Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

Nicolas Cage reprises his character of Johnny Blaze, a daredevil stunt motorcyclist who—desperate to save his dying dad—made a deal with the devil, Roarke (Ciarán Hinds). Subsequently, Blaze has been occasionally subject to transformation into an eerie biker skeleton with a blazing skull. As this supernatural tale begins, Blaze is hiding somewhere in Eastern Europe, where he's ultimately tracked down by alcoholic, motorcycle-riding monk friend Moreau (Idris Elba). Moreau needs Blaze's help in finding gypsy grifter Nadya (Violante Placido), and protecting her young son, Danny (Fergus Riordan), who may be the devil's earthling spawn. Blaze is promised redemption—a reversal of his Faustian bargain—if they're successful. Directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance is bloodthirsty (often incoherent) drivel that is full of cheesy CGI effects and laugh-inducing lines like Blaze's inquiry to Nadya: “You're the devil's baby-mama?” Whether or not the devil made him do it—more likely, Cage's decision to make this movie is tied to recent multiple foreclosures on his properties—this is another bad career choice for the actor. Not recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include deleted scenes (12 min.) and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are a "Directors' Expanded Video Commentary" track featuring filmmakers Neveldine/Taylor, the six-part behind-the-scenes documentary “The Path to Vengeance” (91 min.), and a bonus UltraViolet copy of the film. Bottom line: a decent Blu-ray extras package for a bad sequel.] (S. Granger)