Ghost Rider 2 - Spirit of Vengeance follows the Ghost Rider as he and Stringer Bell attempt to protect the son of Satan from being used as a host to his father. Plus 1 gypsy.
It was panned by critics, comic-enthusiasts, and everyone else. Previous hatred of Nick Cage's first attempt aside, was it really THAT bad?
And the answer is yes, it was. But there is one thing I notice when looking through past reviews, contrary to previous belief, it is actually better than it's predecessor. Marginally.
The acting is on par with the first one. Nick Cage's weird facial expressions actually get even more bizarre in this one, and he also tries to throw in this demonic laugh once in a while which is just as cornball as it could get.
The only actor I enjoyed in the first one, Peter Fonda playing Mephisto, was replaced by Ciaran Hinds. You know, Ciaran Hinds, the guy from such previous roles as President, Lord, FBI Agent, King, Captain, Professor, Priest, and his breakthrough role as flashback Dumbledore.
I did however enjoy Idris Elba, who seems to actually have some versatility up his sleeves. I really wouldn't have expected him to do this role as well as he did. Plus, they got rid of Eva Mendes!
There are some contradictions to note if you plan on watching both of these, as they really don't work well back to back.
In the first movie, he loved Mendes and at the end they make it clear that they both understand they cannot be together because he is half monster, but then in this sequel he falls in love with the slut who banged Satan (with no real explanation) and it's all good.
Also at the end of the first one, Nick Cage is given the option of not being Ghost Rider for a job well done, but he declines, as the burden must be his. But in the sequel, he can't get rid of the power fast enough, and half way through, he does. In the first movie someone else would have to be Ghost Rider if he didn't, and he wanted to keep that burden on himself, but that rule doesn't seem to apply in this one.
And one of the weirder "what the?" moments involves the entire plot. The first movie was the son of satan trying to kill and take the power of his dad and ghost rider, in this one they are trying to protect the son of satan from satan taking HIS power. How much was that thought through? I guess they assumed nobody would watch the garbage first one again.
If you completely forget about the first movie though, the plot isn't that bad. It certainly isn't original, but it isn't the crappy origin story of the first movie. Although viewers that no longer appreciate Home Improvement/Tool Time humour probably won't really appreciate the Ghost Rider flame crane scene. Like the first one, a few moments are for special effect awe purposes only.
So really, it is slightly better than the first one, but not because reviews on this movie are harsh, it is actually just because reviews on the first one are generous. Unlike the first one though, this one is at least watchable if you are looking for a cheese action movie with up to date effects.
4/10
Thanks!