So, this evening I went to see Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance with a friend of mine.
As a disclaimer, I haven't seen the first movie, so the plot made little sense to me. Still, I understood the main gist of what was happening.
The directing was good and the action was pretty awesome! The only thing that removed me from the movie was the overuse of eye-aching effects and the "shaky camera." It's certainly fine to have that in movies, just don't rely on that for 90% of the entire film. Less is more.
I
did, however, enjoy the animated scenes. It gave the movie a very comic-book feel, which is what they were going for considering Ghost Rider was originally a graphic novel.
The acting was...interesting. I'm a big fan of Nicholas Cage, but I don't think he played the protagonist, Johnny, all that well. It's hard to describe - his body language and movements were great and very real, but his dialogue and vocals were just...flat and emotionless. The role was also suited more to someone a bit younger than he is as well.
Violante Placido plays a nice Nadya, the mother of Danny. She certainly rocks the buggy, raccoon-eyed look.
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| Zooey Deschanel you are not. |
Fergus Riordan, like Nicholas Cage, sounds a little flat most of the time. But given his age and lack of experience, I'm willing to overlook that. I love how the dialogue makes the kid sound like, well, a kid.
The characters have a good relationship and play off eachother well. The awkward moments are awkward, and the lovey moments are sappy and emotional.
I think my overall favorite character was Moreau, played by Idris Elba. He added nice comic relief, but the character was certainly more useful and did more than just make me laugh at his alcoholism.
There are also some funny characters that played workers of the Devil. Johnny Whitworth as Walter Sullivan Ray Carrigan was campy and over-the-top, as were the rest (in a very good sense of the term.)
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| Looking like that, how can you not milk it for all it's worth? |
One more thing: the scenery. Jesus Christ on a cracker, the gorgeous sets. As an artist, I'm always analyzing things of that ilk, and I must say I was quite satisfied.
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| THIS IS LIKE PORN FOR ARTISTS |
Overall the movie is about as subtle and understated as a chainwhip to the face, but I think that was the plan. You can certainly tell it was a comic, and it plays up the campiness and in-jokes.
I think I'd give it about a 3.5/5 - over the top and silly, in a good way.
That's all for now. Leave a comment, I'd love to hear your feedback and thoughts on the movie!
**Note: Apologies for bad pictures that don't really convey what I'm trying to get across - since it was just released yesterday, the pickin's be slim.
