Director: Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor
Writer: Scott M Gimple, Seth Hoffman, David S Goyer (Screenplay) David S Goyer (Story)
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Violante Placido, Ciaran Hinds, Idris Elba, Johnny Whitworth, Fergus Riordan, Spencer Wilding
Plot: As Johnny Blaze hides out in Eastern Europe, he is called upon to stop the devil, who is trying to take human form.
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Darker Sequel
Story: Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance starts the action in Eastern Europe, Moreau (Elba) is trying to protect a boy from the devil himself, hiding him out at a monastery, he wants the Rider to protect the boy but when the monastery is attacked Nadya (Placido) escapes with the boy. Ray Carrigan (Whitworth) has his men in hot pursuit but Moreau helps save the day.
Now it is time to repeat everything that happens in the first movie in comic book form that also doesn’t match anything that happened, Johnny Blaze (Cage) now living in wait for it Eastern Europe. Moreau comes Johnny for help offering him a new deal which will see the curse placed on Johnny lifted. When Carrigan gets the boy Danny (Riordan) Nadya has to work with Johnny to save her son while Carrigan has to get Danny to Roarke (Hinds). Wait we have a narration half way through the film about how the devil acts?
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance is a story that is much darker than the first outing and without reading the comics I guess is closer to what the source material is meant to be. I did like the darker tone and overall look of Ghost Rider through the film. The story itself follows the idea of making the Rider the anti hero but slightly more controlled as we watch him try to fight the devil who put the curse on him. This is all very simple comic book stuff but never pushes any boundaries which I think we would have all like to have seen. I personally think this is a slight improvement on the first outing but having the established character really did help. (6/10)
Actor Review
Nicolas Cage: Johnny Blaze is trying to keep away from his Ghost Rider persona but the devil is always after him, when Moreau comes to him with a deal. The deal will offer him a chance to become clear of the curse placed upon him. Johnny has to team up with Nadya to stop the devil rising. Nicolas brings his style to thi film with his over the top working throughout. (6/10)
Violante Placido: Nadya is the mother of Danny who has to reluctantly team with up Johnny to save her son before the devil uses him to come to Earth. She has also made a deal with the devil only hers was to bring Danny into the world. Violante ends up filling the tradition sidekick character in a comic book film when she looked so strong early on. (5/10)
Ciaran Hinds: Roarke is the devil walking on Earth but he needs Danny so he can unlock all his powers and rule the Earth. Ciaran will always give good performance even if the material isn’t at the highest level required. (7/10)
Idris Elba: Moreau is a French monk trying to offer help but soon has to turn to Johnny offering him the deal to save himself if he save Danny. Idris shouldn’t be a supporting star but with the confusing accent throughout we have seen him improve since. (5/10)
Johnny Whitworth: Ray Carrigan is the hired man trying to bring Danny to the devil, he tries to find a way to get extra money but he is easily disposable in the eyes of the Devil. He has a history with Nadya and isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty when it comes to making extra money. Johnny makes an interesting enemy who does give us a good performance. (7/10)
Support Cast: Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance has a supporting cast that includes extra goons trying to get the kids, the kid himself that does offer plenty to the story but other than that there isn’t too much else happening from the supporting cast point of view.
Director Review: Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor – This partnership does bring us a much darker toned film but still only one that can’t be taken too serious. (6/10)
Action: Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance has plenty of comic book action but this does have two good actions scenes with the quarry scene and the final chase being the stand out ones in the series. (8/10)
Fantasy: Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance brings us into a world of good versus evil where the two clash for the place on Earth. (7/10)
Thriller: Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance does keep you interested but never reaches the edge of your seat level that other films do. (5/10)
Settings: Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance takes the action to Eastern Europe and well that is all that will stick with you. (5/10)
Special Effects: Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance has improved special effects but again it is difficult to create a flaming skull character on film, but there are a couple of bad moments with the over the top action scenes. (6/10)
Suggestion: Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance is one for the fans of the comic book genre to try and see what they think. (Comic Book Fans Try)
Best Part: Final chase with the fight on the car.
Worst Part: Elba’s accent was hard to believe.
Action Scene Of The Film: Quarry scene.
Believability: No (0/10)
Chances of Tears: No (0/10)
Chances of Sequel: No
Post Credits Scene: No
Oscar Chances: No
Box Office: $51 Million
Budget: $64 Million
Runtime: 1 Hour 36 Minutes
Tagline: He rides again
Trivia: After this film, the live action film rights to Ghost Rider went back to Marvel Studios.
Overall: Darker and Improved sequel that still doesn’t reach the heights it needed too.
Rating 
