Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance (copyright 2011, Sony Pictures), was released February 17th, 2012, to theatres worldwide. Primary cast consists of the following: Nicolas Cage, Ciaran Hinds, Violante Placido, Idris Elba, Johnny Whitworth, Fergus Riordan, Spencer Wilding, Christopher Lambert. There are also many supporting actors and actresses. This go-round, the Marvel Knights crew (as opposed to the original Disney/Marvel team) teamed up with David S. Goyer (writer for such films as Blade 2, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight), Scott M. Gimple (writer for such television shows as FlashForward, Fillmore!, The Walking Dead) and Seth Hoffman (writer for such television shows as Prison Break, House M.D., FlashForward) for screenplay and writing, Brian Taylor (co-director of such films as Crank, Crank: High Voltage, Jonah Hex), and Mark Neveldine (co-director of such films as Crank, Crank: High Voltage, Jonah Hex), also for direction, as opposed to Mark Steven Johnson, writer and director for the film Ghost Rider (2007). They were working in association with Columbia Pictures (same as Ghost Rider), Hyde Park Entertainment, ImageNation Abu Dhabi FZ, rather than Relativity Media, Crystal Sky Pictures, Michael De Luca Productions, GH One and Vengeance Productions Pty. Ltd. Filming took place in Romania and Turkey.
The synopsis (storyline): "As Johnny Blaze hides out in Eastern Europe, he is called upon to stop the devil, who is trying to take human form." - imdb.com
Although that is the "official" synopsis/storyline for this movie, it is very lacking and rather misleading. In all actuality, it should read more like the following: "Johnny Blaze (Cage), now the embodiment of the Ghost Rider, a demon who has the visage of a skeleton consumed in Hellfire, has been doing everything possible to devise a way to rid himself of his curse. Where Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance picks up, Johnny has been hiding out in Eastern Europe, in an attempt to try controlling the demon, and maintain what is left of his sanity. Unbeknownst to Johnny, however, it is quickly required of him to use the demon, in order to save the World. Thirteen years prior to this event, the Devil/Mephisto/Roarke (Hinds) had impregnated young Nadya (Placido), without her knowledge. Present day, she and her son, Danny (Riordan), have been held, against their will, in a monestary, by monks who are waiting for the Winter Solstice to pass. The two attempt to escape and flee, only to be tracked and hunted by a group of evil men (Wilding and Whitworth, amongst others), who intend to bring young Danny to his "father". The monk, Moreau (Elba), finds Johnny and offers him something of great importance and value, in order to help him prevent this from happening."
I will not give out any spoilers, such as major details, etc., however I will say that a few of the major scenes require the viewer to pay a lot of attention to the details. Because I watched the movie in realD 3D, I chose to go into the theatre with a neutral mindset, and I was generally not disappointed. I have seen quite a lot of 3D content (movies, tv show episodes and clips, etc.) and I fully understand when some folks refer to the technology as a "fad" or a "gimmick", as the vast majority of 3D production is designed around the "wow factor" of "in-your-face" image trickery (items being thrown at the audience, etc.), and oftentimes the true nature of the 3D effect is lost, especially when it is supposed to play a key role in how the viewing audience "feels" the movie. All too often, movie production companies focus more on the "popping images", and not even remotely close enough to the story, settings, etc. This is where Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance 3D takes a bite of the industry's neck and rips out a huge chunk of flesh. It really sets itself apart from the crowd, and in all of the right ways. The story features loads of humor (such as Johnny answering the question of "what happens when you've gotta pee?", as asked by Danny), depth by means of intertwining back-stories, and a nicely large helping of fight/action scenes. There are predictable elements as well, though they are more "I sure hope that this happens", rather than "so-and-so is going to do this, just watch...", of which I am very satisfied that all events that I predicted came to fruition. The implementation of 3 dimensional technology simply encompasses you and holds onto you in such a way as to actually allow you to feel as if you are part of the film.
The way that the film engrossed me, as a viewer in the audience, was more like captivation. The 3D effects were more than that, they played a crucial role in bringing me into the film, as they should. The biggest component of 3D visual effects, is depth of field (DOF), and without that being present (as it sorely lacks in far too much 3D content, especially movies), the overall effect of the movie will fail to capture the attention and mindset of the viewer(s). The DOF effects in Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance do not lack whatsoever. When you are near a ledge, you will feel - even if but for a brief moment - as if you are about to fall down, should you get too close or lean forward. When you are caught up in a chase scene, you watch as trees, rocks, vehicles, even people, all come toward you and are left behind, in such a way as can only be described as realistic. There are a small handful of key moments, of which feature the "pop-out-at-you" effect, however the way in which it is implemented, it does not stand out as the primary 3D effect in the film, rather it is a tool that helps to emphasize a situation and/or an event, and it flows very well with the rest of the film's 3D effects. The only thing that I would have changed, in the visual design of this film, is the animation sequence. There is a section of the film, where Johnny Blaze is giving the back-story, and although the story is re-written to make more sense (being that this movie is it's own element and not simply just a straight-up sequel), I honestly feel as though it would have been pushed across to me, as an audience member/viewer, in either a better animation style or even as a flashback-imagery style. It has the feel of Samurai Jack (copyright 2004 Cartoon Network), and although I also used to enjoy that show (when it was on-air), I don't believe that such an animation style in the aforementioned sequence truly justifies the film's presence. It felt very lacking to me, not engaging.
I watched this film with child-like abandon, just as did my 8-year-old son and my fiance (though in comparison to them, I myself was also able to watch it with more respect to the storyline, it's relation to the comic book series, and respect for the actors and actresses as well). Despite the fact that I usually enjoy Nicolas Cage movies, I always prepare myself for both a positive and negative outcome, as I've seen a few of his movies wherein I was rather disappointed by his acting. It doesn't happen often, but it does still happen. Unlike many others, I actually still enjoyed and have respect for the first Ghost Rider movie attempt (if you haven't yet, you should also compare the theatrical release version and the extended cut version, there are some great and useful differences) also, and I feel that Spirit Of Vengeance - although it featured a re-write of some of the original story from the first movie, to ensure it flowed more appropriately - may not be a blockbuster event, but is still a very respectable and enjoyable film all on it's own. It is all-too-often that we find ourselves engrossed in a sense of entitlement, especially when it comes to movies (This one is a special film to note in this respect, because it combined the original Johnny Blaze series and the SoV series, in which the new Ghost Rider is actually Danny Ketch, the two later starring together in the series Ghost Rider/Blaze as well, and then once more Johnny taking over the role of the Ghost Rider again roughly a decade later. In 2014, Johnny Blaze will be replaced by Robbie Reyes, as part of the Marvel Now! Initiative.), or any entertainment medium really, so it is also a time when we need to take a step back, throw aside all expectations and "just watch the movie".
More features to take note of, that are of great improvement over the 2007 film:
1: A much better and less cheesy motorcycle, with a few nice surprises added in.
2: Anatomically-accurate CGI motion.
3: Decent acting overall, despite a rocky start to the movie's dialogue.
4: Introduction of a character, who is a key character, in the "Spirit Of Vengeance" storyline, in the comic book series.
5: This film's story has elements taken from the "Spirit Of Vengeance" comic book storyline, however there are key elements that have been changed, such as Danny and his role, etc. Mephisto isn't even referred to as Mephisto in this film, but rather simply as "Roarke" (the imagery shown during Johnny Blaze's explanation of the many forms of the Devil will likely cause you to laugh hysterically), though he (the Devil/Roarke) is still shown as himself during the "contract" flashback scenes. Basically, there's a hybridization of both the Ketch and Blaze Ghost Rider series', with some odd-choice changes tossed in for whatever reason.
6: The Ghost Rider character has more "freedom" than prior, and also has a more "Hellish" appearance (though many, myself included, would prefer him to still have the spiked leather biker jacket, it's nothing to complain about really), which actually is more befitting of the character's persona (being that the character is supposed to be a demon). He also is not given a lot of super-campy/cheesy dialogue, with a mandible that moves a lot, as if being used to show audibility (there are a few times the mandible moves, but it is not anything like the pointless and cheesy way it was done in the original Ghost Rider film). The CGI artists actually made the Ghost Rider's presence and actions (vocals included) how they were supposed to, by making him act more as a supernatural, rather than a physical, being. His use of the chain whip is also much better and more applicable, as well as the spike, at the chain's end, is now no longer present.
7: There are lots of really fun elements to this film, ones that should make your inner-child smile with joy and giddyness. These folks actually had fun making this film, as you can tell throughout it's entirety. Present is not only a plethora of fast-paced action sequences, but a variety of humor levels as well.
8: Further explanation of the Ghost Rider's character history comes into play, so pay careful attention.
Pros:
1: Better visuals, compared to the original Ghost Rider film, overall.
2: Best usage of 3D effects possible (for realism, rather than campy pop-out-at-you gimmicky effects).
3: Decent storyline.
4: Decent or better acting than most would expect. You simply have to understand that Johnny Blaze is losing his sanity, by fighting to contain the demon inside of him. Without this understanding, you will easily be lost by Cage's acting style in this film.
Cons:
1: The "catch up"-style lead-in scene could have been much better, by having been done in a much different sequence or style altogether.
2: The ways in which the story arcs away from the "Spirit Of Vengeance" comic book series' storyline, will likely upset some "die-hard fans" and sticklers, but not all. (Hey, it could be worse. Remember the first X-Men movie?)
3: Actor continuity. It needs to be either across the board or not at all. In this case, it was followed through only in the case of Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider. Peter Fonda and Matt Long should have reprised the roles they were given in the original Ghost Rider (Mephisto and young adult Johnny Blaze, respectively) film, or Nicolas Cage be replaced by a different actor, though Cage pretty well owns the role now and one simply cannot justify putting the character into anyone else's hands. Just because it worked out for the better in the Iron Man movies, doesn't mean it will work well in all Marvel movie series, got it Marvel? The Punisher movies don't count for this, as all three versions thus far are different tellings altogether, of different series' in the Punisher's character story (Dolph Lundgren version was based on the original character version, Tom Jane version based on the modern-age comic book series from the 90's on up, and the Ray Stevenson version is based on the Marvel Knights and MAX series'. All three are different in the comics and thus are also different in the movies, meaning they are not sequels or prequels, but rather different movies altogether.).
4: The official MPAA rating is PG-13, but what passes for this rating is questionable, as there are at least three times when the "f" and "d" curse words (the latter of which is pre-cursored by "God" each time) are used. Neither word is, in my opinion, appropriate for any child, whether age 1 or 18, let alone 13. It was not appreciated that my 8-year-old child was subjected, yet again, to such foul and un-welcomed language, in a comic book-based movie, of all things. I do understand that the rating is PG-13, not PG-8, but an 8-year-old should not have to deal with any different content levels than a 13-year-old, whether it be in movies, video games, television, books, etc. A child is a child, end of story.
My verdict: 8/10
Also, a final note that I feel I must make, is after having read the official "professional film critic" reviews, amongst the "general audience" ones, I can honestly tell you that not a single one of those individuals has seen this film, and based all of their information on pre-determined opinions and hear-say. Just as an example, one element that pops up in multiple "pro" reviews, is that Ghost Rider eats a bunker-buster missile like a twinkie. There is a twinkie, there is Ghost Rider, and yes there are bunker buster missiles, however the three do not come together in any scene in the movie. The "bb's" and Ghost Rider are in a scene together, but the twinkie has nothing to do with either of the two. Do yourself a favor and do not bother to listen to the ridiculous rantings of the so-called "pro critics" or the obviously biased lunatic rantings that you'll see on many other sites, such as Fandango.com, etc., as they are clearly just trying to push people away from watching a movie, which quite possibly could very well be rather enjoyable for you and whomever you see it with. Please, as well, feel free to give me any feedback you may have on the film, after having seen it of course, or even to ask questions before and/or after. Until then, take care and have fun.
All Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance images copyright 2012 Sony Pictures and copyright 2012 Disney. The realD 3D logo is copyright 2012 RealD, Inc.
This article copyright 2012 Ronald H. Smith.
