After
being pushed back, and in production since 2002, Ghost Rider has finally
come out in movie theatres. Its movement into the “dump off”
month – February – devoid of any early critic screenings,
generated low expectations for the film.
Whenever you watch a fantastical piece of fiction, especially one
originating from comic books, you must go into it with a grain of
salt. Ghost Rider turned out to be a good popcorn movie, without leaving
a buttery taste latched onto your palate.
The story begins with stunt cyclist Johnny Blaze, played by Nicolas
Cage, making a supernatural deal to cure his father’s cancer.
Like all dark world dealings, Mephistopheles, cures his father and
still takes his life.
This put young Johnny on the road to becoming his own hellfire blazing,
head-on-fire, bounty hunter, known as the Ghost Rider.
Blaze leaves town, trying to dine and dash on the demon’s bill
and to spare his sweetheart Roxy, played by Eva Mendes, from being
caught up in his comeuppance. Years down the line, Blaze is famous
for his near-death stunt crashes. While back in his home town, Blaze’s
deal is cashed in and he is sent to battle with Mephistopheles’
son, Blackheart.
I don’t suggest taking little children or easily frightened
adults, even though it has a PG-13 rating. There are plenty of quick
little scares that can rub the sensitive the wrong way. Don’t
watch this movie for the special effects either because they are predominantly
skull images that you will either laugh at or hate.
The fire effects and the “Hell cycle” computer-generated
imagery are good. The actual skeleton does not have any close ups
to ruin the scene. Someone who does ruin the scene, however, is Wes
Bentley, the actor who plays Blackheart. He plays a primarily soulless
character with the stupid smirk of a spoiled child that’s never
disciplined, which kills the persona.
Like most Marvel film adaptations, the characters or original stories
never cross over completely. The original Ghost Rider didn’t
have a flaming motorcycle. Spiderman’s Uncle Ben died in Parker’s
home, not on the street. Batman’s parent murderer wasn’t
the Joker.
Yet, stories have to change to suit the time constraints of film.
Don’t watch this movie if you’re a comic book purist and
are going to be pointing out the mistakes for the rest of us.
The good news is that it’s actually humorous, without turning
into a steaming mound of corn, like the original 1994 straight to
video Fantastic Four. Every part of the story line is questioned by
the characters.
The cyclical question of “So you turn into a skeleton that runs
around collecting a demon’s bounties?” comes across in
great exchanges.
Cage’s Elvis fetish even makes an appearance.
The movie is full of good laughs and even funny character traits,
like Blaze’s jelly bean preference and listening to the Carpenters
to wind down from a busy night of nearly killing himself.
Second, the actors and actresses in the movie meld together nicely.
The beautiful Mendes fits her role with a bit of sarcasm and vulnerability,
necessary to play a reporter whose childhood sweetheart is now a talking
skeleton.
Cage, as Johnny Blaze, is a better choice than Cage as Superman, as
was slated eight years ago. Even if he is known to overplay a character,
the movie benefits from his dry humor. He doesn’t ruin Rider
transformations or take the character away from being a person who
is simply hoping for a second chance at redemption.
The story hits the red line quickly, has plenty of humor, scary flashes
for the horror addicts, and a love story that doesn’t make your
eyes water out of disgust.
