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Ghost Rider
Directed by: Mark Johnson
Starring: Nicholas Cage
Genre:
Fantasy
Run Time: 123
min.
Release Date:
February 2007
On The Web:
Official
Site
Teaser:
Movie Trailer
Reviewed by
Byron Merritt |
GHOST RIDER is
another of the comic-book-to-film ideas that cinema audiences have been
inundated with as of late. BATMAN, SPIDERMAN, SUPERMAN,
THE HULK, have all made it from the graphic childhood page to
celluloid, and some of them have done it well. But Ghost Rider
sputters and dies.
The most "inflaming" issue for me was Nicholas Cage (THE
WICKER MAN). He's, what, 43 years old? And he's playing
an Evel Knievel-esquire, motocyclying hotshot who jumps everything from
cars to spinning helicopter blades? Puhleease! He's getting too old for
these roles and it's showing. Someone younger and with a cockier
attitude could've pulled of a much more believable Johnny Blaze (perhaps
Heath Ledger?) The love interest of Roxanne Simpson played by the
exotically pretty Eva Mendes was nice to look at, but stood out as a
mere cardboard character delivering unbelievably clichéd lines. Other
than showing off her constant cleavage, she didn't hold any acting
power.
Peter Fonda (WILD HOGS) as Satan (aka Mephistopheles) was okay but he's seen so
little that we don't really give a "damn" about him.
The over-the-top evilness of Satan's son Blackheart (Wes Bentley) was
weak and his motives never fully explained (other than he wanted to have
a "Hell on Earth" via a forbidden city that is likewise never explained
at all).
My only soft spots for the film were the wickedly awesome bikes, the
laughable (and appropriately so) Ghost Rider CGI moments, and Sam
Elliott's intoxicating narrative. I've always enjoyed listening to
Elliott's voice — it's syrupy smooth and deep baritone was a great
dichotomy against an ancient tale turned modern.
But the film as a whole is exceptionally weak. The love story feels and
looks forced (again, Cage is just too old for someone the likes — and
looks — of Mendes), the character's interactions are whisked aside in
favor of action that isn't explained, and those characters that are
interesting are given so little screen time that we just don't care
about the story at all.
Aside from the cool motorcycles and Sam Elliott's voice, this one should
have you burning rubber back to your local video store in order to
return it as soon as possible!
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Image from Ghost Rider
DVD cost: $16.99
Purchase:
BestPrices.com
Film Review Stew
Favorite? No.
Stew Poo-Poo? No.
Newsworthy:
The head-on shot showing
Johnny Blaze crashing his motorcycle on landing after jumping a long
line of trucks is identical to the famous shot of Evel Knievel's crash
after a spectacular jump at Caesar's Palace on December 31, 1967.
Movie Quote: "At
night, in the presence of evil, the rider takes over."
Other Actors/Actresses
from Ghost Rider
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