Weekend (2/17) Movie Trailers and Reviews: 'Ghost Rider' and 'This Means War'

Will this strange but beneficial box office year, in which moviegoing is up about 14% over last year, continue this weekend? Possibly: "This Means War" and "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance" both hit the box office this weekend, and both provide a lot of action to draw in audiences. But are either of them any good?

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

Rated PG-13, 95 mins.

Nicolas Cage returns as Johnny Blaze, the stuntman who becomes the devil's errand boy as Ghost Rider. This sequel aims to "reboot" the character a bit (despite the fact that there was only one other movie so far) with a grittier look and tone. There's still some of the Nic Cage wackiness, though, and the special effects look to be improved. The addition of 3D will also either serve as an attraction or an aversion.

Reviews for "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance" have the movie at 13% among critics in the early going, though only about 30 reviews have been counted by Rotten Tomatoes. However, when a movie isn't screened for critics in advance, that's generally a bad sign.

See it if: You liked the first one?

This Means War

Rated PG-13, 120 mins.

We know that "This Means War" will have plenty of action, as it pits two highly trained CIA agents (played by Chris Pine and Tom Hardy) against each other when they find that they're both dating the same woman (Reese Witherspoon). We know that there will be at least some raunchy humor, as Chelsea Handler co-stars and originally got the movie an R rating (it was later knocked down toa PG-13).

What we don't know is if the movie is really worth seeing for anyone. The action set-pieces aren't particularly impressive or coherent, and the romance is severely lacking in any heart or humor. That's according to the reviews, which currently have the movie at a 24% among critics.

See it if: You saw "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" and thought "gee, this is great but I'd really like to see a shoddier version where I care about the characters less."