Monday, 10 September 2012

Cinema review: Ghost Ryder 2


Ghost Ryder is back with a vengeance.

On paper it was really a match made in heaven (or in hell in this case). They got Neveldine e Taylor who are famous for the over the top action of Crank and its sequel and gave them a big budget superhero movie. The character, Ghost Ryder, was also the kind of dark antihero that really worked with their peculiar aesthetics and demented sense of humor. But then production stepped in and neutered them.
What a real shame.
So instead of over the top crazy antics that made them famous we got standard superhero fare. Actually, considering the new standard set by marvel and Christopher Nolan, I must say that what we got here is sub standard superhero fare. Unimaginative, repetitive and kinda boring.
There are like a couple of scenes where we glimpse the Neveldine and Taylor of old but they are just a sad reminder of the movie that could have been.
It’s really a strange system where you become famous by thinking and acting outside the box but then, when you get to the next level, they put you in a much tighter one.
Nic Cage is back as the titular character both in and out of costume. See one of the many terrible mistakes of the first Ghost Ryder was that the transformed Johnny Blaze was played by a stuntman while here it is played by Nic Cage himself. So instead of being a wooden presence with no personality he becomes something quite awesome.
Nic Cage is still an extremely good actor, even if his output is anything but regular, and here he elevates practically by himself, very boring material.
The movie in itself is much better than the first one. It’s certainly watchable and it got it’s fun moments but I’ll recommend it only to fans of the genre (or to Nic Cage fans of course).

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