Ghost Rider

Reviewed by Alicia Glass
April 22, 2007

Director: Mark Steven Johnson Studio: Sony MPAA: PG-13 Website: Click Here Review Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Nicholas Cage as Ghost Rider . Courtesy of Sony Pictures. Click image to enlarge.

The Marvel comic character brought to the big screen, Johnny Blaze, is a stunt motorcyclist who gives up his soul to become a blazing warrior against the agents of Hell, and Blackheart, son of the devil himself.

Young Johnny Blaze and his father Barton are stunt motorcyclists in a carnival exhibition, and of course, Barton is sick with cancer. So Johnny makes a pact with Mephistophles (the Devil): Johnny’s soul in exchange for his father’s health. Old Splitfoot does indeed restore Barton to the peak of health- only to kill him the next day. Big surprise. Johnny leaves the carnival and his true love, Roxanne, to run away from his mistakes.

Years go by, and now Johnny Blaze is a famous motorcyclist daredevil, and Roxanne is a TV news reporter. After a very stupid attempted stunt where Blaze honestly should have died, the Devil calls in his favor: become the Ghost Rider; a field lieutenant for the Devils army, and stop Blackheart from his attempt at creating hell on earth.

Nicholas Cage does a fine job for the role he was given. But honestly, there are a few things that, well, show his slightly advanced age over most of the rest of the cast, (like having Johnny Blaze gearing up to The Carpenters before his big stunt show) who are much younger than Cage, including the main bad-guy, Blackheart. Then again, Blackheart IS the son of the Devil, so I assume he can look however he wants, but still…

Sam Elliott plays the Caretaker and former Ghost Rider and does an excellent job.  His gruff manner and dry wit, along with his wry smile and blazing eyes (no CGI there folks), make the Caretaker very lively indeed. He fills Johnny in on the dubious glory of the job, only to teach it to him later.

Ghost Rider is a good recent effort from the folks at Marvel. Certainly better than The Hulk (not that that’s hard), or Daredevil (ditto); it’s a grand evenings’ entertainment filled with flaming skulls, whipping chains and motorcycles climbing up skyscrapers, woo!

Random Trivia Fact: The skull overlay animation used in the movie is an actual x-ray of Cage’s own skull!

Who doesn’t like to see an Agent of Hell turn into a blazing vigilante against all evil…? Go see it!!!

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