Let's Review: Skyfall

Welcome back to the Geekdom, I’ll be your Guide. For those of you that believed that the sky would fall before my next review came out, you’re half right. The 50 year anniversary of James Bond films, and I’ve barely seen any of them, which I find highly regrettable but it is on my ‘to-watch’ list. So how did the celebration of James Bond live up to the legacy? Let’s review Skyfall.

The Negative

I have only seen a handful of the Bond film series, not out of disinterest mostly because I just haven’t gotten to it. Due to this film being a celebration of Bond, it was packed full of classical Bond movie references, most of which I just didn’t get. This film was created for the long time fans that have seen all of the older films. This doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy the film, simply that I would get more out of it if I decided to watch the film again after viewing the entire series.

A big theme of the film is age, which is understandable seeing how it’s the anniversary of Bond. References throughout the film keep pointing out how the 00 program is becoming outdated and how Bond himself is simply a relic of an older time. This theme is one of the greatest pieces of this film, but it feels really out of place with Daniel Craig’s Bond. The last two films we got with Craig were all about how his Bond was a rookie and how MI6 couldn’t fully trust him because of his loose cannon behavior. To move from Bond the rookie to Bond the old war relic felt really odd.

I’ve heard varying opinions from people on how they felt about the main villain, some really liked him and others….didn’t. I personally felt like he represented the overall tone of the film. This was the first Daniel Craig Bond movie with a noticeably lighter tone, this was a fun film. As such the main villain does come off as a bit goofy. He is flamboyantly gleeful about his evil ways and recalls some of the sillier villains from older Bond films. I personally felt like his character was one of the more ridiculous parts of the film, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing but you can judge for yourself.

The Positive

This was an incredibly fun film. The previous two Daniel Craig films were more noted for their gritty tones than past bond films; while this approach is perfectly fine I really enjoyed the lighter tone of this film. The action sequences were far more outlandish and goofier than previous Craig films, especially the chase scene that started the film, but it was this take that endeared me to the film. This was a celebration of James Bond so why not embrace the entirety of that world, even the sillier bits.

A running theme in this film was that the world that Bond exists and fights in a world of shadows. The reason of the 00 program is because they fight those who would call the shadows their home. This theme is reflected upon in most of the film’s best fight sequences, with Bond and his opponent engaging in battle within heavily shaded areas with only their silhouettes being illuminated by the lights of the background. These scenes are beautifully shot and were some of my absolute favorite moments in the film.

 

The relationship between Bond and M is thoroughly examined in this film. Both are regarded as old war machines that have no place in this new world, but it is the theme of the war in the shadows that continue to show their importance to the audience and later the British Government. Daniel Craig plays a wounded Bond in this film, who has grown tired of war but returns to life anyways in order to aid M in this current attack. M’s faith in Bond, despite his current weakness he is still the best man for the job, is a real highlight of the film. It was nice to see that despite how at odds they were in the past two films that they still held each other in such high regard and that their relationship was more than just boss and agent.

In Conclusion

Despite not having seen most of the previous James Bond movies, I feel I can still say that this was a wonderful celebration of the series. Skyfall is a grand representation of the world of the Bond film series and why after all these years we keep coming back to the theaters to watch another one of his feats. If you haven’t seen this film yet, go out and see it while you still have the chance. 4.7 out of 5.

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Top 10 Skeletons

Hello and welcome back to the Geekdom. Yes friends it’s that wonderful time of the season again. A time of sharing, caring, and scaring the living daylights out of little trick or treaters. The most classic of monsters in my opinion is the skeleton.  One of the purest symbols of death, the skeleton has long been used for fear, which is why I decided to make this list. As per usual I have my runner-ups:

-Death (Family Guy)
-Blazing Skull (Invaders)
-Death Jr. (Death Jr.)

And now let’s get into the Top 10 Skeletons

10-Blight (Batman Beyond)

In the not too distant future of Gotham, Batman retired from his life of crime fighting and disappeared from the public eye as Bruce Wayne. In his stead, Wayne Industries was taken over by the corrupt businessman, Derek Powers.  Derek becomes infected with a deadly mutagenic gas that he had developed when the new Batman stops him from using it as a weapon. To save his life, Derek undergoes a radical radiation experiment. The experiment succeeds but not before transforming him into a radioactive monster. Going by the name Blight, he now spends his days trying to gain vengeance against Batman.

9 -Dead Tom (Muppet Treasure Island)

‘DEAD TOM’S DEAD! LONG JOHN SHOT HIM!’
‘…….but Dead Tom ‘as always been dead. That’s why he’s called Dead Tom.’

I…………………………………………………………………….
Love this joke……………………..
That’s it, next one

8 -Stal (The Legend of Zelda)

The Stal is a species of re-animated monstrous skeletons. In Ocarina of Time, once the sun goes down the Stal come out. Swarming in packs, the Stal can quickly overwhelm any hero who chooses to stay out at night for too long.  The Stals come in a variety of sizes from the tiny Stalchild, to the adult sized Stalfos Knights, to gigantic beasts such as the Stallord, each being more powerful than the last. The Stals have always represented a challenge to the Hero of Time.

7 –Captain Hector Barbossa (Pirates of the Caribbean)

Originally the first mate of Captain Jack Sparrow, Barbossa and the crew mutinied when Jack revealed the location of the Aztec gold. Having plundered the gold, Barbossa and the crew became cursed as skeletal beings with desires that can never be met. Driven mad by this lack of fulfillment, Barbossa and his damned crew set out to collect every piece of gold back in order to undo the curse.  He eventually succeeds in this goal only to be shot dead moments later, though his rotting corpse was resurrected by the sea goddess, Calypso, in order to aid her in breaking her own curse.

6 –Eliza Faust (Shaman King)

Dr. Johann Faust VIII was a happy man. He slaved in his medical studies to be able to find a cure for his dearest love Eliza. Eventually he was able to develop a cure and save her life. Faust and Eliza married and set up a clinic together, living immensely happy lives together. All brought to a tragic end when a thief with a gun, shot Eliza in the head. Going mad from the loss, Faust delved into his distant ancestor’s (Dr. Faustus) supernatural dealings. Using his newfound powers, Faust is able to animate his wife’s skeleton through the power of her soul.  Not being able to fully resurrect his dear Eliza, Faust enters the Shaman King tournament in a bid to use the god like powers to bring her back to him.

5-Lord Fear (Ace Lightning)

One of the most feared beings in the Sixth Dimension, Lord Fear was once good friends with the hero Ace Lightning before a terrible accident lead him to his current state. Lord Fear now seeks to use the fabled artifact, The Amulet of Zoar, in order to conquer all of dimensional space. Running with a small band of villains, Lord Fear operates in the Carnival of Doom, battling the Lightning Knights with his magically empowered staff.

4 -Skeletor (He-Man and the Masters of the Universe)

Ooooooooooh Skeletor. I have no words for someone as silly as you. Cited as the archenemy of He-Man, I honestly can’t see why he represents such a threat. I mean really, the guy can’t even come up with a strong insult on a day to day basis. Skeletor’s main goal is to break into Castle Grayskull and steal its ancient secrets that will allow him to conquer Eternia, but we all know this guy is never going to reach his goal.

3 -Grim (The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy)

In an attempt to win the life of their pet hamster, Billy and Mandy won a game of Limbo against the Grim Reaper, and consequently won his servitude to them. Now Grim exists in his day to day experience having to obey the whims of the sadistically cruel Mandy and the immaturely insane Billy. Grim wishes nothing more than to be free of these two afflictions but as of yet has not found a way to break free of his contract.

2 -Brook (One Piece)

Brook was once a member of the Rumbar Pirates. During an assault be a rival crew, the Rumbar Pirates managed to defeat the crew but were all badly poisoned. Being a pirate crew of musicians, the Rumbar Pirates spent their final moments reciting the song Bink’s Sake. The entire crew passed away, but having eaten the devil fruit, Yomi Yomi, Brook gained the ability to return his soul to this plane of existence. Unfortunately, Brook lost track of where his ship and body had drifted to. Finding it years later, Brooks' body had been reduced to nothing but a skeleton, but his soul was still able to possess it.

1 -Jack Skellington (The Nightmare Before Christmas)

‘Wont' ya please make way for a very special guy;
Our man jack is King of the Pumpkin patch
Everyone hail to the Pumpkin King now!’

Jack Skellington has become an icon. He is a person who is well liked by most and has nothing wrong going on in his life, yet still finds himself unfulfilled, which has left him in a slightly depressive state, which makes him so easily connectable. This journey to find himself has allowed countless people to connect to him as we have all felt this pain one way or another. Jack’s failed attempt to reinvent himself through Christmas doesn’t throw him into a deeper stupor, quite the opposite, it reinvigorates him and he begins to see the joy he took in his old life again, inspiring others to see the joy in their own lives as well.

I’m the Guide, thanks for reading and Happy Halloween.

Top 10 Fictional Deities

Gasp! A new post from the Guide to Geekdom! Don’t ask how or why or what the status is on the video reviews, just know that this is an act of God that has allowed me to write. Speaking of God or rather Gods, throughout fiction there have been many instances of the use of fictional deities. Some can control time and space while others run the threads of reality itself. This has leaded me to make this list. As per usual I have a few runners ups:

 -The Great Spirit (Shaman King)
-Gozer (Ghostbusters)
-Arceus (Pokemon)

Now without another few month hiatus, here are the Top 10 Fictional Deities.

10 – Raiden (Mortal Kombat)

 

Thunder god and defender of Earthrealm, Raiden has been a mainstay within the Mortal Kombat series since the beginning. Raiden is willing to sacrifice anything to help save the denizens of Earthrealm, even surrendering his godly essence and immortality on a number of occasions just to compete in the competitions that will decide Earthrealm’s fate. In the newly rebooted Mortal Kombat universe, Raiden of the old universe sends a message to his past self to alter history in the attempt to save Earthrealm from Armageddon (or to try and save the series from another bad sequel).

9 – Azulongmon (Digimon)

 

One of the Digimon Sovereigns, Azulongmon is the defender of the East quarter of the Digiworld. Being one of the caretakers of the Digiworld, Azulongmon has many abilities that allow him to maintain the structure of his reality as well as being able to extend his power into other realms. Story wise, Azulongmon granted our heroes the ability to digivolve in the human world which allowed them to defend the border between both worlds. Azulongmon remains an important figurehead in the Digiworld, for his departure would mean the partial breakdown of reality.

8 – The Golden Goddesses (The Legend of Zelda)

 

 Creators of the sacred Triforce, the three Golden Goddesses are one of the most powerful recurring elements of the Zelda universe. The trinity is comprised of Din the goddess of Power, Farore the goddess of Courage, and Nayru the goddess of Wisdom. According to the mythology of the Ocarina of Time game, the Golden Goddesses were the creators of the land of Hyrule, leaving behind the Triforce as a symbol and representation of their power.

7 – Mata Nui (Bionicle)

 

The Great Beings created all of existence, and to rule in their stead they created a great robot that would monitor and control the universe as the Great Spirit. This was how the mighty being Mata Nui was created. Given the purpose of bringing balance to the universe, Mata Nui used his body to house his people giving them all the resources they needed and in return the people worshipped him as well as maintaining his vital functions. Given the power of the Mask of Light, Mata Nui is able to bless his people with the essence of life.

6 – The Phoenix Force (X-Men)

 

Created from the fires of creation, The Phoenix Force is a manifestation of life and reincarnation. The Phoenix’s purpose is to destroy obsolete pieces of the universe and remake them anew. To accomplish this goal, The Phoenix possesses mortal beings of great power and amplifies their power infinitely.  In this process the person being possessed is consumed by the corruption of the Phoenix’s purpose and becomes an entity of darkness. The passion of the Phoenix takes over and they are consumed with the need to destroy and rebuild the universe into something it deems as better. The only way to defeat it is to kill the person it is possessing. Unfortunately, being an entity of reincarnation, The Phoenix Force is never gone for long.

5 – Dream (The Sandman)

 

Dream of the Endless. Dream is one of seven infinitely powerful beings known as The Endless. These ancient beings are personifications of aspects of the universe. Dream is the lord of the dream realm controlling all aspects that do not exist within reality. Dream is an incredibly flawed character who suffers from a very large ego and stuffy personality. After being imprisoned for 70 years, Dream breaks free of his cell a new man and sets out to right the many wrongs he has committed in his endless years.

4 – Primus (Transformers)

 

The Lord of Light. Primus was brought into existence by the sentient core of the universe. Primus’ task was to defend the universe against the God of Darkness, Unicron, who had previously consumed other universes. Primus engaged Unicron in battle, but could only bring their fight to a standstill. Tricking the Dark God, Primus trapped both their spirits within giant metal asteroids, forcing them to maintain a corporeal state. Whereas Unicron reconfigured himself into an immense machine used to consume the planets and the universe, Primus decided to become a planet. In his new state, Primus created life whose purpose he gave them to defend the universe and defeat Unicron once and for all. Thus, Primus became the Transformer home world, Cybertron.

3 – Darkseid (Superman)

 

Darkseid is the ruler of the planet Apokolips and is considered to be one of the most powerful beings in the DC universe. Darkseid is one of the immortal New Gods as well as being worshipped as a God of Death by his people and for good reason. Darkseid is fueled by the power of The Omega Effect, a nearly unstoppable energy force that allows him to erase any living organism from existence. He can utilize this effect through beams from his eyes of which he has pinpoint control over, being able to curve the energy beams in any direction. Darkseid remains one the hardest foes that Superman may never overcome.

2 – Galactus (Fantastic Four)

 

The World Devourer. Honestly, do you really need any more than that? Really? Okay fine I’ll tell you about Galactus. Galan of the planet Taa was the last living being in the previous universe before the Big Bang that occurred. Galan was consumed by the energies of the Big Crunch that ended the existence of the previous universe. Incubating in these energies, Galan was fused with the very essence of the cosmos and became the entity known as Galactus. Existing on higher cosmic level, Galactus became the aspect of the universe representing the end. Galactus is overwhelmed by an insatiable hunger that leads him to consume planets, eventually leading to the end of the current universe. To aid him in this quest, Galactus occasionally imbues his Power Cosmic into mortal beings to act as his heralds, leading him to planets that have reached the end of their cycle.

1 – Truth (Fullmetal Alchemist)

 

“I am what you call the world. Or perhaps the universe, or perhaps God, or perhaps truth, or perhaps all, or perhaps one, and I am also you.”

When you tread on God’s domain, prepared to get burned. For alchemists who appear on God’s domain through the use of alchemy will find themselves confronted by an all white being outlined by shadows. The Gate will open behind you and pull you in. Truth will then grant you exactly what you wanted in this venture, infinite knowledge of alchemy, but in exchange for this action, you must lose something of dire importance to you. This is the law of alchemy, Equivalent Exchange. So beware all who attempt to enter God’s Domain, the sacrifice you suffer will never be worth it.

I’m the Guide to Geekdom, and hopefully it won’t take another act from God to hear from me again soon.

The Long Summer Hiatus

I feel like I shouldn't promise you anything right now, but on the off-hand chance that I actually do finish one of my projects or reviews, you can look forward to seeing them soon. I have almost completed filming of my first video review and in my off time I have been writing other reviews. So when I do start updating again, expect a lot of it, at least that is my hope.



and hopefully that is teaser enough for what I have coming
-The Guide

Still Alive

I must apologize for how long its been without an update. A lot has been going on the past two months I just haven't had the time to post anything. Alongside that I am still figuring out my new video format for my reviews. I just wanted everyone to know that I am still alive. I am currently in the middle of writing the following reviews: The Avengers, Dark Shadows, MIB3, Snow White and The Huntsman, and Prometheus. Expect to see these reviews within the next few weeks. I am also working on a few other videos at this time, but you'll find out about them when I get to them.
Thank you for staying with me this long
-The Guide

Happy 1 Year Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to me! I can’t believe it’s been one whole year since I’ve started reviewing as such I have an announcement to make.

Awesome right? I’ll be starting work on my new video reviews soon.
Thanks for reading
-The Guide to Geekdom

Let's Review: John Carter

I’m a big fan of Tarzan. I really loved the animated adaptation that Disney did and I even enjoyed the tv show that came out of that film, so when I heard that Disney was adapting another one of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ stories, I was excited. I can’t say I knew anything about John Carter before I saw the first trailer, but I was more than willing to try the sci-fi epic by the same author of Tarzan. So was John Carter everything that I had hoped for? Let’s Review John Carter.

The Negative

This is a small complaint but one that I want to make note of. Around the middle of the film John comes to the realization that the planet he is standing on is actually Mars after talking with the Princess. It’s a really well done scene with the shock of being on another planet fully hits John as he gazes out at the moons in the sky. This scene probably would have had a better impact with the audience IF THEY HADN’T ALREADY TOLD US IT WAS MARS WITHIN THE FIRST FIVE SECONDS OF THE FILM! They literally tell us that the planet Barsoom is better known as Mars to us during the opening narration. This information would have been better found out alongside the main character that way we can all experience the same plot twist shock that he is, instead of knowing exactly where he is from the start and just getting a sense of ‘well it took him long enough to find out’. We should always find out information at the same time the main character does, we are following this character throughout the story we should know about as much as he does, don’t just blatantly tell us everything at the start of the film.

Now this is something I briefly mentioned in my last review but I’ll go into full detail here. I judge a film’s pacing based solely on if I check my watch or not. A good film should be able to hold my attention for the entire storyline, if I check my watch it usually means that the scene is going on way too long and should have been cut shorter. Unfortunately this was the case with John Carter as I found myself checking my watch a handful of times. These scenes don’t bring the film down but a little faster pace wouldn’t have hurt either.

The Positive

I absolutely loved this story. I read a good number of the reviews after I saw the film and a lot of complaints were directed at the preposterous story plot. John Carter is one of the first sci-fi stories to ever be created; I can accept that some of the ideas are a bit silly due to its age, like the fact that Mars has an entire empire of people living on it. I didn’t have a problem with the story because I never really felt the need poke holes in it. I was willing to accept that this all existed on Mars and that we haven't seen any of this before for whatever reason was necessary. Simply put I loved the concept of the film and was willing to put aside any questions of reality that might come up. I never question Pirates of the Caribbean’s more absurd plot points even though it is supposed to take place in reality, so I never really felt the need to question John Carter, Just enjoy the film for what it is.

Now part of the reason why I loved the concept was the villains. I really liked the idea of a group of super advanced aliens going around the galaxy leaching off of other world’s societies until their planet dies. They would basically live in luxury on a new world slowly directing the course of its history and then allowing it to die through war. The fact that the main alien villain had such an extensive knowledge of Earth culture and could tell where John was from just by sitting with him a while really felt like the ultimate threat. These aliens are in the last stages of killing Mars and are already have their sights set on Earth preparing for their takeover of another planet. These aliens can be anywhere at once and be anyone at any given time. They can sway a nation to go to war with the promises they whisper. They are an incredibly threat and I loved every second they were on the screen.

What truly made this film was the green Martians, The Tharks. Almost every scene with their leader, Tars Tarkas, had me dying from laughter. Willem Dafoe was able to pull of being a strong leader while at the same time being a little bit of an oddball character. They truly brought energy to the film that kept it going even in the slowest of scenes. I really wish the film had gone more in depth into the culture of the Tharks and what kind of role they played within the society of Barsoom overall.  

In Conclusion

I already know that this film received fairly bad reviews and performed poorly at the box office, personally I have absolutely no idea why. I loved every single second of this film. I honestly hope that hasn’t deterred Disney from making sequels of this film because I simply can’t get enough of it. I might even make it one of my top films of the year, that is how much I enjoyed this film. It’s definitely worth checking out. 4.2 out of 5.

Let's Review: The Hunger Games

I must say that I have never read this book series before, but the second I saw the first trailer, I knew I wanted to see this film. I of course wasn’t the only one who had this thought. For weeks I’ve heard chatter about this film and how many people were looking forward to it. When I sat down in the theater I realized that this was the first time I’ve been in a packed theater since the last Harry Potter film. So did this film live up to everyone’s and my own expectations? Let’s review The Hunger Games.

The Negative

I don’t usually complain about the length of movies. In most cases I find films usually accomplish everything they need to in the time allotted to them, but at 2 hours and 22 minutes The Hunger Games feels long. Maybe it’s the fact that we spend the majority of the film within the same forested area, but I found myself repeatedly looking at my watch. This isn’t to say that the film was boring; the problem is that some scenes had a tendency to drag on too long. I’d say that this film could have been cut by a half hour and it would have done just fine.

However, despite the fact the some scenes dragged on the real problem of the film is that the camera could not hold onto a shot for more than five seconds. This film was exceedingly jump-cut happy. The last fight scene in the film is a disorienting mess because the camera doesn’t want to focus on anything for more than a millisecond; even then it was too shaky to even make anything out. When situations like these come up, I always turn to Star Wars. You remember the scene where Luke Skywalker is standing on a hill looking out at the twin suns setting off in the distance? The reason that scene is so iconic isn’t because of how many angles we showed that scene, it works because it is an emotional pause in the film. We see that vast foreign distance that seems so far away and then we focus on Luke’s reaction, seeing in his eyes that look of desperation to be in a galaxy far far away. We get two shots in that one scene, and that is all we needed to get one of the most iconic moments in film. It’s a problem that too many film makers make these days. They believe that camera shots should be a jittery and energized as the action scenes they are filming.

The Positive

I really loved the concept of this film, the fact that such a horrifying subject such as children having to fight each other to the death because of food supplies and punishment has been turned into the latest and greatest television show on the planet really sold this concept for me. I liked how most of the film focused not on the battle, but on the fact that they needed to win over the viewers in order to get supplies from them so that they could survive. It was intriguing to see how politics and favor would key into survival. One of my favorite scenes in the film is when the main character’s trainer, Haymitch, sees her plight and decides to start playing the crowd for support in order to keep her alive. This battle had many sides to it, and each one needed to be played in order for them to survive it. It was this idea that made me love this film.

Jennifer Lawrence was amazing in this film as Katniss Everdeen. I swear someone should give her an award for this performance. She was able to perfectly pull off the harsh cold exterior while still being able to hold on to her humanity. Katniss wasn’t a walking stiff, she just didn’t relate well to others, and Lawrence pulled this off spectacularly. Her performance made this film work. Another actress I want to point out is Amandla Stenberg who played Rue. It is incredibly rare to find a child actress as competent as she was in this film. She seem like an actual little kid being put into this situation instead of the really stiff acting we usually get from kids.

In Conclusion

I believe that this film will go down as one of the better films this year. Personally I think if a little bit more care was put into the camera work it could have been the best. Though I think that the film truly succeeds in the way that all good films should, it has made me want to read the book where this magnificent story came from. 4 out of 5.

Let's Review: Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

I won’t say I was the biggest fan of the first film. Don’t get me wrong I’m not saying it was bad there were just a number of things that I felt were dragging it down from being a great film. So when I found out that a sequel was coming out, I was actually a bit surprised. I had thought that the general opinion of the first film agreed with my own and that it really wasn’t worth a sequel.

The thing is this film is half a sequel. Some of the events from the first film occurred, but I’m not entirely sure if all of them occurred. I got the idea that they were trying to build a new franchise from some of their choices but then there were these glaring issues like why would they hire Nic Cage back, if they were going to try and ignore the first film? The reason I’m explaining this now is because I don’t want to confuse you when I’m comparing the two films. So before I continue spouting off more negative thoughts, let’s review Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.

The Negative

A big problem with this film is how they represented the Rider.  The way he acted and moved about was more akin to recent demon possession horror flicks. The Rider was more like an animal reacting to instincts and impulses rather than a competent character that was in full control of their actions. At one point I actually thought that the editors were just playing with their CGI model when Ghost Rider gets hit with a grenade and just spins in midair in the same spot for a few seconds. Surprisingly this rather bizarre performance becomes the benefit of the story when at the end he fully gains control of the Spirit of Vengeance and starts operating like a real person showing the progression of his character in the film. Unfortunately it’s these really disjointed moments that take away from every scene with the Rider and ruin the first two thirds of the film. Maybe if Johnny was shown to have even the slightest control over his powers at the start of the film it wouldn’t be as bad, but unfortunately that is not the direction they took it in.

Let’s talk briefly about one of the main antagonists, Blackout. This was an absolute complete waste of a good villain. I think it almost made me cry how pathetic they made his character. In the comics, Blackout was the arch nemesis of the 2^nd Ghost Rider. Blackout was a demonic vampire who had the ability to control perpetual darkness, which allowed him to avoid the sun which was his weakness. Ghost Rider and Blackout had many battles over the course of the book series, which even resulted in Blackout killing some of the Rider’s friends and family. No matter what the Rider did, he couldn’t find a way to finish off Blackout. So the Rider finally figures out a plan of attack. After an epic battle, the Rider chains Blackout to the top of the World Trade Center and then tortured him until dawn so that he was so weak he couldn’t stop the Sun from roasting him alive. This is probably one of the most epic villain deaths of all time in comics. In the film, he is a human thug for hire who is working for the devil to kidnap a kid, he gets killed early on and the devil grants him the powers in the hopes that he will be a match for the Rider. Unfortunately he still acts like a bum loser and gets killed when the Rider burns him and then runs him over with a car.    ……………………………absolutely one of the biggest wastes of a super villain I have ever seen.

Now tying back into the first film, Johnny makes a deal with Mephistopheles in order to save his father’s life. The new film plays out the deal making process differently, but essentially it is the same scene with the same characters. So my problem is…..why did they change Mephistopheles name to Roarke in the new film? Now this is such a minor thing and hardly worth complaining about, but it was a change that stuck with me throughout the entire film, questioning it every time it came up. Why did they change Mephistopheles’ name to Roarke? Did they lose the rights to Mephistopheles’ name? Did Roarke roll of the tongue better? I know this is such a minor complaint, but I really want to know. Why did they ever change his name to Roarke?

The Positive

One of the problems I had with the first film was how much the CGI for the Rider stood out. They did a really good job with the model…most of the time, but some of the time it was really glaringly obvious that what I was looking at was CGI and it looked awful. The character model for the Rider in this film was amazing. I was absolutely astonished at how real he looked. From the way the flames smoked and sputtered, to the way all of his clothing had a burning look to them, this rider was amazingly well put together. I honestly looked forward to seeing it despite the weird acting.

The truth is, that is exactly how the Rider should have looked in the first film. The Rider’s appearance and the use of his powers were exactly how they appear in the comics. I loved getting to see the Rider possessing new vehicles in order to dominate the battlefields and watching him use his chain to disintegrate the criminals into a ball of flame was like getting to watch the comic unfolding in real life. If only there wasn’t the insane acting, this could have made the entire film.

In Conclusion

This darker depiction of the Ghost Rider could have made this film amazing. Unfortunately, like the Rider, this film suffers from being too disjointed and over the top. The success of the film is that we have a really beautiful CGI model of the Rider which clearly they put a lot of work into, but the problem is that the model is put to completely waste by the bizarre mannerisms.  This really is a shame because the story and the characters really aren’t that bad, they’re just all over the place. If this film had just been a little more focused in its goals and had the Rider acting like a competent character, we could have seen another great Marvel movie. 2 out of 5.