Film Review - Ghost Rider
Starring Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Peter Fonda, Sam Elliot | Directed by Mark Steven Johnson | Sony DVD Not Rated WS 2007 123min
Review By Xmortis
Johnny Blaze and his father work at a carnival doing motorcycle tricks. The more extreme the trick, the more the Father and Son duo loved their job. But sadness hits Johnny all at once. You see his dad is dying from cancer, and his girlfriend Roxanne is moving. Life seems to be going badly for this young hotshot stuntman, until one night a stranger comes to Johnny with the promise that if Johnny gives him his soul, he will cure his father of cancer. Johnny does so, and the stranger leaves. The next morning Johnny’s dad is cured of his cancer and lets Johnny go to run away with Roxanne, even letting him take their prized bike.
But as Johnny leaves town, the stranger enters the tent were his father is doing his stunt and makes an accident happen in which Johnny’s father dies. It’s then that Johnny comes face to face with the stranger, and he reveals his true nature. You see, he is really Mephisto, lord of hell, and he has chosen Johnny to receive the curse of the Ghost Rider. The curse of the Ghost Rider is that you become Hell’s Bounty Hunter and must find evil souls to send to hell! Johnny is scared and flees, leaving Roxanne waiting heart broken. Flash up to modern times and Johnny Blaze has not been troubled by the curse and is the modern Evil Kanevil. He has had some of the world’s worst crashes and walks away unhurt! To make things worse, the next big stunt is so outrageous the news coverage is high, and Roxanne, who is now a reporter, enters Johnny’s life again.
He wants to re-spark the love they once shared. But Pure Evil has also come into town and it’s in the form of Blackheart, the son of Mephisto who wants to rule the world via an old contract that was signed decades ago that holds thousands of the most evil souls. Mephisto is angry with his son and now needs to call on The Ghost Rider to stop his son and bring him the contract. So on the night of Johnny’s date with Roxanne, the curse shows its burning skull face and Johnny is no longer in control. The Ghost Rider is! And the night is his as he sends souls to hell and has his first run in with Blackheart and his minions. This ends at a standstill with Johnny Blaze waking up in a graveyard and meeting the caretaker who knows all about the curse and fills in Johnny on who and what Blackheart is. The rest of the film has Johnny balancing his love for Roxanne and The Ghost Rider’s fight with Blackheart. And yes, he does do both. He wins the girl back and finds a way to send Blackheart back to hell with the help of the caretaker who was the original Ghost Rider in the old west days.
Now this film is far from the best Marvel Comics film ever, but it’s also not the worst. Nicolas Cage, in my opinion, was the worst choice to play the stuntman Johnny Blaze. Instead of playing him like a young cocky daredevil he plays well…himself like he does in most films he’s in. The actor Wes Bentley was also a terrible choice as the demon Blackheart. Instead of the son of Hell, I see him as a lame WB actor. But not everything is bad about this film. The effects are great, and the look and feel of The Ghost Rider is great. So comic fans should be pleased.
This two disc extended cut DVD is loaded with some great extras such as two Commentaries, three Making of Documentaries, Trailers and a Look at the History of the Ghost Rider. All of which are worth watching. A great job was also done on the cover of this DVD with a great look at the Ghost Rider himself. I would say if you’re a fan of the comic or just love action films, this is a great watch. It does change some of the history of the character, but in this day and age what comic film hasn’t. I say worth a buy.