Ghost Rider

There are two different parts to Ghost Rider. There's the film that Sam Elliott and Peter Fonda were trying to make. Then there's the film director Mark Steven Johnson and the inept acting talents of Nicolas Cage and Eva Mendes were destroying. Which means that because Fonda and Elliott's screen time is so little, the film is around 12% good and 88% bad, because everything that doesn't involve those two fine actors, is a load of crap. Sam Elliott narrates the film as the Obi-Wan type character known as The Caretaker. He knows everything. He knows the past life of Johnny Blaze (Cage) where he signed a contract to sell his soul to the devil Mephistopheles if he would cure the lung cancer from his Stunt Man father... which one day the devil will come and collect. He tells Johnny the mythical tales of past Ghost Rider's that lived in the old days of the American West, where the rider would ride on a flaming horse. That was cool. Seeing a gunslinger Ghost Rider amongst the backdrop of Monument Valley was awesome, although of course it was a CGI use of Monument Valley.... they couldn't be bothered enough to shoot on location. Then the plot just gets stupid. The devil apparentaly has a son named Blackheart (Wes Bentley) who wants to bring about Armageddon which for some unknown reason, the Devil doesn't want. He sends the Ghost Rider, to defeat his son and stop this from happening... I think. Everytime Sam Elliott is on the screen, this movie rocks. Seriously, his voice and presence on screen is immense. The problem is the way they use him. The whole of the second act is basically just Cage going back and forth to Elliott who tells him a little more detail Cage needs to know and advises him on his next move. He's a frikkin' video game character, who tells Cage what to do on the next level and it soon becomes very, very tidious. Stage 1.... Ghost Rider must eliminate secondary villain. Stage 2..... A bit of a harder villain. Stage 3.... Ride on his motorcycle through the landscape in a race against time to save his women. Stage 4... Fight, big evil boss man. Peter Fonda is way too good for this movie. I swear to God I thought I was watching the great Henry Fonda in Once Upon a Time in the West delivering his villainy lines as cool and sinister as his old man. I can't tell you much I can't wait to see Christian Bale, Russell Crowe and Fonda himself in the western 3.10 to Yuma. It's been WAY too long since we had an A-Lister western. Back to the review them and I think it's safe to say the majority of people that see Ghost Rider, haven't read a singlestory from the character's long history in the Marvel Universe. However, Nicolas Cage (who remember, had a long time dream of playing Superman, which thank god didn't happen!!) and Mark Steven Johnson CLAIM to be big fans. I mean really, how can you be big fans of the character when this is what you make.... A) Not making us feel totally freaked out that Blaze was turning into fire. You know when Jeff Goldblum's turning into The Fly, or even the great line from Wolverine in the first X-Menmovie where he says that when his claws come out "it hurts every time"? There's none of that, apart from Nicolas Cage's comedic burning ala The Wicker Man. All he needed to say was "It burns, IT BURNS! My eyes, my eyes" and I would be instantly transported back to watching that piece of garbage. B) The hideous close-ups of the character when he is delivering his cheesy dialogue! Your CGI was ok, but it was never THAT good. Jeez. It's like wearing a wig and from a small distance you can't really tell, but if your making a conscious effort of showing off your hair to people, they will be able to tell instantly that it's not real. Ghost Rider..... your wig was never that good to flaunt! C) Eva Mendes. Well we all know why she was cast. D) Christopher Young's score. Jesus. I don't think he actually knew what he was scoring. Was it a Western? A Comic book movie? A horror? Awful.

rating:2

Looking on the positive side, if there is one good thing to come out from the success of this movie it's that more obscure comic book characters may get their own flick in the future. I know what your thinking, "Oh Matt, fucking hell these characters suck... why do you want more movies from them". The fact is, these characters don't suck. If done correctly, they can be as interesting as any other superhero character.... although I will say....... I don't want films made with these characters if they are to be treated as badly as this.