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" Were we all asleep while the world clamoured for a Ghost Rider sequel? Obviously. Fortunately Nicolas Cage&amp;#039;s return to the blazing bike saddle is a distinct improvement on its dire predecessor, although that is hardly a blistering recommendation of its quality.  A wise decision was made to reboot the fledgling franchise after just one movie, with Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance treating the content of the original with apparent scorn. Previous events aren&amp;#039;t acknowledged beyond the bare foundation of Johnny Blaze (Cage) selling his soul to The Devil in return for curing his father&amp;#039;s terminal illness - but being given a skeletal vigilante alter ego called Ghost Rider in the process. Even then, the flashback scenes have been reshot. We join stunt motorcyclist Johnny in a remote location where he has been trying to prevent any transformations into Ghost Rider. However, an energetic monk (Idris Elba) tracks him down and coaxes Johnny into helping him prevent a young boy from falling into The Devil&amp;#039;s (Ciar\u00C3\u00A1n Hinds) clutches. Along with the annoying sprog&amp;#039;s mother (The American&amp;#039;s luscious Violante Placido), they hit the road and encounter an increasingly ineffectual procession of battles before an anti-climactic ending that&amp;#039;s bereft of originality. The movie&amp;#039;s best material can be found in the movie&amp;#039;s first half, which features a trademark sequence of Cage flipping out and a visual immediacy courtesy of the dynamic handheld camerawork by Crank helmers Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor. But the script soon runs out of ideas, leading to some dismal set pieces and unsatisfactory narrative developments in the latter stages. The performances from Cage, Elba and Placido all find the right tone for the subject matter, with the actors working hard to produce a sense of urgency by steering clear of melodrama. There&amp;#039;s the usual comforting sense of fun to watch Cage at work, particularly when one considers his recent revelation to Digital Spy that his pet cobra inspired the movements of the Ghost Rider alter ego. Sadly, Ciar\u00C3\u00A1n Hinds&amp;#039;s thespian prowess is largely untapped. Perhaps he should have studied a pet toad for devilish inspiration? If he did, it wouldn&amp;#039;t have been enough to transcend the generic villain nature of the role - as he has little to do apart from scowl and permeate a stench of evil. Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance is far from a disaster, efficiently establishing the premise and capitalising upon Nicolas Cage&amp;#039;s star power - laden with deadpan delivery and stylised physicality. Yet while Ghost Rider himself keeps blazing, the creative fires of the film are increasingly dampened with every reel until one can&amp;#039;t help but wish for a swift wrap-up. Expect Ghost Rider 3 to be another reboot featuring the character as a pacifist with flowers growing out of every orifice in his skull.   &amp;gt; Nicolas Cage Ghost Rider interview "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/review/a365474/ghost-rider-spirit-of-vengeance-review/>