A day late, and seven dollars short, Mexicus Prime and Arse-bot finally decided to brave the sequel to 2007’s Ghost Rider, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, over the weekend. Suckers for any superhero movie that hits the big screen, they ventured out to their local cinema to once again watch Nicholas Cage’s head burst into flames and are here with a joint review for you!

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

Directed by Neveldine/Taylor

Starring Nicholas Cage, Idris Elba, Ciaran Hinds, Violante Placido, Fergus Riordan and Johnny Whitworth

Plot: Johnny Blaze is on the run on the other side of the world trying to prevent harm coming to those around him from the demon inside of him. When a monk by the name of Moreau approaches him with a deal to rid Blaze of the vengeance-seeking demon, he once again finds himself going head to head with Devil as he tries to prevent him from taking over the body of it’s own son.

Mexicus Prime –

Our favorite heavy-metal hero from the 90’s is back in black for another full length feature! Grab a steak sandwich ‘cuz this movie delivers the cheese.

After the sour taste of the first film from 2007 just barely leaving me, I felt the need to see if they’ve improved on the character since then. To answer short and sweet, I’d say yes. Visually speaking (3D aside) I’d say it was a major improvement from the first film. From the opening fast paced fight sequence to the pounding of bad dudes later, the action was fun to watch. From the trailer, the fight sequences looked like they would be very talky and funny, but they came out very dark and vengeful – which for Marvel was a nice change of pace. Had they given this the R-rating treatment, I think it would’ve packed a harder punch, but none-the-less enjoyable.

As you may have presumed from the other Ghost Rider movie, the dialogue was very obnoxious. “CRANK-ESQ” styled jokes (toned down), boring, drawn out lines from Nicholas Cage. The “pissing fire” joke from the trailer is not half as bad as some of the one-liners in this movie though. Nobody was that impressive acting or character wise, except for “Moreau” played by Idris Elba, who I feel character and otherwise was a joy to watch on screen. He plays a kind of a rogue monk if you will who helps Johnny Blaze find the boy (possible anti-Christ) he’s supposed to save in return for giving back his soul. I liked the character’s quirks and sensibilities and found myself wondering what a different (for the better) movie this would have been had he’d been the one making a deal with the devil or merely just trying to stop the dark rebirth.

My last bit about this movie, and many comic related movies in general, is the invincibility with the heroes. The only antagonist seemed to be Johnny’s race against the clock. Villain-wise, he rocked the living hell (no pun intended) out of everyone on screen without even flinching. Way too overpowered compared to his rogues and the ending fight scene came with no rebuttal and was like a Mortal Kombat, Scorpion-styled fatality.

I would not recommend Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance to anyone, but maybe parents who want to waste a few cheap laughs with the kids on the weekend. With all the plot holes in the movie with villains, powers, and responsibility I do not see this appealing to anyone but kids and young adults alike.

Arse-bot –

Mexicus Prime pretty much summed up our reasoning for seeing Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. Aside from the fact that we see pretty much any superhero flick, we were curious to see how this stacked up to the lack-luster fist go around with this character nearly 5 years ago. Was this sequel an overall improvement? Sure. But it still ranks really low on the superhero movie list.

I appreciated the way they handled breezing over recapping Johnny Blaze’s deal with the devil and how he became the Ghost Rider. The animation used for this was pretty slick, and the whole thing was taken pretty lightly – it’s almost as if the directors knew how ridiculous this all comes across on screen so they tried to play it to their advantage. Speaking of ridiculous: Nicholas Cage. I actually enjoy Cage’s manic portrayal of a lot of his characters. In the right film I think he’s fun to watch. In this film, he keeps flipping from “calm, cool, collected” hero, to “I have a demon inside of me and it has driven bat-shit crazy”. Cage isn’t great in this film, and you never really connect with his character, but he’s tolerable enough.

The action in this film and the overall manic approach was what really separates this from its predecessor. You can definitely tell it’s from the guys responsible for the CRANK films, which is a good and bad thing. Some filming choices and effects don’t make a lot of sense, and some are down right confusing; but the straight-forward action sequences were pretty cool. The problem is though, as Mexicus Prime already mentioned, is that Ghost Rider is essentially invincible, so it just becomes a waiting game as bad guys pointlessly empty entire ammunition clips into the demon until he dispatches of them in some over-the-top way or another. There was really never any risk to Ghost Rider except for the fact that he would be too late to stop the Devil from becoming all-powerful.

All said, my expectations going into this film were low. I was just hoping that it would be better than the first one, which it was. Neveldine and Taylor do a good job at just hitting the ground running for this film and packing it with a lot of action, but with a “hero” who pretty much can’t be hurt there never seems to be a real threat. Even when the Devil bestows the “power of decay” on his main lackey, turning him into a “super villain”, you’re not really that concerned about it. Okay, so this guy can decay anything he touches, BFD, he’s going up against a demon who is already a flaming skull. A smart Devil would have said, “I have given you the power of having fire hoses for arms. Go get ‘im, buster!”

Ghost Rider is a less-popular character from the Marvel Universe, and from what I can tell from what little I’ve been exposed to him, not one of the stronger ones. With a huge lack of villains, sense of threat, and a roster of characters you just never really care about, this film amounts to little more than just waiting for the next action sequence, which they were smart to include a lot of. Idris Elba is the standout character in this film, but sadly he his missing through most of the entire second act, but when he is on screen the film improves considerably, but not enough to turn the tide on it. Saying this film is an improvement over the original isn’t saying much, so I’m guessing that this will be the last we see of Johnny Blaze for a long while – and when we do see him again, I’m guessing “reboot”. Marvel fans, and fans of superhero flicks in general, I know I’m telling you what you already know, but wait on this one until it hits Netflix.

It’s no secret around these parts that I’m DYING to see the John Carter of Mars film, and it’s no secret that I’m absolutely in love with the source material. Therefore, it should be no secret that I am also excited to see what Marvel pulls out as far as comics for this series is concerned.

The world of Barsoom is a rich and fertile land for storytelling in any medium and I really hope the movie helps propel that along.

From the press release:

Marvel is pleased to present your first look at, John Carter: The Gods Of Mars #1, hitting comic shops everywhere March 2012! From the creative team of rising stars Sam Humphries (Sacrifice) & Ramon Perez (Jim Henson’s Tale Of Sand), the heroic John Carter makes his return to Barsoom not to save it from Martian beasts…but Martian GODS! This new series, in collaboration with the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate, is an all-new graphic fiction adaptation of the legendary John Carter novels AND considered part of the official canon set by Burroughs. No fan looking for added depth to the rich John Carter mythos can miss this.

As our hero finds himself in the land of the dead, all hope looks lost. But nothing will stop John Carter from saving Mars from the terror of those looking to destroy it and this March, the next chapter of one of the greatest action stories ever told begins in John Carter: The Gods Of Mars #1!

JOHN CARTER: THE GODS OF MARS #1 (of 5) (JAN120655)
Based on the Novel by EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS
Adaptation by SAM HUMPHRIES
Art by RAMON PEREZ
Cover by JULIAN TOTINO TEDESCO
All Ages …$2.99
FOC – 2/27/12, ON SALE – 3/21/12

On April 1st the first episode of Ultimate Spider-Man will air on Disney XD. While I am very excited to hear my favorite comic book is getting turned into a television series, the fact that it’s on Disney worries me. Ultimate Spider-Man is a pretty mature comic with lots of mature themes. Sure, at the heart of the comic is a teenager in tights saving New Yorkers from criminals. But for me, the stuff that really makes the comic shine are those not-so-kiddy conversations. For instance, the issue where Peter and MJ discuss wether or not they should consummate their relationship.

That said, I am very interested to see how they handle this. Spectacular Spider-Man was a really amazing rendition of Spider-Man on the small screen. Keeping this character alive on television is just another great way to introduce lots of young folks to the wonderful world of comics. Spider-Man: The Animated Series is what introduced me to the Marvel universe. It’s probably a big part of the reason I read comics today.

On Free Comic Book Day, Marvel is releasing an introduction to this television series via comic book. Kinda funny, creating a new comic to kick off a TV series based off of another comic book. Press release is included below:

The most-anticipated new show of 2012 is almost here—Ultimate Spider-Man swings into the Marvel Universe block on Disney XD on April 1, giving fans of all ages a whole new look at the world’s greatest Super Hero! But you can get your first look at this all-new animated series in Ultimate Spider-Man Premiere, a screen capture comic book adaptation of the premiere episode, utilizing the same story and art you’ll see on the small screen, but presented like you won’t see anywhere else. This comic is perfect for fans of all ages and a must-have item to have in stock for Free Comic Book Day!

Retailers, check the Marvel Mailer and Diamond Daily for more information on Ultimate Spider-Man Premiere (NOV118181), arriving in stores March 28.

A few quick picks for today. Remember you can download from Comixology and/or Graphicly on your phone/computer and get paid to read comics at work!

Marvel Comics

Jump back onboard The Amazing Spiderman with issue 679.1. You can’t go wrong with Dan Slott on Spiderman so try this out. Despite the goofy ‘point one’ numbering system this Spiderman title is definitely worth reading.

Image Comics

Mondo #1 has a Mondo price tag (4.99) but it’s 37 pages of ALL Ted McKeever. Head over to Comixology and read the synopsis before adding this to your cart. It’s only a 3 issue series so chances are the whole thing will be available for a dollar cheaper with a few extra pages on completion.

Dynamite Entertainment

Army Of Darkness Ongoing #1. A new AOD series? Ongoing? Looks like we’re getting a female version of Ash named…Ash! This could go either way but if you’re a Horror fan give it a look.

IDW Publishing

Two new Infestation titles this week and neither look incredibly interesting but I took a solemn oath to read the entire crossover for no good reason whatsoever. Infestation 2 Transformers #2 and (cringe) Infestation 2 Dungeons and Dragons #1.

DC Comics

Oooh DC gets the bump to the bottom of the pack today! I go through cycles and while the ‘New 52’ titles started off interesting, stagnation is kicking in. With a new start across the entire line I expected a few draws from the old well but rehashing the Multiverse already? Batman #6 is my single DC title this week.

Reboot? Re-imagining? Rip-off? How you feel about the idea of “The Amazing Spider-Man,” this summer’s super hero action-adventure film starring Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, may depend on your feelings about the Marvel Comics characters and comics the movie is based upon.

A new trailer for the July release will be in theaters Feb. 10. It is already making the rounds online, though, and it does offer the first glimpses of the Lizard, the main villain in the film, some customary Spidey wisecracking, full views of the new movie costume, and some hints that this may be a darker, edgier version than director Sam Raimi offered us.

Big Shiny Robot! got its two biggest Spider-Man fans … Jerk-bot, a self-proclaimed “traditionalist,” and Kill-tacular-tron … to get their views on the spot. While the two may agree about their love for the Web-slinger, their opinions of the trailer couldn’t be more different. In fact, a debate ensued.

Presenting the case against is Jerk-bot, better known as local movie/geek columnist and reviewer Jeff Michael Vice.

OPENING STATEMENT
First off, let me just say that you cannot and must not judge a movie by its trailer. As a longtime fan of the characters and the comics, I am hoping that “The Amazing Spider-Man” will be if not a good movie, then a fun one.

Let me confess, however, as a longtime fan, I am especially harsh when it comes to adaptations, be they animated or live-action. And I am somewhat of a traditionalist. While I do enjoy Brian Michael Bendis’s Ultimate version, I still prefer the Stan Lee/Steve Ditko/John Romita ASM comics … and even the current, Dan Slott/Humberto Ramos ones.

Say what you will about Sam Raimi’s trilogy of films, they showed love and appreciation for the classics. “Spider-Man 2” is about as perfect a printed-four-color-page-to-the-big-screen movie adaptation as there is. Watch it again, after reading those earlier comics, if you don’t believe me. (And skip over “Spider-Man 3” … )

And let me also confess that I am not an Andrew Garfield fan. Thus far, he has conveyed more general cockiness and sheer doucheyness than a likable personality in his performances. Peter Parker? I think not. (Though I will admit that I was wrong about my initial casting misgivings in regards to Chris “Captain America” Evans and Chris “Capt. Kirk” Pine.)

THE ARGUMENTS AGAINST THE TRAILER
I’ll take these, point by point …

IT’S DARK … TOO DARK.
Having read Spider-Man comics for more than two-thirds of my life, I realize that they are filled with tragedy, drama, pathos, bathos, what have you. It’s part of what makes Peter Parker and his wall-crawling, web-slinging alter ego
so relatable. He rises above the challenges in his life, and never gives up.

However, this new trailer not only looks dark … in term of its nearly constant nighttime and indoors settings … it also looks more brooding than Christopher Nolan’s Batman films. Since this was shot in the 3D format, it’s going to give people eye strain if nothing else.

THERE’S NOTHING NEW (OR NU) IN IT.
Sam Raimi and company already did all this before. And better. Don’t believe me?

Peter Parker being bullied by Flash Thompson and standing up to him? Check.

Spidey being physically beaten and unmasked? Check.

Our hero being hounded by the police? Check.

A would-be father figure who turns into a green arch-villain? Check.

A tentative first web-swing into action? Check.

And so on …

AMALGAMATION, INC.
We were promised new, “fresh” interpretations of the characters, but …

Capt. George Stacy (Denis Leary) taking the place of J. Jonah Jameson as Spidey’s harshest critic. That role was also Aunt May Parker. Speaking of whom, where is SHE in the trailer? (The character is being played by Sally Field, who is at least as big a name as Leary.)

Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans) taking the place of Norman Osborn and Uncle Ben Parker as that aforementioned father figure. (Uncle Ben is being played by Martin Sheen, who, again, is nowhere to be seen.)

CLONE SAGA ALL OVER AGAIN?
Again, appearances are deceiving, but those black-and-white flashback bits horrify me. Angst-y, I-miss-my-dead-parents bull pucky is all the rage in films directed at teen/tween audiences, but unfortunately, it also brings to mind criticisms of George Lucas’s Star Wars prequels, which were explored in a lengthy stand-up comedy routine by Patton Oswalt.

Plus, while the dead parents angle was done in Bendis’s Ultimate title, it was first brought up during the dreaded Clone Saga in various Spidey titles. We longtime fans are still recovering from that awfulness.

WOKKA-WOKKA.
Tobey Maguire may have failed to convince as the wisecracking Peter, but at least his attempts at humor were funnier than the stupid taxi bit in the trailer. If that’s the best “funny” moment in the movie, we’re in trouble, folks.

IN CONCLUSION
All along, I have had the feeling Sony Pictures rushed this film into production simply to hold onto the characters and property, and that we might get a bad or at least mediocre movie. This trailer has done absolutely nothing to allay those fears for me.

That being said, I will be among the first … if not the first … to eat my words. I have done it before (again, see the Star Trek and Captain America movies for evidence of that).

However, I have two words for you if you’re being a Pollyanna about this trailer: “Green Lantern.” I was right all along about THAT one, wasn’t I?

P.S. If this is as bad as I now fear, I will welcome the inevitable cinematic rebooting as “Ultimate Spider-Man” that we’ll get. Hopefully with Miles Morales under the mask. Which is what they should be doing in the first place.

And now for the counterpoint, provided by Kill-tacular-tron.

OPENING STATEMENT
I would also like to remind everyone of what Jeff said in his opening statement, judging a movie based off of a trailer is bad form. I am going to try and share my hopes for the film, and what things excite me about the trailer. I will do my best to counterpoint Jeff, but really it is going to be difficult to make any solid arguments based off a trailer.

Spider-Man is my all-time favorite superhero. I probably have a lot more invested in these movies than John Q. Public. “Spider-Man 2” is still one of my favorite films, and probably the all-time-best superhero movie. At least, in my humble opinion. I grew up on Spider-Man: The Animated Series. The early 2000s is when I first ventured into the comic’s world with (Joe) Straczynski’s Amazing Spider-Man run. I probably became a fanatic while reading the Ultimate Spider-Man series.

My love for the character is what I bring to this argument. Although I’m a cinephile, I am by no means a professional movie critic. I will be approaching my side of this argument from a Spider-Man fanatic’s point of view.

REGARDING THE TONE
Last week I received my Comic-Con preregistration packet. The cover story for the included magazine was “The Amazing Spider-Man.” It contained interviews with (director Marc) Webb and (actress Emma) Stone. I was particularly interested in hearing what Webb was hoping to achieve with his rendition of Peter Parker. In the interview he explains that he wants to avoid the same world that Sam Raimi created. Webb felt that, since Raimi did such an amazing job, there was no reason to try and break new ground with the Golden Age Peter Parker.

This is where the seemingly hybrid version of the character comes into play. There are a lot of things I can pick up on from the Ultimate Universe. For instance, Gwen Stacy definitely seems to know Peter Parker is Spider-Man. Mary Jane is privy to this same information in the Ultimate Universe. It has made for some excellent stories. Peter isn’t carrying this burden by himself and often needs a helping hand. Or occasionally a pep talk.

Another similarity to the Ultimate Universe, a great deal of Peter’s life revolves around Oscorp. Norman creates the spider that gives Peter his super powers. He also employees characters that turn into villains, Otto Octavius being one of them. I don’t think Curt Connors working at Oscrop is a bad thing. In fact, I think it tidies up the premise a bit. This brings me to the next point.

THERE ARE NO NEW IDEAS. THERE ARE ONLY NEW WAYS OF MAKING THEM FELT
To say that this Spider-Man movie is treading on similar ground as Sam Raimi’s is kind of a no-brainer. Unfortunately, Sony decided to do another origin story. I, like most fans, would have rather seen another version of Spider-Man without repeating the introduction. That being said, I think with any movie involving Spider-Man you are going to see:

Peter being unmasked at some point.

The police hunting him. Being the “public menace” is a pretty large theme for the character.

His first web-slinging excursion. This is an origin story, full of many firsts.

I see the point Jeff is trying to make, although it’s hard for either of us to make a definitive stand without seeing the film.

SO FRESH AND SO CLEAN
A lot of the ideas shown in this trailer feel very fresh to me. Although Captain Stacy is taking on a similar role as Jameson, he is now taking on the more logical position for his character. Would a police captain be happy that a masked vigilante is running around town making him look bad and possibly putting a lot of lives in danger? I wouldn’t think so. This also creates a more interesting dynamic between Gwen and Peter (knowing he’s Spider-Man) if her Dad hates him.

I would much rather Webb stay true to the characters he is creating on film, rather than the continuity from the comics. How many movies have been ruined by the addition of one-dimensional characters to appease the fan boys. “X-Men 3,” anyone? Hell, even “Spider-Man 3” suffered from that very same problem. Remember Venom?

SMART-ASS
Honestly, any wisecracking from Spider-Man is going to make me happy. There was a serious lack of it in Raimi’s trilogy. I’ve always imagined Peter’s delivery as very dry. Only the Web-slinger finds himself amusing. But, I do agree with Jeff. I hope what we see in the trailer isn’t the “best-of” stuff.

IN CONCLUSION
Being a fan of Spider-Man, I am super-stoked to see this film. I had my reservations earlier on when I first saw the costume. Even the first trailer left me wondering what to expect. It’s probably not the best approach, but I now have high hopes. The darker tone is kind of exciting for me. It almost hints at the overall story involving the Stacys, and the tragedy that falls on their family because of Spider-Man.

I, like Jeff, will be the first to admit it if this movie turns out to be a big stinker. I guess the one thing we can agree on: We both hope this movie turns out better than “Spider-Man 3.”

This was amazing. I’m going to watch it again now.

I think this tells us quite a lot, though. The threat the Avengers are facing seems to be extra terrestrial. Skrulls? We can only hope.

Big Shiny Girlcast’s February 3rd, 2012 episode is now live via iTunes! The latest episode of the podcast, “Issue #3: Shazam!,” discusses Game of Thrones, Terra Nova, Being Human, Walking Dead, Green Arrow, Captain Marvel, Princess Bride wine, X Men First Class sequel, Hunger Games and more! This week’s “Ask the Geek Girls” segment talks about the first thing we ever really loved as geeks.

On this week’s podcast: Jessie – Miss Mecha from Big Shiny Robot!, Carly – Wonderbot from Big Shiny Robot!, Kelly – Scarlett Robotica from Big Shiny Robot! and Darcy from geekgirlsftw.blogspot.com

You can find it here on the site or download it over on our Big Shiny Robot iTunes feed.

To comment on this week’s episode, send us a question, or answer on of our burning questions, just leave a comment here at the bottom of the post or email the podcast at jessie@bigshinyrobot.com.

Word has it this game has been axed and Marvel is looking for a new studio, but I still thought the footage was worth showing…

(Source: Marvel Movies)

Despite a few people who had gripes I simply didn’t understand, X-Men: First Class has been hailed as a classic of superhero cinema. The script was tight like a the inner-workings of a Swiss watch, the acting (with one exception) was masterful, particularly the interplay between Michael Fassbender and James Macavoy, and the story was perfect for the themes, the era, and the characters.

I had previously thought FOX was flushing X-Men down the toilet (especially after that abysmal Wolverine movie), but then they hired Matthew Vaughn and Bryan Singer to reinvigorate the franchise after Brett Ratner’s abortion of an X-film.

Well, for those of us who enjoyed this film and the team behind it, Deadline is reporting that they are back!

Fox has just closed a deal with Matthew Vaughn to come back and direct the sequel to X-Men: First Class, with Simon Kinberg writing the script and Bryan Singer back as producer.

There’s some other Marvel related news in that story, too:

The studio is so delighted with the job that Josh Trank did on the upcoming under-$20 million thriller Chronicle that he is being eyed for a big assignment, possibly the reboot of Fantastic Four.

Which I’m neither here nor there about.

In any case, intelligent bots of the world: Rejoice about a First Class sequel!

At the Tokyo Press Conference, Sony released their official synopsis for The Amazing Spider-Man:

One of the world’s most popular characters is back on the big screen as a new chapter in the Spider-Man legacy is revealed in “The Amazing Spider-Man.” Focusing on an untold story that tells a different side of the Peter Parker story, the new film stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Campbell Scott, Irrfan Khan, with Martin Sheen and Sally Field. The film is directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay written by James Vanderbilt, based on the Marvel Comic Book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Laura Ziskin, Avi Arad, and Matt Tolmach are producing the film in association with Marvel Entertainment for Columbia Pictures, which will open in theaters everywhere in 3D on July 3, 2012.

“The Amazing Spider-Man” is the story of Peter Parker (Garfield), an outcast high schooler who was abandoned by his parents as a boy, leaving him to be raised by his Uncle Ben (Sheen) and Aunt May (Field). Like most teenagers, Peter is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today. Peter is also finding his way with his first high school crush, Gwen Stacy (Stone), and together, they struggle with love, commitment, and secrets. As Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase that belonged to his father, he begins a quest to understand his parents’ disappearance – leading him directly to Oscorp and the lab of Dr. Curt Connors (Ifans), his father’s former partner. As Spider-Man is set on a collision course with Connors’ alter-ego, The Lizard, Peter will make life-altering choices to use his powers and shape his destiny to become a hero.

This raises a few questions and makes me wonder about the overall story arc for this movie. The biggest question, of course, is what is in that damn suitcase? From the trailer we know Peter gets his powers from the lab that Gwen and Connors work. Maybe it’s the technology for the web shooters? Although that would be some coincidence, him getting spider powers and finding a spider like gadget.

I like the idea that Peter is trying to find himself while discovering more about his family’s past. Being that this is the origin story, and most super heroes don’t hit their stride until the second movie, I think it would be great for the entire movie to be Peter figuring out what to do with his powers. Should he use them for power, wealth, etc… Having the film’s climax be Uncle Ben’s death. This could seal his decision to use his powers for good, and hit the ground running in the second film.

Well, that’s this humble nerd’s thoughts. What are yours?

Source: AICN