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While better than its predecessor in antics, acting and special effects, the dynamic directing duo of Neveldine/Taylor doesn’t exactly crank the mayhem up to the levels one might expect. It’s largely a performance piece directed by adrenaline junkies. For those unaware of the meta-madness of Crank, Crank: High Voltage, and Gamer that’s really good news; they can actually concentrate on the on-screen shenanigans. Fans of their style though should taper expectations a bit; there are no shotguns being stuck up assholes.
Yes, even the extreme violence of the Marvel Knights brand has to show restraint from time to time and serve their fanbase rather than take a huge ass risk and let these visually engaged dudes do their thing. It’s a shame really, but that PG-13 rating and lack of actual production money aren’t too much of bummers. Ultimately, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance doesn’t disappoint when it comes to vehicular carnage and soul-sucking stunts and overall enjoyment.
Nicolas Cage returns as Johnny Blaze except he’s a little bit nuttier. It seems his attempts to block ‘the rider’ from coming out has rendered him a bit … sanity strained. He’s punchier, edgier, and living on the outskirts of Eastern Europe (read: to save the studio money). No, rural Turkey is not Harley Davidson territory and, as a result, the bike now a Yamaha V-Max – has also changed. Approached by a zany drunk monk named Moreau (Idris Elba), Blaze is offered release from his riding duties if he’ll bring the devil’s child, Danny (Fergus Riordan) to a secret sect of the church so that they can save him from the devil (Ciarán Hinds).
Blaze agrees and, with the help of the child’s mother Nadya (Violante Placido), the three traverse Transylvania escaping thugs, devils, and themselves all in the spirit of vengeance. Written by David S. Goyer, Scott Gimple and Seth Hoffman, the story is paper-thin and, because the character development is solely at the beginning of the film, a bit confusing at times.
Actor Johnny Whitworth turns in a bit of an uninspired performance in his portrayal of a bounty hunter turned into Blackout, a darkness-generating demon who has the ability to suck the light and life out of all natural objects. When the hero of the story is as nasty as Ghost Rider, one has to turn to the villains to be heavier and more interesting. They have yet to be and, as written in the comic, they are so much more…livelier.
People are going to think Neveldine/Taylor have sold out by making a Ghost Rider film. They haven’t. Here’s why: the location. Turkey has no film infrastructure. None. This is guerilla filmmaking and it looks as gritty and as sparse as it sounds (which is weird for a 3D film). Completely. This is Drive Angry in Eastern Europe. Shots are from the hip level (seriously, from the hip) and edits are quick to disguise the limitations of the roads. Even the plot gets wound into a sort of otherworldly vibe with animation and black-soaked sets for some action.
Dialogue is sparse and, as the action unfolds, less punchy than in the beginning. Still the weirdness in the characters Cage and Elba play creeps out and, when Ghost Rider lets a fire-stream of piss shower the screen, we get those bold visuals of Neveldine/Taylor. One of the bold changes they made was in the way Ghost Rider moves. He’s very zombie-like for awhile. Odd, interesting, and twisted for the three action pieces we get of ‘the rider’. Too bad we don’t get more. I suspect there is a longer cut of the film waiting in the wings, but Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance is good as it is. It just isn’t great.
One wouldn’t expect a Ghost Rider film to be so mellow, but a large part of Spirit of Vengeance is exactly that. Slow. It’s a zany take on the character and Cage gets to be bold (once again) in being so outrageous, but once ‘the rider’ is exorcised things get muted. Then, Christopher Lambert makes an appearance and, well, the performance vehicle weirdness is back.
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance is more interesting than the first. Its visuals are fresh and engaging and absolutely pop for its 3D price. The performances are better, but the film is an odd mix for a team that is so bizarrely confident in their punch drunk visuals. Sure, you are going to see things you can’t believe passed the standards of a studio-backed film, but they fall just a bit too short from the usual pieces of flair Neveldine/Taylor wear.
Even still, critics are going to accuse the movie of playing more like an extreme sports video…which tells me they weren’t actually watching Crank. This is a tame Neveldine/Taylor. Yes, the handheld moments are there. The action junkie bits are incorporated into the mix and even Cage gets to rage in a hilariously uncomfortable scene. Add it all up and you get an experiment in quasi obedience to studio-accepted behaviors from a directing duo that deserve a hell of a lot more credit than they’ve been given.
MPAA Rating: 
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