“It doesn’t matter how far you run, there are some demons you just cannot escape.”
So far, this has been rather surprisingly entertaining. I just didn't like the first movie at all. It didn't capture my attention in any way and just lacked soul.
I'm at that scene, the Nic Cage wig-out, where his Johnny Blaze is trying to hold "the rider" at bay, the demon inside that is hungry for souls, while attempting to retrieve information from some lowlife in a European club and it's full-bore, let-it-all-hang-out. Some might consider this akin to "the bees, the bees!!!", but I think it actually fits the scene. The visual effects of the empty eye sockets and face "slipping away" kind of contributes well so that Cage's freakout isn't too damning to the film. You know, though, the film kind of has that Drive Angry feel to it where those who made Spirit of Vengeance wanted to make a fun picture that would entertain the target audience. This is what I was hoping for. The directors (I haven't researched this film much as my blog writings come "hot off the press" from my brain to the screen) shoot fast and the camera doesn't catch a breath. I will talk more about the plot (what little there really is to get in the way of the action and visual effects) a little later.
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This "sequel" almost feels like it is completely its own film, not tied to the previously entertainingly bankrupt Ghost Rider very much at all. I couldn't be happier. I'm all for this. The Punisher movies were this way and I have been vocal about my love for the "second try" to get it right. Actually, there were three Punisher movies...sorry, Dolph, didn't mean to leave you out your awesomeness.
I liked this enough: **1/2 out of *****
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This "sequel" almost feels like it is completely its own film, not tied to the previously entertainingly bankrupt Ghost Rider very much at all. I couldn't be happier. I'm all for this. The Punisher movies were this way and I have been vocal about my love for the "second try" to get it right. Actually, there were three Punisher movies...sorry, Dolph, didn't mean to leave you out your awesomeness.
I liked this enough: **1/2 out of *****
Wow, writing a lot lately, B., even if it is a lot of entries on the same movies.
ReplyDeleteDon't leave out Dolph when it comes to the Punisher--his film was actually a lot better than the Thomas Jane abomination. Nothing can touch WAR ZONE, though, and I sort of hope Marvel finds some way to continue that. Ray Stevenson would probably be content to play the role right into retirement.
I know absolutely nothing about SoV, except that it was supposed to be a sort of "reboot," and the trailer for it looked fantastic. The original GR picture just sucked. It seems Mark Steven Johnson's reward for fucking up DAREDEVIL so badly was to get to fuck up GHOST RIDER, too. SoV looked much better, and a lot more like the comic, of which I was a huge fan when younger.
The Ghost Rider, like Daredevil, is actually a concept that could be made to work quite well on film. Very cinematic, with a fast pace, lots of incredible visuals, and the stories are a wide-ranging mix of horror, action, and straight drama, with lots of plain weird shit thrown in. The awful original film fucked up the origin, but hopefully, this one just ignores it.
I practically blotted out the first Ghost Rider film from my mind, j. Very forgettable. Cage had that hair-do, too, only complementing how diabolical the film was. He's in not-bad form here, though. He has those over the top moments, but I don't mind a little of that if the scene calls for it or gives him an out for doing so.
ReplyDeleteI'm trying a different format with this blog. Not writing long review blogs, but dropping opinions, comments, and thoughts throughout the night. I enjoy it a lot more. It gives those who might read an option to view smaller doses.