We can only imagine how deflated the Sony marketing department must have felt when the very geek crowd they had hoped to lure for "Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance" pretty much roundly rejected it at Harry Knowles' Butt-Numb-A-Thon last weekend. If they couldn't please those fanboys, getting everyone else interested is going to be a herculean task.
And so, now we have a new trailer for the sequel and it looks every bit like a Nic Cage movie for better or worse. At the one hand, his movies of late are always good for at least one smart ass remark or one-liner (the "roadkill" bit was pretty eye-rollingly funny) but on the other, this thing looks like it had the budget of a direct-to-video movie (and was shot like one). The "Crank" duo of Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor haven't always been known for their run-and-gun aesthetic, but here it doesn't seem to benefit the material in the slightest. It all just seems loud and not particulary visually inventive, a shame considering the plot is dealing with the potential antichrist. But then again, it doesn't have anyone jump starting their heart with a car battery either.
Anyway, this probably won't be the hit Nic desperately needs as his career continues to circle the drain. This opens on February 17, 2012.