Ghost Rider 2 - Spirit of Vengeance

I just came back from the opening night of the new Ghost Rider flick.

To say it's better than the first movie is pretty much saying "Hey, the sky is blue." You would have a hard time making a worse movie than the original Ghost Rider, so there's that.

Not having high expectations going in, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was actually enjoying this one. Cage is better in it (somehow, he almost looks younger now!) than the first one, at once more reserved in his character and cutting loose more effectively.

The female lead was palatable (again, out performing Eva Mendes in the first movie is not exactly setting the bar very high - I have mold in my fridge that could deliver a line with more conviction) if nothing special. The kid as well, but I will say I can see him growing into a solid leading actor someday.

The villains are better too, particularly the supporting gopher villain guy. Kinda have to be, since Peter Fonda spent the first movie in something like an emotional coma and the supporting gopher in that film just outright sucked.

The visuals are WAY ahead of the first one. The Rider's charred skull sits atop a visible spine, its halo of flames pumping out black oily smoke all the while, making him ten times more menacing than he was as the the disembodied flaming white skull from the first film. The bike is simply bad-ass, again far more aggressive and dangerous feeling than the bike from the first one. Visually I'd put this up against any action movie out there, it's just nasty good. Well, minus the stupid shakey-cam that makes an occasional appearance.

The story is basically Terminator 2, with the Rider having to save the kid who is the destroyer, not the saviour of mankind. The movie is full of chases and set piece fights that I thought were done very, very well. Sure, the story is a bit predictable, the characters too, but this isn't a movie you go to if you want Oscar quality performances. It's a kablooie-fest.

I was particularly impressed with the quarry battle, 'cuz it brought the BOOM! Some very creative use of heavy machinery and shoulder mounted missles there. Fun stuff all around.

For a straight up action movie I'd give it a B-. I'm still not sold on Cage in the role, the main villain wasn't nearly as menacing as he should be, some of the plot was a bit disjointed, but overall the film worked for me.

Plus, as much as it sucked, I own a copy of Ghost Rider. So what do I know, right?