Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

Cage appears to find his role as this second-tier Marvel Comics antihero alternately silly, tremendously fun, and the means to a decent paycheck for not all that much work.

Whether Cage is still paying off castles, appeasing the IRS, or rebuilding his comic book collection, it's clear he's decided, for now, to trade his talent for cold, hard cash.

Spirit of Vengeance is weighted down for long stretches in the middle, as it starts to treat its own religious hokum plotline with undue seriousness.

Shot in Romania and Turkey, the scenery is terrific and gives you something to watch other than this confusing mess. Johnny Blaze, you're just a candle in the wind, mate.

The film, though, has some redeeming qualities, including the presence of Idris Elba as the obligatory good guy, who encourages Johnny to get Danny into the protective custody of a religious order.

That mix of admirable restraint and unabashed pandering makes Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance a guilty pleasure, if not the most wholesome treat.

The film revs and stalls, swerving between gritty and silly, with scorching action but a clichéd story, with fiery performances but burned out dialogue.

Leans into the campier elements of the character and Nicolas Cage, along with the directors, seems to be having a total blast and that comes across on screen.

This time, contrary to the first installment, the film is more entertaining for its fight sequences than for being a story about a blazing avenger. [Full review in Spanish]

Though Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance attempts to offer a new spin on this comic property without entirely rebooting the franchise, the result looks and feels thrown together.