Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

An atrocious sequel to 2007’s atrocious Ghost Rider, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance follows Nicolas Cage’s Johnny Blaze as he attempts to save a little boy (Fergus Riordan’s Danny) from the clutches of no less than the Devil (Ciarán Hinds) himself. It’s clear immediately that directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor are looking to distance themselves from Mark Steven Johnson’s lackluster original film, as the movie boasts precisely the sort of pervasively (and aggressively) over-the-top sense of style that one has come to expect from the Crank filmmakers. And while the pair’s unapologetically broad sensibilities initially seem somewhat promising – especially when compared to the high-camp atmosphere of the first movie – Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance eventually (and perhaps inevitably) begins to morph into a seriously trying and hopelessly uninvolving mess that features an almost stunning lack of compelling elements (ie there’s nothing here designed to capture and sustain the viewer’s interest, with the one-dimensional characters and wafer-thin plot ranking high on the film’s list of undercooked attributes). It ultimately goes without saying that the movie’s problems are compounded by Neveldine and Taylor’s consistently incompetent directorial choices, with the duo’s relentless use of handheld camerawork and rapid-fire editing proving instrumental in cementing Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance‘s place as an utterly unwatchable piece of work. (It’s also worth noting that Neveldine and Taylor’s larger-than-life modus operandi apparently doesn’t extend to Cage’s performance, as the actor delivers a curiously subdued turn, with the exception of one gleefully broad sequence, that stands in sharp contrast to the ridiculously excessive bent of the remainder of the proceedings.)

* out of ****