Cast: Nicolas Cage, Wes Bentley, Eva Mendes and Sam ElliottDirector: Mark Steven JohnsonRating: PG-13, for horror, violence and disturbing imagesRelease Date: February 16, 2007
In the latest installment of a Marvel comic, Ghost Rider proves to be a less than thrilling interpretation.
This film, featuring Nicolas Cage as Ghost Rider, starts out with two high school sweethearts who are not allowed to be together because of different social classes. Of course, Cage tries to change that by exceling in his job, which is that of a motorcycle rider with his father in a carnival side show.
As fate would have it, Cage’s father gets deathly ill, so Cage decides to make a deal with the devil to save his father’s life. In the end, the devil cannot be trusted and Cage’s father dies and Cage loses everything. He does wind up getting to be a bounty hunter for Satan and is required to collect souls for him.
Cage’s character does so with the help of a flaming motorcycle, a fiery chain and a burning skeleton.
This film is also filled with numerous bad guys, including Satan’s son who has it out for the Ghost Rider.
This film was less than impressive with its horrible CGI, predictable script and really bad puns.
The computer graphics in this movie are very unbelievable, almost to the point of making the audience laugh everytime Cage bursts into flames. Along with this goes the images of the bad guys that are not scary, much less intimidating.
Another thing that makes this film less than stellar is the plot. From the moment that the devil shows up on the screen, audience members know that Cage’s character is going to make a deal with him and that, in the end, Satan is going to betray him. (I mean he is the devil after all). The only twist to this film is that Sam Elliot’s character was the past Ghost Rider, which comes as no shock to the audience at all.
Overall, this film was not at all worth the full price movie ticket that I paid. It was predictable, unhumorous and sorely lacking in the CGI department. Trust me, save your money, folks, and wait for DVD.