New director, special effects fail to revive character in sequel

Debuting this past weekend to pessimistic fan expectations was the sequel/re-envisioning, "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance." The original "Ghost Rider" movie debuted in 2007 from the now disliked director, Mark Steven Johnson. It suffered from bad writing, ham-fisted acting and special effects that made Ghost Rider's skull look like a plastic Halloween decoration.

This new incarnation keeps Nicolas Cage as protagonist Johnny Blaze, gets rid of Johnson in favor of Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, directors of the "Crank" movies, and ups the ante for special effects when it comes to the (Ghost) Rider. One would think that the second and third improvements I listed would benefit "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance," but it can't overcome some of the detriments that took root in the character's first go-around that I mentioned above.

For this requel, the story is simple and somewhat familiar (think "The Omen" and "Rosemary's Baby"): the devil, a man called Roarke, needs a new host and is after a young boy, Danny, to take as his new host. The one thing that sets this film apart from the classics is its flame-skulled protagonist, hell-bent on stopping the deal from going down; and that's what the plot all comes down to, deals that were made between Roarke and other characters.

Cage turns in another slow-paced performance where his melancholic delivery leaves much to be desired. Sure, he has some quirky lines as Johnny, who likes to crack a joke instead of have a serious moment, but the in-betweens make it seem like he doesn't really care. Interestingly, Cage also did all of the motion-capture acting for The Rider which results in a creepy, predatory portrayal of the demon-infused Blaze; although interesting, there was a scenes in which I wanted the Rider to do something instead of standing around, swaying.

For the supporting cast, Idris Elba is entertaining as the wine-swigging rogue monk, Moreau, who wants to help Johnny, but only in return for Blaze protecting the boy. Roarke, played by veteran Ciarán Hinds, was a stereotypical big, bad boss. Fergus Riordan as Danny didn't exactly break the stereotype of boring child actors. Adding to that, Violante Placido as Danny's mother, Nadya, didn't have much to do except stand around and look pretty. Sadly, Johnny Whitworth, who plays Roarke's henchman Carrigan and is later turned into the supernaturally villainous Blackout, was one of the only ones besides Elba that seemed to care and have fun with his role.

As "Ghost Rider: SOV" was filmed in eastern Europe on mountain roads, sprawling rocky landscapes or deep in a quarry, it isn't hard to tell where a lot of the budget went to - the special effects department. The Rider's leather clothing is now charred and bubbles like oil, his skull is burnt and blackened, and both his skull and the wheels of his motorcycle have flames that billow an acrid, black smoke. Another notable effect is Blackout's ability to rot anything he touches - wood, metal or flesh.

Although the effects are revved up and the action scenes especially well-shot and exciting, the latter is sparsely populated throughout the film and I found myself on the brink of falling asleep due to some scenes' struggles to keep my attention.

As a fan of the character, I'm sad to report that "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance" doesn't exactly break the mold of banality that was cast by the 2007 original. Although a few aspects are enhanced, the film can't help but trip over badly-paced, awkward, dialogue-heavy scenes.

A biker with a fiery skull using the forces of evil for good can make for a great story, it's just that this attempt, and its predecessor, succeed at visually capturing the character while utterly failing to translate what makes it interesting. For now, I'd suggest ignoring both of these movies, reading Jason Aaron's run on the "Ghost Rider" comic and hoping that there's hope of a rebooted, re-cast adaptation of that particular selection of source material.

Tyler Brown is a senior in English. Please send all comments to edge@kstatecollegian.com.