Romania, Realm of the Supernatural: 'Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance' (2012)
Specifications:
Title: Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance Release Date: February 17, 2012 Genre: Action, Fantasy, Thriller Director(s): Mark Neveldine, Brian Tylor Writer(s): Scott M. Gimple, Seth Hoffman, David S. Goyer Characters: Moreau, Danny, Nadya, the Ghost Rider, Johnny, Carrigan, Roarke. Production companies: Marvel Knights, Marvel Entertainment, Crystal Sky Pictures, Hyde Park EntertainmentI, magenation Abu Dhabi. Distributed by: Columbia Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures Country: USA Running time: 95 minutes Language: English Setting: Transfagarasan, Targu-Jiu, Hunedoara, Bucharest and at the Corvin Castle.
Synopsis:
In nowadays Romania, a priest named Moreau tells the monks that the monastery is in danger and that demonic forces want to get their hands on a boy called Danny. As the monastery gets attacked, the priest tries to help the boy and his family to escape, but because the mother doesn't trust him and also caught in the war with the devils, he loses them. After almost dying, while trying to find again Nadya and her son, Moreau understands that he needs help and that only the Ghost Rider is capable of saving them so, he goes to seek him.
Also, as Johnny Blaze hides out in Eastern Europe, he is called upon to stop the devil, who is trying to take human form.
Tropes: Romania as a supernatural place, demons, superstitions, stuck in the past, desire for revenge, brutal people.
Personal opinion:
If Romania is the supernatural realm it wouldn't be complete without demons, evil creatures or monsters who will do anything to possess bodies and devour souls, and also it would be impossible to not have heroes as riders in flames, priests who fight and try everything to protect their people, and women who are as bloody and violent as men.
As the Ghost Rider and Moreau try to catch and destroy the demonic forces and to find and protect Danny and his family, we get to see how traditional and full of superstitions, fear and religious the Romanians are. Because even though Romania is a civilized and modern country, it is still haunted by demons, the devils are possesing humans, supersitions are more real than ever and people are afraid even inside their homes. Which echoes a lot what Todorova and Goldsworthy have to say about Eastern Europeans and Romanians, who live in the past, organizing and living their lives according to old laws, traditions and rites.
Also the idea that a Westerner, an American, has to come and solve the problem brings forward what Said thought of Orientals; that they always need help, they need someone to govern them, to protect them, because they are too afraid, they don't know or they are not strong enough. And Moreau is the perfect example, because even though he tried to act by himself he almost gets killed, which would have made the situation just more complicated, and due to that many more people would have died.
The movie doesn't directly says that the Romanians are weak but the viewers perceive that from the beginning, as they see how hope and help are coming along with the American Hero. Plus the hero uses stronger weapons and he doesn't rely that much on faith and superstitions as Moreau, which is a clear difference between the old 'tradition' and the new values of the West. We could say that the Ghost Rider Westernizes Romania, by helping the people and showing them which values are better; yet, because he stays just for a while, the effects don't keep long and slowly but surely the people and the country would go back to their old ways and habits.
All in all, we could say that Romania, even though it is the realm of supernatural, it is more haunted and hurt by it, than to be able to use this in its advantage, and it doesn't seem to learn from its mistakes. As a nation and as the people within it, it is always going to wait for someone to save it or, at least, to tell it what to do. As if it has all the pieces but needs guidance so it can assemble them; guidance which will be offered by America, a saviour always present in the Romanians's minds.
