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GHOST RIDER - Spirit Of Vengeance

With Nicolas Cage, Ciarán Hinds, Idris Elba, Violante Placido, Johnny Whitworth, Christopher Lambert, Vincent Regan

Written by Scott M. Gimple, Seth Hoffman, David S. Goyer
Directed by Mark Neveldine & Brian Taylor

To be honest, I wasn't looking forward to this one – until I realized Crank directors Neveldine / Taylor were at the helm. They seem incapable of coming up with something that isn't wild or manic.

In this Marvel sequel, Johnny Blaze finds himself in Eastern Europe, suppressing the demon hidden inside... but the devil knows no borders. A religious sect seeks Johnny out for help (or more accurately the indestructible Ghost Rider feeding on evil souls). The devil likes making deals, and Johnny is not the only one. A child's life is at stake, and with the flame-engulfed, skull-headed Ghost Rider erupting, many Russian-styled henchmen get their asses kicked (or barbecue'd) in the attempt to get the kid and his mom to safety.
Nic Cage may be getting long in the tooth for a young character like this, and at times it seems as though he took a peek inside the Bruce Campbell / Ash / Evil Dead handbook of hammed freak-out acting (not that there's anything wrong with that!).
Besides the killer flaming bike scenes, the Ghost Rider also activates a gigantic mining vehicle with the juice of hell for one crazy sequence. Another hell-bound character is also created by the devil to stop Johnny / Ghost Rider's pursuit of the kid (in whom Satan has a big stake).

While the 3D trick never scams me into enjoying a movie more (like The Last Air Bender for instance), I reckon this time round it does add a little bit extra, as in 2D it would just be another forgetable sequel.
Some comic book style panels get incorporated to cool effect, to tell parts of the story and also giving the quick rundown on how Johnny got that way (be it for those who'd forgotten the less than stellar original, or viewers who didn't bother with the first one at all).
A cocky sense of humour is also present.

Oh yeah, look out for The Highlander, Christopher Lambert.

Watch trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt8lo3jEKBo

3 / C
- Paul Blom


0 1 2 3 4 5 6
- A - B - C


Click below for the first Ghost Rider
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never let a review decide for you, but for those who need a rating, see the Flamedrop scale below
6 - Volcanic
5 - Blistering
4 - Hot
3 - Smolder
2 - Room Temperature
1 - Fizzled
0 - Extinguished

A: Multi-Viewing Potential

B: Could Enjoy A 2nd Look

C: Once Should Suffice



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