Film Review: Ghost Rider

So many films, such little time. We'll be bringing you regular film reviews to help you decide what to see at the the local flicks.

We're not film buffs here at TGtS, so we've invited a local media student to keep us in the loop with what's hot and what's not on the cinema scene.

Jenny's kicking off with the latest 'blockbuster' Ghost Rider.  Not sure if it's your thing? Hopefully Jenny's review will help you make up your mind...

Film Review: Ghost Rider

The good thing about action films is that you know you’re going to be entertained, no matter the acting or plot. The opening sequence to Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance is nothing short of thrilling. With superb cinematography and camera angles, it’s a nice wake up sequence to get you into the movie.

We’re introduced to our first main character Moreau, who visits a remote and heavily guarded monastery. Of course his entrance is in style, a loud roar from his bike’s engine and a pair of skid marks in the gravel is always a nice way to greet someone.

He and a monk speak briefly about a soon-to-be-happening prophecy about a young boy and the devil becoming human.

Just as you’re about to find out more, the cliché sudden explosion and ‘oh-my-goodness-what-is-going-on’ moment happens, when the monastery is attacked by armed men.  Moreau makes a quick get-away and looks for the boy, intent on keeping him safe. But when he does find him, he is with his mother and she is not only afraid but armed and nearly shoots Moreau point blank.

After performing some surprisingly slow and majestic jumps, Moreau loses them and admits defeat.

Before long, our main man Johnny Blaze appears on the screen with a flurry of flashbacks from the previous instalment. From the dramatic lighting and sprayed on sweat, the audience can almost feel his suffering.

Blaze is intent on getting rid of the Rider inside him, and so decides to hide himself away from ordinary civilization to try and figure out what he has to do.

Moreau shows up and makes a deal with Blaze; he promises he will lift his curse if he helps protect the young boy.

And so, the entire plot is shown in the first 15 minutes, which is a bit disappointing.

And, as much as I love Nick Cage, his acting is dire. He goes from gritty to goofy in a split second. The CG is sloppy too, with a half arsed ‘tweak’ to Blazes design (the skull is now charred as well as being surrounded by flames).

Idris Elba showed a good deal of talent in this feature, but it seemed to me that he didn’t really get much screen time even though he was one of the main characters. His talent was overshadowed by the poor script writing and attempted humour.

Another commendable little actor is ‘Danny’, the boy in the film. He is played by Fergus Riordan, a young and not so well known actor. Again, he doesn’t say very much and that might be due to his character profile, however, he doesn’t convey his personality very well through his face and body language, and instead looks more like an animated plank of wood.

The only aspect I properly enjoyed was the cinematography, which was consistent throughout, and added a fresh style.

Overall the film was very weak, with poor acting and predictable plot. It was action filled, and if you focused on that hard enough then you might scrape through the ordeal. The corny lines only add to the list of bad that is this film. I know it’s a throwback to the original comic books, but for those that haven’t read the comics, like myself, wouldn’t get the joke. So it kind of falls flat in that sense.

If you like the Ghost Rider series then be my guest and go and see it. But if you’re expecting a good film, then don’t.

Have you seen Ghost Rider?  Tell us your thoughts below...