It was screened in 3D, but seemed short on gimmicky effects, settling more for the deeper background picture effect, but leaving the image crystal clear and un-dimmed by the glasses thankfully.Īs a point of interest, there were actually three writers from Den of Geek in attendance at the screening and we all had an absolute blast. This film also features gratuitous Christopher Lambert. Idris Elba is great, as you would expect, though there was a discussion afterwards as to why he was attempting a French accent and whether it was the performance, or the echoey acoustics of the screening venue that affected the intelligibility of his dialogue. As the woman in peril, Violante Placido does just fine, though her role is fairly unnecessary providing more of a narrative tool than an actual character. Then witness a scene later involving a screaming Cage going bananas on a motorbike, or plucking at an imaginary bee, and know that the man is well and truly back to form.Ĭiarán Hinds makes more a much more reprehensible Devil than Peter Fonda (who should only really be seen surfing alongside Snake Plissken), ably backed by Johnny Whitworth as his right hand man. About a third of the way through the film he interrogates some minion or other, in what has to be one of the greatest Cage moments to date, as Blaze gleefully explains how he’s having to fight the Rider from surfacing, while smoking and grimacing. And speaking of Cage…Ĭage is at absolute full tilt throughout the film, combining the best of his laconic/demented personas to their full potential, delivering his most animated and joyous performance in years. You can tell within seconds that it’s Cage beneath the flames as the Rider stops mid combat and starts to rhythmically sway in the wind, or intimidate a bad guy by repeatedly screaming in his face, adding some much-needed depth to a faceless creation. This time around, Cage himself plays both Johnny Blaze and the Ghost Rider, an asset that adds an entirely new dimension to the physicality of the Rider. The Rider himself now looks incredible, with a much more realistic (as realistic as a flaming skull can look) and threatening appearance, obliterating everyone in his path with total abandon. Slight concerns about the budget-friendly backdrops of Eastern Europe are waylaid by all the money being poured into some fantastic visual effects. Gone are the other safe conventions of the first film, as Spirit rattles through proceedings at breakneck speed, working in some genuinely exciting set pieces, mostly involving things being set on fire in a way that I didn’t expect to be quite so exhilarating, with a finale that reminded me of Mad Max 2 in the best way. Neveldine and Taylor manage to inject a few of their trademark narrative devices to great effect, using a style that seems fresh and seamless rather than gimmicky and jarring, as can so often be the case. SOV starts as it means to end, with a flurry of over the top action, the appearance of some Geek favourites, including Idris Elba, before quickly moving on to a familiar plot – the devil wants a youthful body to transfer his soul into, and only one man can stop him.įor those worried that SOV was going to be another tired reboot of the origin story, the only fresh take on that material is quickly dealt with via an animated opening sequence, showing that the Devil Rourke is now played by the great Ciarán Hinds and that Johnny Blaze signed the contract via crushed broken glass – that’s about it. Regardless, any opinion on the first Rider shouldn’t influence your feelings towards Spirit Of Vengeance, as the two films are barely comparable. Whenever such opinions become so widespread, I can only wonder how many people have watched the likes of Ice Spiders or Species 3 – now those films are genuinely terrible. When the devil resurfaces with aims to take over the world in human form, Johnny Blaze reluctantly comes out of hiding to transform into the flame-spewing supernatural hero Ghost Rider - and rescue a 10-year-old boy from an unsavory end.A recent re-watch of the first Ghost Rider film proved it to be better than I remembered, serving as a perfectly fine example of an enjoyable film that, much like Green Lantern, suffered from a slurry of unfair abuse that decried it as the worse thing ever – such is the beauty of the internet. Please USE VPN or Make Login To Download Download Link
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