by John Conrad

Created on: March 07, 2007   Last Updated: October 05, 2011

I feel the need to begin this Blog with a short vignette about how I came to hear about this film, and the inevitable hype that followed.

Twas a cold, dark night a few months back, some of my crew and I went to view a film at the local cinema. Although I cannot remember what movie we saw, the events preceding the film will never be forgotten.

I sat in a sold out auditorium as the lights dimmed, and the projector began belting out Coke commercials. Following the usual advertisements, the trailer for the upcoming Ghost Rider film premiered. The audience sat in awe and amazement as we watched Nicholas Cage burst into flames atop his motorcycle. The preview came to an end, and then something amazing happened.

The entire audience gave the film's preview a standing ovation, filled with raucous applause and hooting and hollering. A standing ovation for a trailer? I had never experienced such a thing. Not even when Star Wars: Episode One began being advertised in theaters did I observe such a response (and Star Wars fans are hardcore). Surely with such a warm reception, and growing anticipation, Ghost Rider promised to be an excellent addition to the cinematic Marvel Universe. Right? Man, were we in for some disappointment.

Nicholas Cage fails to sizzle as Ghost Rider, due to a weak plot, lack of action, and some all around bad decisions by writer/director Mark Steven Johnson.
In the film, a young Johnny Blaze (Matt Long) sells his soul to the Devil in order to save his dying father from cancer. However, he is double-crossed, his father dies, and his soul is lost.

When Blaze grows to be a man (Nicholas Cage), the devil calls on him to fulfill his end of the deal. Blaze becomes "The Rider," which is sort of like being the Devil's bounty hunter. Now whenever Blaze is in the presence of evil, The Rider takes over.

It's a good thing too, because the Devil's son and three of his henchmen have decided to create Hell on Earth. Blaze's curse must become his power, as he sets off to save mankind from a hellish fate.

I don't know how the individuals who produced this film did such a bad job. It sounds like a great idea, motorcycles, fire, skulls, the Devil, what's not to like? Obviously plenty!

The movies dialogue was corny and very contrived. The action sequences, which should have been kick-ass, were over way too fast and didn't contain all that much action. The storyline was bordering on ridiculous, and had to be explained several times in the film as voice over narration (as Robert McKee says, "That's sloppy writing"). Even the CGI sequences that looked so promising in the previews just weren't that cool.

Not even Nicholas Cage could save this movie from itself. I assume he only took the role because he is a fan of Ghost Rider, and thought it'd be cool to portray him. Either that, or he smoked a bunch of crack before reading the script and getting on board.

The only answer I have for this movie being so bad is money. I can only assume it was written and produced as quickly as possible, so the big honchos could get some turnaround on their investment. Either that, or Johnson (writer/director) is a freaking retard.

I give this movie 1 star out of 4, and am angry that I spent $10 on it. Everyone should probably skip this one, especially if you were a fan of the comic book.

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