In 2003 Director Mark Steven Johnson tried his hand at bringing a Marvel character to the big screen with Daredevil to less than stellar reviews from fans and critics. Now, four years later he returns to bring yet another Marvel character to life in Ghost Rider, but how does he fare this time around?
Personally I’ve never been a huge fan of the character Ghost Rider. I mean, I know the basics and enough to get me by incase a random conversation about the Spirit of Vengeance breaks out at a party (hey, it’s been known to happen), but otherwise my knowledge has it’s limits. Naturally when I heard a movie based on the popular Marvel character was in the works I thought it could be a interesting idea, I mean at the least it would be cool to see a flaming skull on the big screen for 90min right? Then I learned that Mark Steven Johnson had been hired to write and direct the film and I immediately thought "oh no." This is the same guy that thought it would be a good idea to cast Ben Affleck and Colin Farrel as Daredevil and Bullseye....needless to say my faith in him was less than present.
I got the chance to catch a late night showing of Ghost Rider, and when asked afterwards “what did you think” my honest reaction was "I don’t really know." Usually with films like this about characters that aren’t as big as the likes of Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, etc I tend to walk out with a feeling of uncertainty about the film. The remedy for such feelings? Why, going and seeing the movie for a second time of course.
In the Columbia Pictures film World famous motorcycle stunt rider Johnny Blaze makes a deal with the devil Mephistopheles in order to keep his father from dying of cancer. Blaze later learns that he has been tricked by Mephistopheles, and is forced to leave his childhood sweetheart Roxanne in order to protect her. Some years later Blackheart, the son of Mephistopheles enlists the help of three fallen angles called “The Hidden” to help him take over the World. Mephistopheles once again comes to Blaze and tells him it’s time for him to collect on their deal thus turning Blaze into his personal bounty hunter known as the Ghost Rider.
The beginning of the film seems a bit forced in my opinion, but that could be due to the fact that there’s a lot of backstory for Johnson to cover (check out wikipedia’s info on the character). The film tries to establish that Blaze is really looking for his father’s approval, and only wants what’s best for him which is why he enters into a deal with the devil. What gets me is that Blaze signs the deal out of an overwhelming love for his father, however we really don’t get to see that too much during the film...it’s more implied than anything.
It doesn’t take too long before we’re introduced to Blackheart and “The Hidden” and the film starts to pick up. There’s a bit more set up for Blaze before he becomes the Ghost Rider, but honestly it doesn’t seem excessive at all, actually I enjoyed getting to know the character before he transforms. Once Blaze is called upon by Mephistopheles we’re in for a treat in the form of the initial transformation which looks extremely painful, but also enjoyable in a wierd way...it really is an impressive scene.
Once Ghost Rider shows up and meets up with Blackheart & Co. it’s pretty much a no holds barred slugfest from start to finish. Each of “The Hidden” possess an elemental power which proves to be a bit tricky for Ghost Rider at first. The first meeting features some pretty cool action that, if you’re anything like me, will leave you with a smile plastered across your face and saying “wow” more than once.
The film’s strongest point comes in the form of it’s visual FX. For those of you that think you’ve seen it all based on the TV spots let me be the first to tell you that you haven’t seen anything yet. From the first full transformation, to the battle with the demons, to the scene with Ghost Rider riding up the side of the building the film is at very least a visual pleaser. Another thing I’d like to point out is the amount of attention that went into handling the Ghost Rider’s powers. For those of you wondering, YES the Penance Stare is in the film, and it’s done quite nicely. I was also a big fan of how his hellcycle’s flaming wheels affected the surface he was riding on. It’s the amount of attention like that, that really goes to show you that the people involved with this film have respect for the character.
Nicolas Cage delivers a solid performance in the film. I know he’s a HUGE fan of comics (he got his last name from the character Luke Cage afterall), and he’s been wanting to star in a comic based film for some time. I remember reading where he was signed to play Superman in Tim Burton’s failed “Superman Lives” project and thinking "oh God, please no," then I remember reading where he was considered for the role of Green Goblin in the first Spider-Man film. Honestly, if there were any comic based character for Cage to bring to life I’m glad it was Ghost Rider. The character of Johnny Blaze has these very strange mannerisms, and personality traits that Cage himself seems to posess in real life. I did notice a similar southern accent to the one he used in Con-Air, but it doesn’t seem out of place at all (the film does take place in Texas afterall). I can’t say enough about Cage in this role, as he perfectly creates a tragic, and fun character on-screen.
Rounding out the rest of the cast we’ve got veterans such as Peter Fonda and Sam Elliot who both deliver solid performances in their respective roles, as well as Wes Bentley who did a surprisingly good job as the demon Blackheart. Donal Logue was great for comic relief to the film, and Eva Mendes did a decent job in her role as Blaze’s childhood sweetheart Roxanne Simpson.
Overall Ghost Rider is a fun way to spend 2hrs of your time, and proves that director Mark Steven Johnson just needed the right character to work with in order to deliver a solid film. It blends the comic genre films with an old school western which makes for a really fun ride, especially when you can hear the western themed music in the background as the Ghost Rider blazes a trail in pursuit of evil.
The film is rated PG-13 for horror and violence. While I wouldn’t suggest taking young (by young I mean around 5-6 years old) children to see this film, I would honestly say that anyone over the age of 8 will enjoy it.
And now, with his take on the Spirit of Vengeance’s big screen debut is our very own “bamf"
It took in 44 million dollars in ticket sales by the end of the first weekend. When last Monday hit the take was over 118 million worldwide. Ghost Rider is a watershed moment in the translation of comics to film. For this, we are screwed.
Bamf here rematerializing from the void...
I have tried many different takes on my views of the dispensable Ghost Rider. I was astounded by the films opening weekend box office take; I just could not believe that many people actually were interested in seeing this “B” character at best, stricken in digi-celluloid. But a few paragraphs in it read more like a report in the Wall Street Journal, and I mentioned Titanic far to many times. Then I tried to find another angle on it. A positive one that would be so absurd the reader would just have to know I was not serious. One paragraph into that I had a raging migraine from trying to come up with delicious adjectives that expelled flowing love. It should have been easy, or so I thought. Think of how I really feel, and then write the opposite. That attempt had me crippled and beaten. So with two reviews half written for a film that deserves none of the kilobytes of space the text occupies on my hard drive right next to the midget porn and Glen Campbell discography I finally came to a decision. Something I have been writing in my head for some time, and it’s a topic that my friends will roll their eyes and sigh if someone who doesn’t know me mentions it in my presence. You know the feeling, “Oh no, here he goes again..”
Simply, I despise Nicolas Cage. And this will be the vehicle to expunge that view as Cage finally gave me everything I needed to lambaste his “acting”, if so it can be called.
But before I go into this diatribe of hate I have to say this. I think if Cage and I met we would become good friends. We hold many similar interests, comics, film, uhhhh, and comics. And for all I know he may be a swell guy.
But how many crap films can one ass-bag make before someone has the courage to stand up in front of him and say,
“Dude, your acting F ing sucks.”
Aside from Firebirds, the man brings nothing to the table but a receding hairline and gaping jaw. Honeymoon in Vegas, Trapped in Paradise, Con mother F ing Air, grrrr, my pulse is rising. You want to see the worst rendition of an Italian accent? Just try and sit through 10 minutes of Captain Mandolinis Mandolin, oh god, I can hear my heart beat in my ears! After viewing a Cage film I am forced to race to the bathroom and take a rape shower to cleanse me of his stink. The Rock is just about the only thing I can stand him in, but that’s because Sean Connery could carry a sponge with silly eyes glued on the front, and said sponge wouldn’t even need to be new. Basically when it comes down to his performances over the years its just him changing the inflection of his voice while he stares into the distance looking for another chance to slowly…….pace……his words……so………he…….can sound like……..Kirk.
Aww crap my nose is bleeding.
But what does this have to do with Ghost Rider? Ill get to that. For now we all know how much that movie sucked. Though I don’t feel it’s really the writer/directors fault, it sucked because Ghost Rider is a character that never should have been given its own feature film. J. Blaze is a cameo character at best, working some fiery demonery, brimstone and the like, then exiting off panel. If this had been a experiment in technical techniques filled with just 20 minutes of different bike montages then it would have been cool. When you try to inject a story in a cinematic way for someone so uninteresting, played by a man who is so direly drab, what you get is I in the audience laughing at inappropriate moments. I point to the young Blaze scene that shows him carving his loves name into a tree, forever it says. Then he turns to the breasts of the film and she says her daddy wont let her stay and she has to leave. Cue my maniacal laughter. Muhahahahahahahha!
The story is full of one cliché beat to the next, because it has to, there is no emotional integrity that can be found. My favorite working actor Donal Logue looked like he couldn’t even stomach this dialogue he was givin. Wes Bentley, Blackheart, makes me want to weep considering he took this job. When you see him (Bentley) do astounding work in American Beauty and The Good Girl I have to ask; what were you thinking man? And when you are going to ride the bomb down, do it with style, does anyone else feel like Blackheart should have had a mullet? Can you stomach Peter Fonda flirting dangerously with a Gay hookers take on Mephistopheles? If you like strange grunts and sequenced leather then this is your movie.
Lets wrap this up before the pain behind my eyes knocks me un-conscious. Like I said, I think Cage and I could be friends. When I attended Marvel then and now (read about that here) at UCLA a few months ago they ran a montage of the confused one, Stan Lee as he traversed the sweat filled Comic-con floor. He meets Cage and you just can tell Blaze to be absolutely loves the fact that he is getting to meet this great icon that spawned a genre. He said to Stan, “You’re…….the reason…………im playing……….ghost………………….rider.”
Stan held no reply save a blank stare and if there were a thought balloon present I’m certain it would read,
“Are you my publicist, and wait, didn’t I fire your ass?”
Cage is a devoted comic fan, people he named his kid Kal-El. You might know he was up for playing Supes many years ago, and there is it a great story I highly recommend reading regarding the whole Superman Lives/5/Black suit Burton era as to what went on during those years of development hell. Read that here. Cage as a fan has for years been trying to get a comic movie of his own and who could blame him? I would do the same. But as a fan he should damn well know that Ghost Rider is the worst thing that could happen to the comic book industry, if only because the high numbers give the impression that what they accomplished in producing was actually good. You see if tripe like this continues to be produced then the audiences, not just the fan boys, but the general movie seekers who just want to be entertained are going to reject the genre and 100, 200, 250 million dollars will not be earmarked for anymore comic book films. The ticket payers wont be duped again. And now it seems a story like The Watchmen is just the satirical look on the genre that we need. Shame on you Mark Steven Johnson. Shame on you Nic Cage. And shame, shame, shame on you Brett (the Phoenix is a brooding sidekick) Ratner. But that’s a whole other rant. I say again, if mediocre characters like Ghost Rider continue to be pushed to the screen then we the fans will find an industry crippled and destitute by their poor decisions. Not every character can be Spiderman (and that franchise isn’t even aging well is it?).