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Review #401 of 365
Movie Review of Ghost Rider (2007) [PG-13] 114 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $12.25
Where Viewed: United Artists Denver Pavilions Stadium 15, Denver, CO
When 1st Seen: 17 February 2007
Time: 8:10 p.m.
Film's Official Website • Film's Trailer
DVD Release Date: unscheduled
Review Dedicated to: Taylor C. and Michael G. of Hastings, MN (home town of the director Mark Steven Johnson)
Directed by: Mark Steven Johnson (Daredevil)
Written by: Mark Steven Johnson (Simon Birch)
Featured Cast (Where You Might Remember Him/Her From):
Matt Long ("Jack & Bobby") • Raquel Alessi (Uncle Sam) • Brett Cullen (Gridiron Gang) • Peter Fonda (The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things) • Nicolas Cage (The Wicker Man) • Donal Logue ("Grounded for Life") • Wes Bentley (American Beauty) • Eva Mendes (Hitch) • Sam Elliott (Thank You for Smoking)
Soundtrack: Download now from 
— or — order the CD below
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word or less review of this film]
Nicholas Cage cannot catch a break. For days, everyone who learned I was going to see Ghost Rider indicated low expectations and provided statements of sympathy. Actually, I'm not going to lie, but I liked the trailer. Though Mr. Cage has seemed off his game lately, and most people have begun to wonder if, after Face/Off his face was frozen into that steel grimace of raw confusion with limited ability to force an occasional devilish grin, given the right roles, the kinds where a steel grimace and confused gaze, fits the character, he's not half bad. And, "not half bad" is exactly the expression that suits this film. Stan Lee and Marvel Comics® have been working hard to get every one of their comic book characters no matter how widely unknown they might be, onto the big screen before the world loses interest in superhero films—which could happen any moment I guess. So, Ghost Rider would seem a logical choice to make it sooner rather than later.
"…deep mythology, engaging cast, and mostly new ideas…It's really not half bad."
Writer / Director Mark Steven Johnson, the guy behind Daredevil—which wasn't as bad as people made it out to be—is back behind the camera and story for Ghost Rider. Don't label him, though, he's was also the writer / director of Simon Birch and the writer of Grumpy Old Men. This is a guy I'd like to meet actually. So, for the uninitiated, the Ghost Rider is actually a man, chosen by Mephistopheles himself, to collect on the contracts for people's souls. You know, you sell your soul to the devil, so somebody has to collect. They have amazing powers of strength and control of fire. When they are in the company of evil, they enflame and their head turns into a fiery skull. One such Ghost Rider, in the days of the old west, however, failed to deliver on a contract for 1000 souls from a particular village full of evil doers. Instead, he outran the devil and hid the contract. Years later, on a routine soul-scavenging run, Mephistopheles (Peter Fonda) approaches young Johnny Blaze (Matt Long), a carnival act motorcycle performer, and tricks him into a contract: his soul in exchange for curing his father, Barton Blaze, (Brett Cullen) of lung cancer. Unwittingly, of course, Johnny seals the contract with a drop of blood. The next day, Barton is as healthy as a horse, but in a motorcycle jumping accident, Mephistopheles takes Barton's life. Johnny figures out that the devil reneged, in a way, on his contract and vows to have nothing to do with him. Afraid, though, he leaves the carnival show and young Roxanne (Raquel Alessk) his girlfriend behind. Many years in the future, then, Johnny (Nicholas Cage) has become a super star performer Evel Knievel style performing death-defying stunts in front of captive audiences. On the anniversary of his father's death, Johnny plans to perform a 300+ foot jump over helicopters with spinning rotors in a town in Texas. As it happens, the older Roxanne (Eva Mendes) happens to be a news reporter in the area, and she drops by for an interview. Johnny, who has taken to eating massive quantities of jellybeans because alcohol makes his sick, is overwhelmed when he first sees her. Suddenly, he sees a second chance at redemption. What he does not know is that the Black Heart (Wes Bentley) has come up from Hell to take over earth and to wrest control from his father, Mephistopheles himself, and the devil sees his only chance of survival in calling back in a marker from Johnny Blaze. Shortly after their meeting, Johnny finds himself unable to control himself. In the presence of evil, he turns into the Ghost Rider on a blazing fast motorcycle, and he goes around causing destruction and mayhem. His first night of being the Rider, he encounters one of Black Heart's henchmen and kills him, along with a bunch of other thugs around town. The police are at wits end trying to figure out what's going on. Is he a vigilante or criminally insane?
The mythology of Ghost Rider is a bit more well-developed than the average comic book hero. Meanwhile, it is interesting to see the rise of a hero from powers instilled by evil. But unlike so many of the soul-sellers, Johnny sold his to save his father not to become rich or powerful. Therefore, as the mysterious cemetery Caretaker (Sam Elliot) informs him, God may be on his side. The story does two things right that a lot of superhero movies have not lately. First, the story focuses on the hero more than the villain. Second, it does not rush to superhero status. It takes some time to develop the mythology and the person behind the hero. The audience learns about the powers of the hero just as the hero does. Next, many people shared that they thought, based on the preview, that Nicholas Cage was not the right guy for the role. But, honestly, he did a surprisingly good job playing this unusual character. His facial expressions and brazen bluster bode well for the persona of a superstar with a grave secret. There is an age incongruity, though with the casting of Eva Mendes as the older version of Roxanne Simpson. Ms Mendes is in her early 30s while Mr. Cage is in his early 40s. So, unless Roxanne was frozen in time? Well, true, a great actress should be able to carry the part regardless. Unfortunately, she comes across as being too young to be the same person. In any case there is also one slight oversight in the script and that was that not enough time was devoted to developing the love story and chemistry between Roxanne and Johnny. Peter Fonda was an inspired choice for Mephistopheles, and he has a lot of fun with his role. Both he and Mr. Cage have to contend with the fact that their characters will endure quite a bit of special effect overhauling, which must make playing these roles without becoming too campy challenging. Wes Bentley, also, does a good job as the suave Black Heart, the devil's son, though the character plays a bit like the bad Terminator (have we seen this motorcycle bar scene before?) with one liners and dark intentions unmasked. As the Spider-man franchise has emerged one of the crowd's favorite superhero comic adaptations of the decade, the time has come to stop expecting every other adaptaion to be as good or as brilliant. It's not that the bar has to be set lower, it's just that the comparisons only work so well and go so far. In which case, each must simply be judged on its own merits. Ghost Rider, with its deep mythology, engaging cast, and mostly new ideas, is certainly a nice diversion from the rest of the February fare. It's really not half bad.
The mythology of Ghost Rider is a bit more well-developed than the average comic book hero. Meanwhile, it is interesting to see the rise of a hero from powers instilled by evil. But unlike so many of the soul-sellers, Johnny sold his to save his father not to become rich or powerful. Therefore, as the mysterious cemetery Caretaker (Sam Elliot) informs him, God may be on his side. The story does two things right that a lot of superhero movies have not lately. First, the story focuses on the hero more than the villain. Second, it does not rush to superhero status. It takes some time to develop the mythology and the person behind the hero. The audience learns about the powers of the hero just as the hero does. Next, many people shared that they thought, based on the preview, that Nicholas Cage was not the right guy for the role. But, honestly, he did a surprisingly good job playing this unusual character. His facial expressions and brazen bluster bode well for the persona of a superstar with a grave secret. There is an age incongruity, though with the casting of Eva Mendes as the older version of Roxanne Simpson. Ms Mendes is in her early 30s while Mr. Cage is in his early 40s. So, unless Roxanne was frozen in time? Well, true, a great actress should be able to carry the part regardless. Unfortunately, she comes across as being too young to be the same person. In any case there is also one slight oversight in the script and that was that not enough time was devoted to developing the love story and chemistry between Roxanne and Johnny. Peter Fonda was an inspired choice for Mephistopheles, and he has a lot of fun with his role. Both he and Mr. Cage have to contend with the fact that their characters will endure quite a bit of special effect overhauling, which must make playing these roles without becoming too campy challenging. Wes Bentley, also, does a good job as the suave Black Heart, the devil's son, though the character plays a bit like the bad Terminator (have we seen this motorcycle bar scene before?) with one liners and dark intentions unmasked. As the Spider-man franchise has emerged one of the crowd's favorite superhero comic adaptations of the decade, the time has come to stop expecting every other adaptaion to be as good or as brilliant. It's not that the bar has to be set lower, it's just that the comparisons only work so well and go so far. In which case, each must simply be judged on its own merits. Ghost Rider, with its deep mythology, engaging cast, and mostly new ideas, is certainly a nice diversion from the rest of the February fare. It's really not half bad.
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Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
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Other Projects Featuring Ghost Rider (2007)
Cast Members
Matt Long
• Raquel Alessi • Brett CullenPeter Fonda
• Nicolas Cage • Donal LogueWes Bentley
• Eva MendesWriter / Director
Mark Steven Johnson
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Ghost Rider (2007) Review-lite [150-word cap]
Writer / Director Mark Steven Johnson, the guy behind Daredevilis back behind the camera and story for Ghost Rider. Starring Nicholas Cage, Peter Fonda, and Eva Mendes, the mythology of the story concerns a champion motorcycle stunt rider named Johnny Blaze who unwittingly sells his soul to the devil in exchange for curing his father of cancer. Years later, when Dark Heart rises up to take over the world, the devil calls in his marker on Johnny's soul turning him into the Ghost Rider to destroy his son and save the world. With flaming skull, Ghost Rider works to fulfill the obligation ultimately in exchange for his soul back. Cage did a surprisingly good job playing this unusual character. Certainly no Spider-man, still, Ghost Rider has its merits. With its deep mythology, engaging cast, and mostly new ideas, it's certainly a nice diversion from the rest of the February fare.
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