Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

Of all the bad pictures Nicolas Cage has cranked out, “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance” is the Nic Cagiest. A goofy, gonzo thrill ride, “Vengeance” is a bad movie sequel so bad it’s good – a bad movie that’s almost a great bad movie. It’s still a silly mash-up of comic book and quasi-religious “prophecy” about a motorcyclist who sold his soul to the devil. Credit the directing duo of Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor. In “Vengeance,” the “Rider” (Cage) is haunted by the life he now leads. But a boy (Fergus Riordan) borne of the Devil (Ciaran Hinds) needs the Rider’s help. Satan, who wears double-breasted suits and alligator shoes, needs the kid to fulfill a prophecy. He’s commissioned Corrigan (Johnny Whitworth) to grab the kid. A wine-swilling biker-angel (Idris Elba) and the boy’s mother (Violante Placido) are all that stand between the Devil and the boy. The angel fetches Johnny Blaze, biker-turned-Ghost Rider. The guy who made a deal with the Devil and the woman who slept with Satan click. Jaw-dropping stunts and frequent breaks for comic-book style animated “explainers” abound. “Spirit of Vengeance” is still dumb, loud and over-the-top. And it’s great the directors let Nicolas Cage in on the joke. If he’s going to do bad movies – and his tax bills and oddball tastes say he must – at least let him do good bad movies.