Ghost Rider

By: noblenonsense
Date: Saturday, February 17, 2007

My expectations for comic book movies are low. So low that it's hard to miss the mark. That being said I should also note that I'm a big fan of comic book movies. Fantastic Four, excellent popcorn flick. Blade, cult classic. Batman Begins, dark and exciting. Nic Cage is an A-list actor and has blessed the silver screen in fantastic action movies, splendid comedies, and heart wrenching romantic comedies. That being said, he's not someone I would think of to be Johnny Blaze. His dark and quirky appeal hardly fits the image of high flying motorcycle riding Blaze. If anything for this role I would place Aaron Eckhart or Paul Walker. That being said, he pulled it off well. Eva Mendes as Roxie was perplexing. Her acting was if nothing else but sufficient for the role. The role of Roxie calls for a friendly romantic link for Blaze and his youth. The efforts to rekindle their relationship seem a bit forced. There is one minute where it just hits and one thinks "are you kidding me?!" I won't ruin it but the moment makes little to no sense. Synopsis: Barton Blaze, a knock off of Evil Kneivel, has cancer and hasn't told his son. Johnny, who tours with him and was supposed to leave with Roxie, discovers a medical form showing that his dad has cancer. Working late one night he makes a deal with the devil to save his father. The next day on a jump Barton Blaze dies. Jump ahead years later and Blackheart and his cronies are planning to get a contract worth 1,000 souls that were meant for Mephisto(meles). Blaze becomes Ghost Rider to uphold his part of the contract. Crazy element fights endure. The villains, representing the elements (plus Blackheart), create little effort in fights for the character of Ghost Rider. Making the movie more based on the inner demons (pun intended) of Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider and his lackluster past. Peter Fonda as Mephisto(meles) seldom takes the screen with his "menacing stare" but carries the story at integral parts. My major joy in the movie was Sam Elliott, of Roadhouse fame, who narrates the beginning and end and acts as the "Caretaker". The movement from reluctant bounty hunter for the devil to protector of the innocent seems obvious but welcomed as the movie progresses. As for the graphics, excellent. The flaming skull, bike, and even the horse (you'll know what I mean) are well done. My one major issue with the movie does not rely on the plot but on the movements of Ghost Rider. He can ride his motorcycle up a building. He can take the bike off the building using a chain to whip him back to the building but he moves like Frankenstein's monster. In short: the movie surprisingly doesn't suck. Would I watch it again? Sure. Is it better than Spider-Man or Batman Begins? Nope but it was better than Fantastic Four and Batman Forever.

Click here to read the staff review by Mania.