Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2011) User Reviews

A mindless CGI-fest that's so bad it's kind of funny.

[lnvicta · 4/10 · 29 April 2015]

Okay, I'm a Nic Cage fanboy. Let's get that out of the way. I'll watch anything the guy does no matter how terrible the reviews are, and sometimes I'll be pleasantly surprised, as was the case with "Seeking Justice", "Drive Angry", and "Kiss of Death". The guy has some hidden gems in his career. Is Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance one of them? Hell no.

The first Ghost Rider was campy and stupid, but it was a watchable popcorn action movie and it had Eva Mendes (hence, watchable). Spirit of Vengeance is just stupid. Everything about it is stupid. No part of this movie is fleshed out and none of it is interesting. It throws you right into the action with no exposition. It's just a bunch of things happening on screen oozing with CGI to make up for the complete lack of substance. You can tell this is the same guy that directed Crank: the difference is that movie didn't need any substance because the premise was so fun. This movie just pisses on Ghost Rider's origin (literally) and expects you to enjoy watching sh*t blow up for the sake of sh*t blowing up. The writing in this movie is especially horrendous; did they hire a 10 year old to do the screenplay? It sure as hell seems like it.

So you may be asking yourself, "why give it a 4/10 if it's so awful?" Well, I'm a sucker for laughably bad movies and this definitely qualifies. I mean, the dialogue alone tries to take itself seriously but ends up providing really good unintentional laughs. But I'll be fair, not all of this movie sucks.

Nicolas Cage is always enjoyable to watch. You can tell he's invested in the role, and his dedication really holds this movie together. Idris Elba is also in this movie for some reason and he's great in anything, even if his character is completely throwaway. The other acting is serviceable I guess. You can't really blame any actors here because it's obvious the filmmakers wanted it to be a massive CGI-fest with stupid dialogue to lead action sequence A to action sequence B. To their credit, the CGI in this movie is pretty cool. Ghost Rider looks badass, the visuals in the big set pieces are nice to look at, and if you have no interest in the story you can definitely shut your brain off and enjoy the insanity happening on screen.

So in a nutshell, you don't need to see this movie. You really don't. Not even the great Nicolas Cage is enough to hold this piece of trash together. But if you're really stoned or just want to see cool sh*t on screen for an hour and a half and there's literally nothing else to watch, go ahead and knock yourself out with Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. You may find a new B-movie comedy classic.

A Marvel film far under the average

[yamaguchi-victor · 3/10 · 18 February 2012]

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.

Weak Story, Wild Action

[JamesIan2021 · 5/10 · 15 May 2015]

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.

Loved the first Ghost Rider, this one was TERRIBLE

[solutionpw · 1/10 · 20 February 2012]

I was real excited about a sequel to Ghost Rider. I liked the first one. I was very disappointed. Everything is horrible about this movie. The plot, the writing, the acting, and especially the special effects. In the first move, the flaming skull was sharp, the bike was great, the riders expressions were great. In this movie, the flaming bike looked broken down, the skull wasn't sharp, and the jacket charred. The chain never lit up on fire either. And the penance stare was different. He didn't say look into my eyes or anything. Not to mention again that the writing and the plot were garbage. Don't waste your money on this one. 3d can't help this stink pot. Wait for cable.

What a waste!

[dayspring-297-896587 · 1/10 · 19 February 2012]

Having grown up with many of the comic book super heroes, I have been delighted to see so many of them becoming movies now, and look forward to each one. The whole Marvel series has been enjoyable for the most part. Ghost Rider (both of them) have been total disappointments.

The first Ghost Rider was poor, so I figured this one could only go up. Wow, was I wrong! The acting and plot in this one was SO poor, I was ready to walk out within 10 minutes. I decided to be fair...maybe things would improve. Well, I'll never get that hour and a half of my life back again.

I've seen some pretty cheesy B movies before. They can even be fun But I expect the quality of these to be so much more. It wasn't, and there was nothing fun about it. This one will never reach the acclaim it could have....it will fittingly go down in flames as nothing more than a poorly done B movie.

I've seen better acting out of most middle school and high school productions! Even the special affects were substandard for a movie of this type.

Don't waste your time with this one. Don't even bother with buying a DVD when they come out. Your money is worth more than seeing this movie even once.

Such a promising subject such a disappointment

[parrisjim · 1/10 · 19 February 2012]

The ghost rider has the potential to be one of the coolest and most successful franchises today,Ghost rider is so iconic and so much can be done with him,the problem is morons are making the films.

The film has several styles that never really gell,It tries humor but fails,Halfway though the movie it literally starts making fun of itself..and its not funny.I felt like they were saying haha we got your money.

The over used Prophecy child theme,The fish eye 1970's lens used to death and poor effect..the home computer cgi..

If you rent this one day in redbox you'll want your dollar back,If i ever see the director I'll ask for my money back and shame him for taking something that could be so cool and just dropping the ball,he should be banned from making films for 2 years for this one.

I hope one day someone with imagination and talent takes on a ghost rider film and finally does it justice.

Worst movie I've seen in a LONG time

[deny-966-237037 · 2/10 · 19 February 2012]

Seems anyone can be a movie producer / director / screen writer these days. One of the worst stories I've ever seen in a movie, crippled by awful directing and poor acting even from Nicolas Cage, of whom I happen to be a fan. The movie is a complete disaster from beginning to end, failing to capture the spectator because of a weak storyline, bad timing and management of tension and viewer expectations, and action sequences that besides not having the impact the film maker wishes they had, look pretentious and anti-climatic.

About the lines written for the characters, all I can say is: if *I* was invited to work in this movie as an actor (and I'm not an actor by any stretch of the imagination), I'd still be embarrassed to say them and ashamed that other people would watch me doing it.

The fight scenes are not believable at all, seems like people are waiting to be punched in the face, shot or whatever it is that's going on at any given moment. The reasons given for the outcome of any conflict in the movie seem like the ones a child would come up with while playing with his little friends.

I went to see the movie in a 3D "XD" (Extreme Digital) movie theater and even that didn't compensate enough how bad the movie is that I wouldn't be anxious to get out by 3/4ths into watching it.

Now here's something I definitely don't get, how can Stan Lee let such a horrible, horrible, horrible abomination like this thing be released under the Marvel name?

Wild sequel

[Wuchakk · 7/10 · 8 September 2013]

The first Ghost Rider film from 2007 was fairly faithful to the comic. When Ghost Rider came out in 1972 it was more of a general idea than a fully fleshed-out premise. This was clear as the stories changed from writer to writer and one artist to another. Ideas were added as the years progressed, like the "penance stare" and Blaze's growing awareness of the former angel of justice, Zarathos. The book was canceled in 1983 after a ten-year run. In 1990 a new version of Ghost Rider was introduced with a different character and it ran eight years.

The first film was an amalgam of the ideas presented in these two series, mostly the first, and struck me as the comic-book come to life. Really, the only thing that was disappointing was the villain, Blackheart, who was seriously scary in the comics, but not so much in the movie.

"Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance" (2012) is a worthy follow-up with Nicolas Cage returning as Johnny Blaze. The story switches to Europe and, more specifically, Romania and Turkey, where the film was shot.

This time the devil is played by Ciarán Hinds, rather than Peter Fonda, which isn't a big deal considering Satan could presumably take different physical forms. The devil's main minion is played by Johnny Whitworth, a different character than Blackheart from the original, albeit similar. The hot female is Violante Placido, who's arguably an improvement over Eva Mendes. Another positive is the rockin' soundtrack.

I don't mind the story switching to eastern Europe since the locations are excellent, particularly the amazing cave-monastery, but there are other changes that I'm not so crazy about, like the charred biker jacket of the Ghost Rider, but this is just a matter of taste; I simply prefer the cool biker "costume" as opposed to the dirtbag biker look. A more significant negative is the overactive camera that's annoying and draws attention to itself (hopefully this fad has run its course). But there are enough dramatic parts to balance out the quick-edited thrills; besides, you get used to it

BOTTOM LINE: "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance" is a quality sequel that interestingly fleshes out the nature of the spirit that possesses Johnny blaze (I'd say more, but I don't want to spoil it). People who claim the film's more "serious" and "faithful" to the comic are off the mark. It has the same quasi-serious, cartoony-horror vibe as the first film, with glimpses of humor. As radical as the first movie was (in a comic booky way), this one ups the ante and is the better for it. Unfortunately it's marred by the hyperactive camera and quick editing.

The film runs 1 hour, 35 minutes.

GRADE: B.

Could've been waaaay better

[tjjavier · 4/10 · 17 February 2012]

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.

Proper Ghost rider!

[tumbledown420 · 8/10 · 10 March 2012]

Proper Ghost rider! Nicolas Cage, actually played the part well. Bit loopy when needed. pseudo daddy for the rest of the time, sort of worked! I really like the fact that this film has tried to be more like the Graphic Novel & less like the original film. Moral, immoral & fun. The CGI style is perfect for a boy/angel/demon with a flaming skull riding on a motorcycle & killing folk(in an admittedly, sometimes pointlessly staring at people for a really long time, sort of way). I have honestly never seen flames & the whole burning monsters & things done so well!

Please, just switch off Hollywood review mode, Ignore the first films existence & enjoy!

Visually Entertaining!

[g-bodyl · 7/10 · 4 August 2013]

I don't know what to make of Ghost Rider: The Spirit of Vengeance. I know it's laughably bad, but I couldn't help being entertained. The first film was actually a decent, enjoyable film, but the sequel is more campy and has a different tone. The story is very dumb, compared to the first film. But the visuals are excellent. I loved the look of the Ghost Rider and his charred skull.

Neveldine and Taylor's film brings about the return of the Ghost Rider. Johnny Blaze has been hiding out in the remote parts of Europe, but he returns when the Church recruits his help to help protect a boy, whom has the Devil after him so he can use the boy's body.

Nic Cage delivers another over-the-top performance as Johnny Blaze and despite some amusing moments, it did get old and stale after awhile. Idris Elba does a good job as the Church guy and Ciarin Hinds is decent as the Devil.

Overall, this is a over-the-top superhero film that doesn't deserve widespread hate, but still is pretty bad. But what I mean by bad is the film is "good" bad. I found it somewhat entertaining and a nice way to spend an hour and a half. The story/script is just plain silly, but the visuals are very good. I rate this film 7/10.

Ghost Rider

[0U · 24 February 2020]

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.

Wish I could get that 1 1/2 hours back from my life!

[joshsciame · 4/10 · 18 February 2012]

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.

Sequels can be rough.

[Akivaran · 2/10 · 20 February 2012]

I was able to see a screening of GR2, and the theater wasn't too crowded but there was a diverse group of people. I was glad to see that the audience wasn't just a bunch of nerdy white guys. The age groups were varied, as well as both sexes being represented. I don't think that you could have asked for a more random group of people. As the credits rolled, the murmuring that began echoed my own thoughts. "What the hell was that?"

I enjoyed the first Ghost Rider and thought that it stood on it's own. It didn't need the license behind it for you to understand or keep you in the seat. The sequel leaned HEAVY on the fact that you had seen the previous one and were able to understand Johnny Blaze's predicament. Very little character development on what had happened since we left, and what he'd been through. The new people that are introduced have a wisp of back story. There is so much emphasis on the action that the plot and dialog are left standing in the dust.

Rather than give a blow by blow explanation, I'll say this; the few parts of the movie that were received as I think they were intended had nothing to do with the rest of the movie. The few funny parts are the worst offenders. They were literally just asides to the audience, a wink if you will.

If you're looking for some action-oriented entertainment and able to overlook plot and dialog, I think you'll like it. There's a lot of well choreographed fights, and the visual effects are really good. I will say that the flame is the best I have ever seen. You'll chuckle a few times (flamethrower) and you'll root for the good guys. IMO, wait though. Don't see it in 3D (WASTE of time and money, added nothing at all) and wait for the BluRay or stream.

Utter Craziness!! And Total Carnage!

[TitanPRXST · 5/10 · 17 February 2012]

You will have fun watching this movie, as a crazy fella than a normal movie critic trying to find what's wrong with this movie. The camera shot was amazing, Nicolas Cage's acting was at its best. The movie really shows that he cannot control the Rider inside him, and when its unleashed! Its mayhem! No body can stop him, even the devil himself. The recap of the story its very well said. This is not a direct squeal to the first one. But half squeal, the movie shows the rider is dark and not friendly. The way he fights is totally crazy. He fights more like a devil than human like in the first movie. The Red One Camera looks great. A treat for the eyes, then the cheeky-type of humor in it was good to laugh at also.

Even though the characters does not have much development, the feeling was not there.. It was missing something, but when Blaze turns into the rider everything changes. Especially the sound given by the bike or something before he arrives was totally epic. This Ghost Rider is something I did not expect, a story to be told differently to show that there is good in the rider. You will see what will happen in the movie if you watch. Even the devil will say to Blaze, this is the worst contract that I made. The devil, rider all are shown like real life like. That the move in the form of human rather than just disappearing away. Blaze wants to be a free man, the drunken monk wants to save the world from devil. The mom wants to save her son. So All you need is action from the first scene.

Personally I loved this film, I even went to change into a rider my self after watching this movie. But just that I can't do it. If you looking for craziness, abit of humor and great camera work this is the movie you should watch. Critics are gonna hate this movie. But people like me love it! So I am giving it 10/10

Nicolas Rage

[billygoat1071 · 6/10 · 18 February 2012]

The biggest problem of the first Ghost Rider movie is it doesn't have enough riding, no action, and it focuses more to the romance between Johnny Blaze and Roxanne. Which isn't really the main appeal. In this film, it gets focused to the plot. Unfortunately, the story is weak and the script has its awkwardness scattered. Thankfully, there's Nicolas Cage who's spicing things up with his crazy insane performance. This is probably one of his craziest performance since Bad Lieutenant. Also, there's the Crank directors, Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, using their shaky camera and directing style. It fits to the film. Some people may be disappointed but if you're in for some crazy Nicolas Cage and some crazy action then you're going to enjoy this.

It doesn't look like a sequel though. The flashback of Johnny Blaze's deal is different from the first movie. The only thing that stays here is Nicolas Cage. Everything else is new. Well, the story is pretty weak. The plot is little. The whole film is just chasing and protecting a boy. But chasing is what's best in a Ghost Rider film. More riding and less brooding. Though, there are some brooding but mostly is riding. But stories are still important in films and that is the main flaw of this. The script is awkward. With awkward dialogue and awkward moments.

The best parts goes to Nicolas Cage. This may not be the same performance from the first film but this new Blaze is more entertaining and ridiculously hilarious. With more ridiculous is the directing. Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor uses a lot of their trademarks and gives plenty of insanity in some scenes. There's a perfect chemistry between their directing and Nicolas Cage's rage. Feels like it's one of the trippiest films I have ever seen. The action is quite ridiculous. With its well shot shaky camera and its non-stop booming. These things feels right for this film. Yes, flaming awesome and disintegrating bad guys. Do the most ridiculous things with the power.

Aside from Cage, Idris Elba and John Whitworth are both fun and awesome. Ciarán Hinds is like Danny Houston. Even in the single glance, you know he could be a dangerous bad guy. And here, he is a threatening one. The CGI is obvious. The new skull design of Ghost Rider looks more awesome than the first one. The camera is shaky but it's well shot and made the action more exciting even in 2D.

Some people might get disappointed if they expect something bigger. But the action is bigger but the plot is just little. The people who likes Nicolas Cage and Neveldine/Taylor will enjoy this a lot. Or someone who wants to see something ridiculously insane. It's hard to take this film so seriously. It's just hilarious and fun. Let me say that it's a crazy version of last year's Priest but with better action scenes and there's a nut main hero than a bland one. It's short, it's dumb, but has its enjoyment. There's an easy advice to watch this film: Watch it for Nicolas Cage.

Darker, grittier, a step up from part one...

[paul_haakonsen · 5/10 · 24 March 2012]

First of all I have to say that I wasn't particularly much of a fan of the first "Ghost Rider" movie, and much less fan of Nicolas Cage. But still, I decided to sit down and watch "Ghost Rider 2: Spirit of Vengeance" of out sheer boredom.

Let it be said that "Ghost Rider 2: Spirit of Vengeance" is actually much better than the first movie. There is a much darker touch and feel to part 2. The movie is more brutal and visual, and you get to see a more violent side to the rider.

Storywise, well then I think the movie was halting, because it was a sort of a weird hybrid mix of "Ghost Rider" and "Rosemary's Baby". It wasn't bad, don't get me wrong, however, it was just something of a cliché. Nothing surprisingly new or inventive here.

The effects and CGI though, were top notch. I liked what I saw and I was thoroughly entertained. I especially like the pyrotechnics and the smoke effects.

"Ghost Rider 2: Spirit of Vengeance" had a good enough group of actors together. However, in my opinion, the movie was carried by Idris Elba (playing Moreau) and Johnny Whitworth (playing Ray Carrigan). What happened to the Ray character was really awesome. I am not familiar with the "Ghost Rider" comic books, so I have no idea whether or not that character is from the pages, but he was still cool and had really interesting powers.

For a Marvel movie, then "Ghost Rider 2: Spirit of Vengeance" was actually a surprise for me. Especially because I am not too keen on men in spandex tights running around with super powers. "Ghost Rider 2: Spirit of Vengeance" was darker, grittier and for a more mature audience.

One thing that I just had to shake my head in disbelief at was the in-you-face-lame raised finger morals with the "an illegal download" and the "crime doesn't pay" comments in the movie. Wow, could it get any more of a cliché? The "illegal download" comment was funny though, but it was not really at place in the intro.

This is what Ghost Rider is.....for the most part

[punisher6191 · 10/10 · 20 February 2012]

This one kicks the first movie straight in the teeth! It is a much better, more exciting and more accurate Ghost Rider film. I LOVED this film, and I would recommend it to anyone, BUT you must know a few things before you go into it. I am a HUGE Ghost Rider fan, he is my favorite comic book character and any fan should like this film, if they don't, then they obviously haven't read the newer comics because they are very close to this style. But before you see this film, understand two things:

Ghost Rider is a GRINDHOUSE CHARACTER. He always has been. The comics, especially the newer ones are very schlocky and pulpy. I mean, this is a comic in which the characters include, but are not limited to, hill billy cannibals, a man with an eye ball for his entire head, insane cops, hot virgin nuns toting huge machine guns, and a demon that uses his penis as a tentacled weapon (this same demon breaks a man's back by shoving the guy's head up his ass and then refers to him as "Buttview" the rest of the comic). This is midnight movie material. And you must understand this first.

Second is the directors. These are the guys who did Crank, Crank 2: High Voltage, and Gamer. They have a very chaotic, energetic, and unique style of filming. They shot on cables and roller blades for some shots. And the editing is even more insane.

This understood, you will thoroughly enjoy this film. It has Ghost Rider being awesome, demonic, and kicking ass. Nicolas Cage is gleefully over the top and his portrayal of Johnny Blaze is MUCH better than in the first film. He is sarcastic, dark, and crazy, which is good for this character. I mean, his head catches fire, he's not exactly going to be the most stable human being. Next is Idris Elba, who is probably the best part of the film. You really can tell he had a blast as this character and he adds charisma to the film and is truly a joy when he's on screen. Johnny Whitworth does a very good job as Blackout, who is VERY accurate to the comic's character. I was afraid because the directors said they didn't base him on the comic's version. But whether that was a lie, or by complete accident, they got him nearly dead on. They even gave him more powers which make him more of a force to be reckoned with. His Blackout is very Mic Jager/Rock and Roll influenced, which is fine because in the newer comics, Blackout was very "punk rock" in his attitude.

There are some missteps and the film isn't perfect. The story isn't that in depth, the dialogue is less than stellar and it is a bit short. But when it comes to doing the character justice, this is the best adaptation out there.

All in all, if you have read this review and you think this is something you might be interested in, GO SEE IT! It is much better than the first one, and much more exciting. Ghost Rider is nuts and vicious which is what his character is suppose to be. It has a very pulpy feel and that totally works for this character. The action is intense with the camera angles putting you right there in the middle of it. I really hope these guys come back and do a third and make it bigger and better. Go see this film for a good old fashioned pulp good time. And hell, who wouldn't wanna see Ghost Rider making a hell fire mining bagger and wrecking a dozen guys with it?

I liked it.

[Greenzombidog · 7/10 · 26 February 2012]

This new ghost rider ignores the last one and and retells the origin story and also gives us a slightly new take on the Ghost rider himself. This time the Ghost rider is much crazier and a little bit spookier. They've rightly decided to drop the silly monster voice he used to have in favour of a more whispered tone. The ghost riders soul desire now is to destroy anything and everything evil. So when the persona of Johnny Blaze disappears you better start running if you've been a bad boy or girl.

The plot is perhaps a little too familiar. The Ghost rider is charged with protecting and accompanying a boy needed for an evil prophecy, an evil prophecy that also involves the demon that cursed Johnny Blaze. We've all seen this story line some where before but really it's just the setting to let Nicholas Cage go crazy with the Freaky new iteration of the Ghost rider, and that is exactly what he does.

I was not a fan of the original, i thought it was a little too boring for a movie based on a character possessed by the spirit of vengeance. This one on the other hand has lots of action, being directed by the guys who brought us the Crank movies and Gamer I expected as much. The Ghost rider really takes it to the bad guys this time round and the final battle and highway chase are both pretty spectacular. We also see a couple of new powers, which was quite refreshing.

The CG is a little bit hit and miss sometimes it looks fantastic other times the way it is implemented is a little ropey. All round though the effects are pretty impressive and the new look of old flame head with the burnt and craggy old skull and the charred clothes is a much more appealing style for a character this dark.

The strangest thing for me is that this didn't really feel like a superhero movie. It felt more like a revenge flick. Add to that the few truly bizarre moments like the scene when Johnny is alone in the Monks caves and you've got something quite removed from the standard. This is no bad thing in my opinion but it may put off some of the marvel movie fans out there.

There's a lot to be enjoyed here with some funny over the top one liners. some great action and another great crazy turn from Nicholas Cage. One thing I will suggest is watch the film in 2D as the 3D isn't that great.

The sequel that few people demanded.

[BA_Harrison · 1/10 · 15 November 2014]

I believe that I am in the minority for enjoying the original Ghost Rider, and I was looking forward to this sequel despite its current low IMDb rating of 4.3. As it turns out, I should have listened to the masses: Spirit of Vengeance is virtually unwatchable, even for a Nic Cage fan like myself.

The first clue to the low quality of this film is its locale: as a rule, I find sequels that inexplicably take place in Eastern Europe to be inferior to the original, the seemingly exotic setting often chosen for no other reason than pure economics, productions costing less to film in places like Turkey and Romania. The other big clue that I would probably hate this film was the directorial team of Brian Taylor and Mark Neveldine, who were responsible for the ADHD Jason Statham action flick Crank, a film that annoyed me from start to finish.

To make matters even worse, the plot is derivative, reminding me an awful lot of the far superior sci-fi classic Terminator 2: Judgment Day (a boy and his tough mother are protected by a once-bad, leather jacket wearing, partly human protector who rides a motorbike), the script is terrible (even Cage's wild eyed mad acting technique cannot detract from the awful dialogue), and there are some truly lousy performances from the supporting cast (worst offenders: Fergus Riordan as irritating kid Danny and Christopher Lambert as facially tattooed monk Methodius)— all of which had me struggling to stay awake.

I will definitely not be getting my hopes up if a third Ghost Rider movie should ever get the green-light.

Not quite there

[TopekaLass · 5/10 · 17 April 2012]

Nicolas Cage, Ciarán Hinds and Idris Elba do their best with a guy struggling with his fate as a bounty hunter for the devil. This is a good premise as it was in the first one. It's just that the plot moves at a sow pace. It "seems" to go fast, but it is really slow and not ahead of its audience. If the story is going to be as such and everyone agrees on this then why not have more of the "ghost"? More of the stuff that the title suggests.

I have like Cages work in many movies, including Leaving Las Vegas, Moonstruck and Honeymoon in Vegas, but it seems like he was constrained by the parameters of this script in this movie.

Directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor with the screenplay by Scott M. Gimple, Seth Hoffman and David S. Goyer (story by David S. Goyer), Ghostwriter: Spirit Of Vengeance maybe had too many drafts and rewrites from too many different sources. Interestingly enough, I look forward to seeing what they do with another installment (if they decide to do one), because the premise is a good one.

extremely average

[destroyah25 · 5/10 · 18 February 2012]

Just got done seeing the new ghost rider film. I found it too be very average in my opinion. I found myself pretty interested during the first half of the film, and then that it seemed to take a nose dive about 1hr in. The action sequences were all fairly short with no real big moments. I thought the final fight scene might be pretty awesome, but was pretty disappointing in my opinion. It also sort of had a "cult" kinda feel to me which didn't really feel like it belonged. There was a few scenes with some solid humor in them, but most were maybe light chuckle jokes at best. None of the actor performances really seemed to stand out either. If you are a fan of the comics or of the first movie it might be worth seeing, but after viewing this film I just felt like it wasn't bad or good just plain decent. 5/10

A miraculous piece of film-making

[LordJiggy · 2/10 · 18 February 2012]

The miracle of this film is that it makes the first Ghost Rider appear competent, even interesting.

Man, what a waste of celluloid.

Made by the auteurs who brought us "Crank," apparently they neglected to go to film school the day "internal story logic" was discussed. preferring to spend their time thinking of cool ways to blow stuff up.

Nicholas Cage, whether art thou? Sometimes he showed up for the film we paid to watch, other times he was doing a greatest bits reel, with a lot of Bad Lieutenant lunacy thrown in. That being said, he did have a couple of good lines, which again seemed to come from another movie entirely.

Not worth a rental, not even worth swiping from a torrent site.

Revenge on the People Who Liked The First One

[boblipton · 2/10 · 20 March 2016]

I had some time to kill this morning and there was nothing on the DVR, so I decided to see this movie, a sequel to the one that demonstrated that Nicholas Cage's performance can be improved by replacing his head with a flaming skull. Who says that CGI is worthless?

In this one, Nick plays the scenes with his own face like an alky who has just woken with the shakes, because he has regrets over being a monster. Violante Placido plays the unmentionable love interest. She was raped by the Devil and gave birth to his son because you know what schmucks male-dominated governments are. They won't let you get an abortion even when you've been raped by the Devil, even though that happens all the time; plus Mother Love and an enormous rack. Idris Elba plays a monk with a Russian accent. Did he get rejected for the role of Rasputin by some racist producer and he's going to show them?

Anyway, the story, such as it is, involves a lot of CGI fighting and fire and Miss Placido crawling on the ground so that her breasts hang down and look even larger. Apparently this was too difficult for one director, so they used two, but to make up for that, they only get one name each.

I forgive Mr. Elba, because he is a British actor, and they don't turn down work. I suspect he shot his role when it turned out he had a week before playing Puss in Boots in a Christmas panto. Besides, he has since appeared in another LUTHER.

A movie to watch...

[mihai_banu_123456 · 7/10 · 29 April 2012]

well it's not like the first one but it's interesting to be seen...and it'll be more interesting to see a 3rd movie from this series...yes the effects are weak and the casting could've been better as always Nicholas Cage knows what he's doing but come on let's be serious other actors from this movie are way out of line... and then there is the place of the movie. Yes, Romania well it's not as they described it...but who cares in this days... the scenario could have been way better, the movie it's not intriguing actors are not as they used to be in the first one Final words: A good movie that could have been way better