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Nicolas Cage, Ciarán Hinds, Violante Placido, Idris Elba, Johnny Whitworth ... see more see more... , Fergus Riordan , Spencer Wilding , Sorin Tofan , Jacek Koman , Anthony Head , Cristian Iacob , Christopher Lambert , Jai Stefan , Vincent Regan , Ionut Cristian Lefter , Will Ashcroft , Sabina Branduse , Tobias Ojerfalk , Adina Galupa , Alin Panc

Nicolas Cage reprises his role as Johnny Blaze in Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance. In this gritty new vision for the character, directed by Neveldine/Taylor (Crank), Johnny is still struggling with hi... read more read more...s curse as the devil's bounty hunter - but he may risk everything as he teams up with the leader of a group of rebel monks (Idris Elba) to save a young boy from the devil... and possibly rid himself of his curse forever. -- (C) Sony

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33% liked it

83,110 ratings

Critics

18% liked it

100 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 35 min.

Directed by: Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor

Release Date: February 17, 2012

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DVD Release Date: June 12, 2012

Stats: 3,686 reviews

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Ghost Rider 2 Fergus Riordan as Danny Ketch Fergus Riordan as Danny Ketch
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Flixster Reviews (3,686)

  • fb100000145236770
    April 25, 2012
    fb100000145236770
    I really disliked "Ghost Rider", so when the sequel came out, I was like "who cares?" But being the movie nut I am, I decided to give it a chance(it was free, so why not?). First thing's first, this isn't really a sequel. It's more of a revision, new take, redo, I dunno what y... read moreou would call it, but the only thing this and the first one have in common is Nicolas Cage. Cage is back as Johnny Blaze, a stunt driver who made a deal with the devil and became the Ghost Rider. In this movie, he is on a mission to save a boy, who may or may not be the son of the devil, while trying to get rid of his curse. The story is still weak, the acting is horrible, but the effects in this one are good. The Rider looks amazing, not cheesy like the first movie, but actually very bad ass. The villains are over the top, but don't come off like some video game knock off, they seem to fit in this world better. The direction of the movie is pretty bad. Shot with weird angles, and way too much bad music playing throughout, it kind of gets annoying, but its bearable. While not a good movie, it's much better than the first, and should make fans of Ghost Rider happy. Probably won't watch again, but to me, it was worth a watch. Probably not for everyone, but it could surprise ya.
  • allan913
    March 16, 2012
    allan913
    An unforgettable high-energy thrill-machine of a movie that totally blows you away. It`s intense, thrilling, hard-boiled and wickedly entertaining. This movie kicks serious ass. A full-throttle, edge of your seat action-packed thriller that roars across the screen with blistering... read more suspense and amazing special effects. A spectacular re-birth that totally delivers exactly what Ghost Rider fans want from the character and the film. Directors, Neveldine and Taylor are the perfect team to bring this character back to the screen, with their energy, craft and awesome style, this movie does nothing but rock until the very end. A stylish, well-crafted, heart-pounding and exhilarating movie. Nicolas Cage gives a surprisingly great and gritty performance, he show the characters pain and despair well and does not make a mockery of it like he did in the original. It`s darker, edgier and almost near-perfect comic book adaptation. It delivers a rollar-coaster ride of explosive action that never lets up for a minute.
  • DragonEyeMorrison
    March 8, 2012
    DragonEyeMorrison
    A new year, a new set of shitty Cage movies. Actually not as bad as you might think, but the flat story, tedious pacing and boring direction will put you to sleep. They got the Crank guys because, i guess, this was suppose to be very over the top. The result? Another timid PG-13 ... read moreflick that never lives to any possible potential. Cage offers some good ol overacting, but it just not enough to save the product.
  • mmckellop
    March 3, 2012
    mmckellop
    Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor have built their career on wildly over the top, avant-garde action films like the hyper adrenalized Crank series and searing social satire Gamer and with Marvel Studios Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, the duo have finally slowed down. The pulse p... read moreounding, take no prisoners verve that made the Crank filmstwo of the best films of the 2000's is barely detectable in in this film. Spirits of Vengeance has all the visual sophistication of a YouTube prank and all the edge of a Budweiser commercial. It can't overstated what a crushing disappointment it is to see artists of Neveldine/Taylor's caliber have made product of such low quality.

    Ghost Rider: Spirits of Vengeance is the sequel to 2007's Ghost Rider and the film wisely ignores the groan all but the very basics of the earlier film. The necessary elements of its plot are recapped in a handsome motion graphics sequence: Johnny Blaze (Nicholas Cage) made a deal with The Devil (Ciarán Hinds) to trade his soul for the life of dying father, a deal that left Blaze fatherless, possessed by a vengeance demon called Zarathos and generally a train wreck of man. The schematic plot of the film that was crafted primarily by David S. Goyer follows Blaze's quest to save a young boy (Fergus Riordan) from becoming the new host of The Devil. As with most all superhero films, the plot is the least interesting part of the film. It's predictable, graceless and paced like a punk song where the band keeps losing rhythm. This isn't really a major issue since most superhero films pivot their success or failure on the dynamism of their lead actors.

    This is another area in which Ghost Rider skids into oblivion. Nicholas Cage, who is rarely less than engaging in even the most transparent of cash grabs, is flat here. He has two modes in the film: a barely contained mania or a morose disaffection. The smirking whimsy that made his performance in the first Ghost Rider so diverting is gone and it's not been replaced by anything worthwhile. He's not particularly dark or anger, just tired and mildly desperate which is like spending 95 minutes listening to someone in their mid-twenties complain about the mild difficulties they've elevated to the status of real problems because of their complete lack introspection. That is to say, no fun at all.

    The supporting is only slightly better. Idris Elba as alcoholic warrior monk Moreau does a rare credible French accent and handles his assigned reams of exposition well but his character is so thin as to not even be a sketch. He's the unmemorable mentor NPC in every action video game ever. Violante Placido as the to-be-possessed boy's mother is stunningly beautiful as you would imagine someone with that name being. Fergus Riordan is the type of little boy that Hollywood casting directors always pick for the role of "evil little boy." Johnny Whitworth is good as the personality free henchman he was born to play and Ciarán Hinds is epitome of Eastern European malice. Collectively they make up one of two reasons why Spirit of Vengeance is a better film than its predecessor.

    The other reason is the level of crafted brought by Neveldine/Taylor. Even at their neutered worse, which this film absolute is, they are true cinematic visionaries. They don't make movies that are meant to be watched on a smartphone. They think big and fill every inch of the screen with the scope and breadth of their imaginations. Their Ghost Rider is an oddly still monster, never is a hurry to turn his opponents into fiery ash. His charred skull always swaying to the hypnotic drone of an unheard soundtrack and when Neveldine/Taylor really let loose with Rider, when he spits bullets back at goon or when he spins his chains and turns an auditorium full of devil worshipers into wisps of black smoke or when he uses his hellfire to turn a piece of construction equipment into the embodiment of being sixteen and listening to a heavy metal album for the first time the film sings. But those bass drops are few and far between in a movie that often feels like it's going to suddenly morph into a happy meal commercial.

    Neveldine/Taylor can't be anything other than the sum of their interests, perversity and boundless need for visual innovation but they never should have taken on work that so strenuously limited their ability to color outside the lines. Because Ghost Rider: Spirits of Vengeance is a licensed property, it was never going to match the dizzying highs and lows of their original work. There are just too many layers of approval and too ridged a formula for a big budget superhero movie for it ever reach the realm of art but its needless frustrating to have two incredibly talented filmmakers work this hard to be that forgettable.
  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    March 2, 2012
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    "This thing... There's no conscience, just hunger. The Rider's gonna come out. And when he does, he'll destroy whoever's got it coming."

    As Johnny Blaze hides out in Eastern Europe, he is called upon to stop the devil, who is trying to take human form.

    ... read moree=+2 face="Century Schoolbook">REVIEW
    Johnny Blaze did a deal with the Devil whereby, in order to save his father's life, he took on board a demonic persona which turns him into this fellow with a blazing skull who rides about on a blazing motor bike, dealing out poetic justice to people who have done wrong (has father died anyway: the Devil is a tricky sod). After deciding to keep the Ghost Rider persona at the end of the first film, Johnny is now finding the burden a bit heavier than he expected, when he is called upon to help preserve the life of a small boy, the Devil's son, who the Devil intends to pour his essence into. This is going to be bad news all round, so Johnny chucks in his five penn'orth. The original Ghost Rider movie was not the success it was hoped it would be: this one goes about things in a somewhat different matter. Directed (but not written) by Neveldine/Taylor (the Crank movies), Ghost Rider 2 shows clear evidence of their hyper-kinetic style and love of the outrageous.

    Blaze is portrayed as a man on the age of sanity or, perhaps somewhat on the other side of it. One can understand how this might have happened to the character in the years since he acquired his lodger, and it is an interesting and entertaining development for the character - Cage has a ball when mad cackling is called upon. Ciaran Hinds (standing in for Peter Fonda as the Devil, known here as Roark) plays broad, but never quite achieves the level of sinister which would have helped. Idris Elba lends charisma to a part which requires little else of him. So - is it any good? Well, I suggest that anyone who expects films about a bloke with a burning skull riding a flaming motorbike to be anything other than popcorn movies has got unreasonable expectations. Ghost Rider 2 has an adequate story, adequate performances, several terrific action set pieces, excellent visual effects, and some sequences - the opening motor bike / car chase where the 3D is amazing. The hand-held Bourne camera work has got really old now, but I suppose it is one of the things Neveldine/Taylor do. It's fine for long shots but I still hate it close up.
  • phubbs1
    February 29, 2012
    phubbs1
    Always thought the casting of Cage for this film was wrong, a complete misfire really, a younger unknown actor may have been better I think. He certainly fits the bill with the manic possessed tortured inner-demon issues that's for sure but the guy is too old lets face it.

    So th... read moreey have another crack at this and basically its slightly better than the first, not much, but it does have an edge. For a start the cgi and effects overall are better than the first, the GR looks darker and more burnt with ash and grim rather than the terrible cartoon look he had before. The action is BIG as you would expect, cgi in your face boy! as flames leap around and henchmen get turned into crispy toast, nothing you haven't seen before really so I don't have to explain anymore.

    A few plot queries arise for me...why does the devil require a young boy to gain human form when he already has a human form? and why not use any boy instead of going crazy trying to nab one particular boy?. Why didn't the devil just make lots of guys like 'Blackout'? and why not just do that from the start?

    My original thought with 'Blaze' (not being up on the mythos) is why does he turn into the Ghost Rider in the presence of evil? surely the devil likes evil? is it because the devil wants evil souls and the GR gathers them for him? can't the devil just do this himself?

    Anyway its totally popcorn overdrive and completely daft as you would expect, I think the franchise is now officially dead seeing as this has flopped even more so than the first. Solution? make it like it should be...an adult venture with an 18/R rating, simple.

    So end of the day if you wanna see lots of idiotic henchmen that never learn the simple premise of 'bullets don't harm the man/creature your firing at no matter how long you hold the trigger for, so just stop damn firing and run away you utter utter morons'...see this.
  • barrys
    February 27, 2012
    barrys
    When I knew that there was going to be a second Ghost Rider movie I really expected to be better than the first one. Now I realize that I was completely wrong and I feel so disappointed. The movie is a completely waste of time, with a lack of content and story. Although the CGI a... read morend the FX are really good, they depend and abuse on them. What can I say about the cast. Nicolas Cage is definitely awful, the only thing he does is laugh and scream all his lines. Violante Placido's performance was really weak, Ciaran Hinds as Roark is way overacted, maybe the only good performance was the one of Fergus Riordan as Danny. In conclusion, if you are one of the people that thought the first one was bad (not including me) well I recommend you not to go and watch this one andif you still want to watch it well, it's under your own risk.
  • MovieGeek13
    February 22, 2012
    MovieGeek13
    The makers of Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance have pulled off quite a feat; they managed to make a film worse than the first Ghost Rider. It is quite obvious that Sony didn't give a rat's behind about this movie and that the only reason it exists is so they don't have to give up... read more the rights of the franchise. There's no excuse for a studio effort of a comic book movie to be this incompetent, poorly planned, and of the "direct to DVD sequel" quality.
    Directors Neveldine/Taylor made a cool little flick called Crank almost six years ago. That movie was a kinetic, over the top thrill ride that felt like a video game, and it worked. Yet all Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance shows is that they can't make any other kind of movie. This movie is shot as if the tripod didn't exist. The camera continuously zooms in and out, almost always on an awkward tilt or angle, and the shots are edited together in such a frantic pace all the time that it comes off as completely amateurish and unable to set a consistent tone for the story. It's hard to care about the drama when you're feeling nauseous. The animation is equally as awful. Most of the CGI is unintentionally cartoony. There is barely any detail on the images, and it's made worse that the camera is rarely ever focused on less than five things at a time.
    Nicolas Cage clearly just needed the paycheck as he puts no effort into his second portrayal as cursed stunt driver Johnny Blaze. His only one freak out moment isn't even funny in the way audiences have become accustomed to laugh at. In keeping with the comic book, Cage opts for a darker, angrier, and more anti-hero portrayal of the character, but that just means he shows less expression and speaks with longer pauses. It's a shame really because as Cage continually takes these kinds of roles that make a joke out of his career, audiences are more likely to forget what a great actor he really is. Last year, Cage starred in three massive flops - Season of the Witch, Drive Angry, and Trespass. The only thing that might put people in the seats this time around is that Ghost Rider has a comic fan base who will claim to watch this out of obligation.
    There is only one scene in this movie that I actually liked. The villain of the film has the ability of decay. As he's trying to find something to eat, he picks up a slice of bread, which goes moldy before his eyes. Next, he picks up an apple, which rots just as quickly. The third thing he picks up is a twinkie. And of course, nothing happens; great meal. This scene shows that Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance at least had the aspiration to be trashy fun. Unfortunately, the film is so shoddy, badly written, and devoid of anything resembling entertainment that the experience is just plain trashy.
  • fb674646753
    February 18, 2012
    fb674646753
    A fantastic movie no matter what critics may say! Full throttle action scenes and some fantastic acting. Some lines may be cheesy but hey, what the hell, its a superhero movie! This movie is definitely worth seeing, and a great opening to the Comic Book Movie season of 2012
  • paulkoh110
    February 18, 2012
    paulkoh110
    Frickin Nick Cage! I am such a big fan of Crank and Gamer but this film fell short of that greatness. His acting was as subtle as as bear at a picnic. He's literally all over the place! In the end, you can either love it for being stupid or hating it for being just so bad!

View All Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance Reviews

Critic Reviews

Roger Moore
March 23, 2012
Roger Moore, McClatchy-Tribune News Service

A goofy, gonzo thrill ride, Vengeance is a bad movie sequel so bad it's good -- a bad movie that's almost a great bad movie. Full Review

James Berardinelli
February 19, 2012
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

This is a boring movie. The over-the-top outlandishness can't disguise that the whole 95 minutes represent one big snooze-fest. Full Review

Elizabeth Weitzman
February 18, 2012
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News

Whether Cage is still paying off castles, appeasing the IRS, or rebuilding his comic book collection, it's clear he's decided, for now, to trade his talent for cold, hard cash. Full Review

Andrew Barker
February 18, 2012
Andrew Barker, Variety

Spirit of Vengeance is weighted down for long stretches in the middle, as it starts to treat its own religious hokum plotline with undue seriousness. Full Review

Linda Barnard
February 17, 2012
Linda Barnard, Toronto Star

Shot in Romania and Turkey, the scenery is terrific and gives you something to watch other than this confusing mess. Johnny Blaze, you're just a candle in the wind, mate. Full Review

Neil Genzlinger
February 17, 2012
Neil Genzlinger, New York Times

The film, though, has some redeeming qualities, including the presence of Idris Elba as the obligatory good guy, who encourages Johnny to get Danny into the protective custody of a religious order. Full Review

Rafer Guzman
February 17, 2012
Rafer Guzman, Newsday

That mix of admirable restraint and unabashed pandering makes Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance a guilty pleasure, if not the most wholesome treat. Full Review

Adam Markovitz
February 17, 2012
Adam Markovitz, Entertainment Weekly

Like the first Ghost Rider movie, this one burns plenty of rubber trying to swerve around plot holes and thinly written characters. Full Review

Mark Olsen
February 17, 2012
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times

Like a laboratory experiment on how often a movie can spin from bad to good and back again. Full Review

Kyle Smith
February 17, 2012
Kyle Smith, New York Post

Ordinarily I'd be into the idea of seeing Nicolas Cage's face burn, but alas, "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance" is not a documentary. Full Review

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Facts

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    • Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider: Roadkill.
    • Danny: Did we win?
    • Johnny Cage/Ghost Rider: Yes. Hell Yes.
    • Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider: Merry Christmas you assholes!
    • Nadya: I'm not afraid of you.
    • Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider: Yeah? Well, you should be.
    • Danny: What happens when you've got to pee?
    • Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider: Well It's Fricken Awesome! It's like a flamethrower!
    • Danny: Hey, what if you have to pee while you're on fire?
Submit a Fact | View All

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