Ghost Rider (Widescreen Edition)

"You can't live in fear"
I personally feel that the numerous superhero films that have been popping up since "X-Men" came out in 2000 are all of about the same quality. Yeah, everyone has their personal favorites (mine is "Daredevil: The Director's Cut") but, generally speaking, they're all decent cinematic versions of the comic heroes.

Mark Steven Johnson's "Ghost Rider" (2007) combines Faust and Spider-Man and mixes in elements of all the variations of the Ghost Rider comics up to the present, including the 50's Western hero, but it's main inspiration is the 70s-80s comic featuring Johnny Blaze as the protagonist.

What makes Ghost Rider appealing? Well, the only thing cooler than a guy in black leather and chains driving a Harley is a flaming skeleton in black leather and chains driving a supernatural flaming Harley. That pretty much explains it.

THE PLOT: Johnny Blaze and his father make a living as Evel Knieval-like stunt riders in a carnival. When Johnny's dad is...

Better than expected
This movie was surprisingly good. I went into it, not expecting much after recently watching the Fantastic Four movie. Ghost Rider starts off with a young Johnny Blaze, teamed up with his father, who is sick. He makes a deal with the Devil and sells his soul to heal his father. Unfortunately, the Devil never strikes a bargain with fairness in mind and Johnny is left to wait for the Devil to call. When the Devil calls, the special effects were actually amazing. The story was a bit on the short side with an ending that left a bit to be desired. Overall, this IS a fun movie to watch and the action is consistent throughout. This one will be added to my library when it's released. Enjoy.

Pretty Decent
Comic book movies are always touch and go. They could be great (X-men, Batman, Spiderman, Hellboy, V For Vendetta), they could be awful (Hulk, Skycaptain, Judge Dredd, Ultraviolet). This one gave me what I wanted out of it and adequately told the story of the Ghost Rider, though I never really followed the comic that much, so if there are plot holes I wouldn't know about them. Basically, Nicolas Cage makes this movie. The man is a great actor and can turn S*** into gold (with the exception of the unsalvageable Wickerman). In this case the story is well-written though most of the other actors are B-rated. The girl/love interest Eva Mendes, can barely act, though has nice bouncy breasts and therefore satisfies as eye candy, but little more. Overall, a successful and enjoyable movie.

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