I enjoy all manner of film. Yes, my tendency is towards sci fi and comedy (with a reasonable dose of foreign cinema as I have delusions of pretentiousness) but I enjoy any well-made films. Sometimes, though, you just want to watch a man riding a bike with his head on fire or driving...angrily, I guess… Yes, it is time to bask in the glory that is Nicolas Cage - a one-time Oscar winning actor who now seems to have decided to just have fun being a Nicolas Cage type character for presumably fairly large sums of money (and fair play to him). I recently binged on several Nicolas Cage flicks (warning - this could be hazardous to your mental health - do no attempt without proper preparation) and here’s what it did to my fragile little mind.
Note:- The term “Any Good?” is used in very specific sense here - generally, “so bad it comes back around and borders on the genius”. You have been warned.
Ghost Rider
In Which:- Yep, Nicolas Cage rides around on a bike with a flaming skull
Any Good? It’s so close to being so bad, it’s good but fumbles it with a hefty dose of stuff that’s just ponderous and boring. It’s a suitably bizarre cast including Peter Fonda and Sam Elliott (who also narrates and, quite frankly, should probably narrate almost every film) and has the occasional stupidly weird moment but doesn’t quite manage to go the whole hog. As such, it’s neither an exciting comic book/superhero film nor a top-notch mental Cage vehicle* and feels like a missed opportunity on either side.
Any Good? It’s so close to being so bad, it’s good but fumbles it with a hefty dose of stuff that’s just ponderous and boring. It’s a suitably bizarre cast including Peter Fonda and Sam Elliott (who also narrates and, quite frankly, should probably narrate almost every film) and has the occasional stupidly weird moment but doesn’t quite manage to go the whole hog. As such, it’s neither an exciting comic book/superhero film nor a top-notch mental Cage vehicle* and feels like a missed opportunity on either side.
Drive Angry
In Which:- Nicolas Cage escapes Hell in order to save his kidnapped granddaughter.
Any Good? Now this is more like it. A film with an utterly ludicrous premise that knows it and just full-on leans heavily into it. In fact, it’s a film so silly that it features a scene where Nicolas Cage engages in a shootout while smoking a cigar, swigging whiskey and having sex at the same time. This is exactly what I’m talking about it when I mean “so bad it comes back around and borders on genius”. If you’re looking for pulpy action with peak Cage mentalness, this one has to be up there.
Mom And Dad
In Which:- An unspecified zombie-style outbreak causes parents to turn on their children
Any Good? Actually, this is a pretty good horror comedy (in the bleakest of black humour) presenting a fresh spin on the zombie-style horror genre with a bit of a meditation on the loss of youth and the inevitable onset of middle age so it’s not necessarily in the “so bad, it’s good” category but it does feature some prime opportunities for Cage to go fully over the top (as well featuring some flashbacks to non-zombified Cage’s weirdly inappropriate parenting style). Plus it features a kick-ass appearance from Lance Henriksen (Bishop of Aliens fame) so what’s not to love?
I enjoyed my brief descent into the world of insane modern Cage acting (as I said, he once won an Oscar). Would I go all-out Cage and binge my way through a chunk again? Well, there’s always Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance, Season of The Witch and the Wicker Man remake. Hmm, maybe not...
In Which:- An unspecified zombie-style outbreak causes parents to turn on their children
Any Good? Actually, this is a pretty good horror comedy (in the bleakest of black humour) presenting a fresh spin on the zombie-style horror genre with a bit of a meditation on the loss of youth and the inevitable onset of middle age so it’s not necessarily in the “so bad, it’s good” category but it does feature some prime opportunities for Cage to go fully over the top (as well featuring some flashbacks to non-zombified Cage’s weirdly inappropriate parenting style). Plus it features a kick-ass appearance from Lance Henriksen (Bishop of Aliens fame) so what’s not to love?
I enjoyed my brief descent into the world of insane modern Cage acting (as I said, he once won an Oscar). Would I go all-out Cage and binge my way through a chunk again? Well, there’s always Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance, Season of The Witch and the Wicker Man remake. Hmm, maybe not...
* Aha ha, I said “vehicle” in a review about a bike-riding flame-headed demon. I am most hilarious.
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