Ghost Rider

GHOST RIDER (2007)

BOTTOM LINE: A wasted opportunity of film; and yet another pitiful adaption of a cool comic book character.

THE GOOD: I didn't know much about the character prior to coming to this film but after watching it even I could tell it wasn't translated well to the screen. That said however, his visual design is first rate - he looks damn cool with the flaming skull. The devil is also wonderfully translated to screen, as are his minions. The concept for the film is quite interesting and imaginative; a man makes a pact with the devil to help him save the life of his father but in the process ends up losing his soul and doing the devil's dirty work. There's also a history of this happening all through time. Very cool concept. The Ghost Rider's ability to determine innocent or guilty people is also a lot of fun. At one point before he transforms in to the Ghost Rider, Nicholas Cage is thrown in to a jail cell with other crims. He transforms, and then proceeds to weed out the guilty from the innocent. Quite an entertaining scene.

THE BAD: It's just not well done, all things being said. Sure the Ghost Rider himself looks cool, some of the action scenes look cool, and the devil is cool but it just doesn't amount to anything. Everything seems arbitrary and forced, performances aren't all that convincing, and the story just doesn't resonate. The film was shot in Melbourne, Australia - and it looks like Melbourne, not Texas (where the story is set!). There's no sense of being taken on a journey When you've got a cool concept but a weak story and weak direction, that's all that remains; a cool concept but a weak film. It's a shame really because they had a good base idea to start from.

RATING: 5.5/10

Todd Murphy <br />
http://www.allaboutmovies.net

Ghost Rider

The Gist

As a young fellow, Nicolas Cage sold his soul to the devil in exchange for the salvation of a loved one. What seems to be a decade later, the devil requires his services now. Cage becomes Ghost Rider by night time with one quest: in search of the decree that holds a few hundred souls prisoner. To add romantic flavor to the movie, Eva Mendes plays Cage’s girlfriend.

What Do I Think?

This packed some flaming punches at the box office in the US with a staggering $52 million on the first week alone. It should have done well in Malaysia too, seeing that it was a Lunar New Year release. It deserves all the moolah raked in simply because it delivered the expected goods – fun no-brainer roller-coaster ride.

Mark Steven Johnson, who delivered the failed comic-to-reel Daredevil, is tasked to make another adaptation. Thankfully, he passes this time. The story is rather simple, it recognizes that it is indeed a comic book story and it tries not to take itself too seriously. The result is an enjoyable ride through the origins of the Ghost Rider.


Cage, a comic book fan himself, displays his versatility in acting here. Serious roles aside, he does have some ability to make us laugh, along with his supposed tormented character. Eva Mendes however is unable to go beyond being the film’s eye-candy (ok, ok, there was cleavage, now you know?). The elemental villains were quite cool, headed by the nearly two-dimensional portrayal of Blackheart by Wes Bentley. As Memphistoles, Peter Fonda’s presence does give me the creeps sometimes.

Rating: 7/10


Notes:

1. Cage had to have his Ghost Rider tattoo covered with make-up in order to play Johnny Blaze.
2. Johnny Depp was interested in playing the title role.
3. Cage's computer generated skull was made from a three dimensional x-ray taken of his actual skull.

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Last updated: 2009-08-11 21:35:16 by joekhor

Ghost Rider

As an avid comic reader back in the day, I must admit that I wasn’t too familiar with Ghost Rider until a friend of mine let me read one of his in exchange for one of my Flash comics. It was worth the trade. This move lives up to the comic, which is something Marvel movies seem to do better than those that come out of the DC universe.
The movie starts off a bit slow for my taste. Ghost Rider himself could have been designed better, and they mixed origins, but other than, I have no complaints with the film.
Of course, there was the scene where the cops accused Johnny Blaze of killing everyone and arrested him, proving how paranoid and stupid cops are.
some people didn’t care for Nicholas Cage in this role. I’m a little torn. I understand why they didn’t want him, but at the same time, I think he did pretty good with it. for once it was good to see someone playing a role that they actually grew up on.
Sam Elliot brings his A game as the Caretaker. I just which he would have had more screen time, but what can you do, right?
A sequel has been greenlit. Don’t know if it’ll get made or be held up in limbo like the Daredevil sequel. Time will tell!

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