the theater.
Overall Recommendation: Medium
