Film Clip: Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

That flaming-biker superhero from Hell (Nicolas Cage, fervidly chewing the Eastern European scenery) is back, this time protecting a boy (Fergus Riordan) and his mother (Violante Placido), who are being pursued by a diabolical villain (Ciarán Hinds) and his minions for their own nefarious purposes. If the original Marvel Comics antihero has any emotional or dramatic resonance, it has yet to surface on film. The 2007 movie was bad enough, but this sequel is even worse—a shoddier look, cheesier effects, and a less comprehensible story concocted by writers Scott M. Gimple, Seth Hoffman and David S. Goyer from approximately equal parts The Terminator and Rosemary’s Baby. The only real suspense comes from wondering how young Riordan got his American accent growing up in Romania with an Italian mother. J.L.