What would you do if you were the devil’s bounty hunter? Would you save the world from evil, or would you choose to become evil itself? If you decided to go the superhero route and save the world from evil, you have made the same choice that Johnny Blaze (Nicholas Cage) did in “Ghost Rider 2: Spirit of Vengeance,” which was directed by Mark Neveldine & Brian Taylor who also directed both of the “Crank” action thriller films.
“Ghost Rider 2” follows ex-bike performer Blaze into Eastern Europe, as he attempts to hide away from society with his curse of becoming the Ghost Rider from the events of the first film. His hideout days are over when Blaze is approached by a biker by the name of Moreau (Idris Elba), who asks for Blaze’s help. Blaze is asked to protect a young boy (Fergus Riordan) who is about to become the victim of the devil’s next attempt of living as a human again through a sacred monk ritual. Blaze insists that he does not save people, but when he becomes the Ghost Rider, he is able to rid the lives of those who have committed horrible crimes.
After questioning himself, and almost not accepting Moreau’s offer, Blaze is forced to help out since his transformation of the Ghost Rider requires him to hunt down the evil-doers at night, and in this case, it is the demonic figures who are trying to kidnap this boy from his mother (Violante Placido) who becomes the number one threat of evil later that night for the Ghost Rider.
The Ghost Rider is now back in business as the devil’s bounty hunter, and his main prey are the people who are apart of Roarke (Ciaran Hinds) and Blackout’s (Johnny Whitworth) gang, who are the ones that are trying to kidnap the boy for this ritual. After some violent encounters with this gang, it becomes clear to Blaze that he must stop Roarke and Blackout’s plan of becoming the new “Devil in Human Form,” so that society does not crumble because of this evil duo’s rise of power.
“Ghost Rider 2” has its moments of glory. For those who loved the original 2007 film, this new installment does have its share of great action scenes, some unique and interesting CGI throughout its runtime, and some of the new characters were adapted to the screen in an intriguing fashion. Every scene in this film that involved Blaze and Moreau working together to stop both Roarke and Blackout, was very fun to watch. Some viewers might also enjoy the arrival of the other two new lead characters in this film, Nadya and Danny, who are also important key players to the film’s success.
Some of the Ghost Rider’s new abilities were exciting to see on the big screen such as turning a crane and a car into a “Fire Vehicle” like the motorcycle that the Rider uses. Also, this was only the second film made by the new division of Marvel Studios, “Marvel Knights”, which seemed appropriate since the previous film made in that division of Marvel was also darker that some recent comic adaptations.
Although “Ghost Rider 2” was an entertaining film, it did have its share of flaws.
One flaw is that Nicholas Cage seemed to be the only actor in this film that had a very over-the-top goofy personality. Although some might enjoy Cage’s goofier interpretation of the Ghost Rider character that he portrayed in the first film, some might find it annoying after awhile.
Another flaw of this film was the abrupt ending, the ending will not be revealed in this review, but what can be said about it is that it felt predictable and rushed.
Some viewers might enjoy the cheesier dark action look and style to this new installment, but some might have wished that Neveldine & Taylor went with Mark Steven Johnson’s original film interpretation of the Ghost Rider universe instead. Some viewers might be disappointed when the origins of the Ghost Rider are shown in a completely different setup than the first film. It made the film feel like a poorly made reboot instead of a sequel.
Also, some of the abilities that the Ghost Rider had in the first film were not used for the sequel. One of those abilities include the evil stare that allowed the Ghost Rider to take the criminal’s soul just by staring into their eyes. The Ghost Rider has a new jacket and motorcycle than he did in the first film. The cool skeleton look to the motorcycle is completely different from the first film. The spikes that he had on his jacket in the first film are now gone too. Blaze must have changed jackets on his way to Europe. Also, the villains of this film didn’t seem as fun or original as Blackheart and Mephistopheles from the first film.
Overall, those who enjoyed the first “Ghost Rider” film might get a real kick out of this sequel. However, those who didn’t care for the first film might be better off seeing another film at the theatre. But if you’re in for another blazin’ hot story of The Ghost Rider, this might be worth the ride.