Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance Review

17th Feb 2012

Whether you want to call this reboot, restart, reimagining – or just plain sequel: GR: SoV has been gutted of its R-rated content and we are left with a 12A special effects fantasy that offers very little blood, and has a plot with even fewer guts.

Suspicions were raised in the opening scene where we are introduced to Idris Elba’s bike riding and gun toting monk on a mission. Bullets may be flying all over the place, but not one drop of blood is spilt. Ok so now we have to look at this film for what it is – for kids. Having said that; there are enough loud energy; screaming; mutation and death effects in this film to put off the younger audiences.

Speaking of kids. Turns out the Devil (or whatever they want to call him here) has plans to use a very special child to bring about the rebirth of the antichrist. In his way are the child’s protector (Volante Placido) and Elba’s monk. Old Nick (Ciarán Hinds) has his own rag tag of disposable henchmen on their tale. Suitably so they are all of B-movie standard – even more so when one of them gets transformed into villain Blackout around the midpoint.

The film turns into a road movie. They have to get from point A to B with a few tops along the way either to have SFX showdowns, encounter new characters (watch out for Christopher Lambert!) or input a few dramatic beats.

The effects themselves are varied at best. Some of the early rider scenes are lacking something, but by the final daytime conversion; the rider looks smoking hot.

What is not smoking hot is Cage’s performance. Yes Cage has decided to ramp it up to 11 again on the crazy-richter-scale. Once scene in particular sees him accosting a man of dubious qualities, and Cage has to try as hard as he can to repress the beast within him. And oh boy does Cage go through every tick he can think of to convey this message. He even does the high pitched screaming he performed in Kick-Ass when his character was set on fire. Perhaps this is how Cage thinks all people react to being set on fire. And he may have a point there.

The Rider works best as a silent, malevolent, spirit when in full vengeance mode. And his malevolence is taken to new heights when he takes control of a giant construction machine and starts to grind the bad guys into the ground in one scene. It is pretty cool that every vehicle he helms suddenly becomes a vehicle of hell surrounded by flames as well.

He works not quite as well when he is making puns. Yes such beauties as “road kill” emanate from the lipless skull when he sends one villain to a tarmac fated death. Never have I heard such silence from a movie-going audience in that particular moment. I was listening close for groans, or laughter of the so bad it’s funny” kind. Nope – just crickets.

Ghost Rider then still has plenty of room to be improved, but they also need to harness the film makers if they are to make the chaos a little bit more orderly.