If you choose to see Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, I strongly suggest finding a 2D viewing. I have heard very poor opinions of the 3D quality of the film. I can't speak from my own experience, as I opted to go with a 2D viewing. Frankly, I'm not a huge fan of 3D. Watching the movie sans glasses is much more comfortable.
The film is full of elements that are good and bad. For example, the film probably wouldn't have been made if it weren't for Nicolas Cage. It is his passion for the project that has fueled the fire. (Haha..fire pun...you know...cause the Rider is on fire...) His dedication is great, and I appreciate actors who believe in what they're doing. At the same time, Mr. Cage hurts the movie at times. He is such a talented actor, but he spends most of this Ghost Rider film acting crazy. There is a lot of screaming and maniacal laughing. It got to the point that I would randomly giggle when he would appear on screen because I was expecting him to do something outlandish and silly. For the most part, he didn't disappoint. His performance definitely nudged the movie in the direction of awesomely bad.
The movie also provided me with performances from some other pretty good actors. Ciaran Hinds, who was recently in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, showed up to work. We were treated to about a minute of screen time with Giles*. From the trailers, you should realize Stringer Bell** is running around there too. As the icing on the cake, Christopher Lambert puts in an appearance. Including these competent actors is a definite plus, but it hurts the movie when you don't give them anything to work with! Stringer Bell gives the best performance in the film, and Mark said even that one was mailed in. Great actors can only do so much when you don't give them a good script or fleshed out characters. With no room to grow, they just spout off their lines and wander around, chewing the scenery.
All in all, the film looks good while said chewing is going on. The character design of the rider is much better in this film, with more detail and a more authentic appearance. The special effects are decent, but it's the camera work that stands out at times. There is a scene early in the film, which you have probably seen in trailers, where Stringer Bell is flying backwards off a road and shooting at someone. To get that shot, they had the camera and its operator in a harness behind the actor. There are a number of shots that just prove how crazy the directors can be. These are the guys that brought us the Crank movies, which I am ashamed to say I loved. Those are awesomely bad movies. While these guys get respect for their dedication to obtaining crazy shots, the film suffers because the camera is often too frenetic, causing the carefully crafted action to be lost.
You see both the excellent camera work and the shaky, frenetic camera work in the first ten minutes of the movie. Of course, that amount of time also exposes you to some terrible voice-over work and some nice animated scenes. The movie has just as many bad elements as it does good ones. The movie succeeded in making me laugh at a couple scenes, when it was actually their intent. Of course, I also laughed when I wasn't supposed to.
Overall, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance isn't a bad movie, but it isn't a good movie either. It doesn't quite hit the awesomely bad level either, which is really what it should have been. The film would have been vastly improved with a bit more editing. There are scenes that just go on too long. You'll know them when you see them. They usually involve Cage laughing maniacally or the Rider screaming or staring at someone. I'm glad I saw it, but there is no reason to visit the theater for this movie. I do have one final complaint. The mother in the film has an accent, but her child does not. It makes no sense.
* I know his name is Anthony Stewart Head, but he will always be Giles to me.
** Once again, he may be Idris Elba to you, but he is Stringer Bell in this house.
Observations about this movie:
ReplyDelete1. There is more screaming and staring than the director's cut of Akira.
2. There is a Family Guy cutaway gag that appears twice in this film.
3. At one point, Nicolas Cage stops chewing the scenery figuratively to attack the scenery literally.
4. At another point, when it looks like he might lose, Ghost Rider beats a bad guy by virtue of having been a bigger bad-ass all along.
5. Ghost Rider is immune to military grade rockets, but vulnerable to shotguns. His character sheet reads "damage reduction: 500/Shotgun"
6. Someone once challenged Ghost Rider to a staring contest and won when Ghost Rider was disqualified for "excessive screaming".
7. Ghost Rider's flaming body is hot enough to melt a leather jacket, but apparently cool enough to safely hug a puppy or small child.
8. Idris Elba is awesome, even when French.