Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

Judging from the mood of the theater I was in, the consensus of this film was "...."

Yep, the pacing and storytelling of the film was so bad that it's actually hard to appreciate the plot, and even the action scenes. The otherwise simple plot becomes a task and even a bore to follow due to the bad editing and pace of the story. Things that are supposed to hit home through a joke, or a "Wow!" action scene, fail to do so either because you've gotten lost in all the distractions the film throws at you, or you just merely lost interest due to the lackluster story telling.

It's quite a shame in my opinion that there were many scenes that were supposed to evoke emotion, that just did not. It's hard to comprehend how these scenes fail, when in the back of your head, you actually know that in another occasion, that scene should've been really bad-ass, or really funny. Better editing and better character development would've made the movie easier to follow, and would've given meaning to all the great visuals and occasional funniness the film has.

Now how does it compare to the first? Dare I say Apples and Oranges? The first was coherent and easy to understand but way too cheesy and campy (lacked action too), while this one was heavy and slow with a lot of zany visuals and camera work. Both seem to want to achieve completely different results from an audience that it's actually difficult to say which one's better.

If you're looking for great eye-candy, and whack visuals, then Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance delivers. As a complete entertainment experience though, it falls flat.

Well, the previews certainly looked great. But the actually movie, well, wasn't very interesting, just a bunch of noise and flames and explosions. I guess if you don't like the story you just cannot like ANY movie really. I thought Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance would be enjoyable because I enjoyed Transformers in 3D also, with all of its special effects, but I appreciated more about the cartoon transformers. Plus OK it was a better movie. Anyway,about 45 minutes into this I was getting really bored and actually thought we had entered the three hour mark!!. I then thought to myself "is this ever going to end?" Basically, at that point it got boring. So get popcorn after about an hour. Nick Cage acted pretty well in it, though, but the other actors weren't much to watch, except for the black guy who appears in the first scene (dont know his name). In the end, no amount of great acting could have saved this crap. Again I wish I could get that 2 hours back from my life. I should have gone to see George Lucas' Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace. At least I knew what I would have gotten to see a good story in that one. Also $14.50 for this 3D movie was way way way too much. I wont even see it at the $2 movie. Heck, I wont even rent it on video for $1.29 when it comes out on blue ray. I'm going to burn my memory of last night.

Don't see.

Even though this film was intentionally suppose to be mindlessly entertaining, it is misguided in its attempt. There is some good action and some over-the-top Nicolas Cage but there is piss poor character development, storytelling and handling of villain(s). You don't have to dumb down a film completely for it to be entertaining and you piss off comic book fans as a result because of this film existing. Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance might entertain you if you're high or drunk but if you want good entertainment go watch The Avengers instead.

The first Ghost Rider was already a disappointment – compared to other Marvel adaptations to the cinema, it was far under the average. Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, however, is even worse. It didn't even look like a big Hollywood production – the special effects and the action sequences were sometimes absurd going to the ridiculous. It looked like a low budget film – a poor visual with only one or two exciting scenes - if I can call them exciting.

Then, there is the plot issue. Those 'blockbusters' are not supposed to have a story with philosophical meanings as they are made aiming pure entertainment, but this one actually didn't even have a story. It was totally redundant, silly and cliché – actually kind of ambiguous because the characters were not well explained or explored - things seemed too much up in the air leading the audience to nowhere.

Nicolas Cage also didn't help at all as he was not convincing on what he was doing. But, we can't put all the blame on him – the character was already badly written by the screenwriters who didn't know how to make him interesting. The Ghost Rider is not the conventional superhero – he has an obscure personality. So, where is this aspect on the story? Where is the true nature of the Marvel superheroes? In this film, there isn't any.

What surprises me most is the fact that this film coasted $75 million and no one knew how to make a good use of this big budget. It was a total waste of money and time – not only for the audience, but for the actors too. A superhero movie that promises more than it really has to offer. If you didn't like the first film, you'll probably hate this one.

Spirit Of Vengeance ignites onto the screen in a mass of blazing carnage and sizzling hot 3D visual effects. Packed with some of the most random and craziest images you'll ever see, Ghost Rider 2 will mess with your head. It's great to see Nicolas Cage go mental in his roles, he actually goes insane and you can tell that by the look in his eyes. This time Johnny Blaze is on a mission to save a boy from the devil. The story is basic and needs some more development but the 3D and action totally make up where the story doesn't. The Ghost Rider takes control of several vehicles and tears up location after location, one scene includes a giant quarry digger that sets aflame and starts crushing bad guys and blowing stuff up taking down multiple enemies, and he also takes on a whole motorway full of the Devil's right hand men which ends up in more destruction. Spirit Of Vengeance shows what 3D can do at it's best alongside the wild camera-work from Neveldine and Taylor. Glass shatters, flames and cinders float out the screen in extreme force. It's miles better than the first, Spirit Of Vengeance works due to the choppy camera-work, fiery visuals, Nic Cage and some wild 3D.