Friday, March 02, 2007
I was apprehensive before catching the big screen adaptation of Marvel Comic's Ghost Rider. After all, it is written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson, the man responsible for the god-awful comic adaptation of Daredevil. Little did we realize, however that Johnson would actually top himself – by making a superhero film that's even worse than his last.
Years ago, stunt rider Johnny Blaze (Nicholas Cage) made a deal with the demon Mephistopheles to save his father's life. Now, Mephistopheles has come back to claim his end of the bargain, by turning Blaze into Hell's bounty hunter – the Ghost Rider. The Rider's task, however, isn't exactly a walk in the park: To win back his soul, Blaze needs to hunt down the demon's renegade son Black Heart.
To give credit where it's due, we'd have to say that the Ghost Rider itself – a flaming skeleton in chains and a leather jacket – looks cool as hell (much to the relief of comic fans).
The CGI was excellent, very well done, but I think the script and the dialogue could have been done better, it was rather shallow and dialogue rather clichéd.
With that said, the rest of this film is quite unimpressive. The romance between Blaze and childhood sweetheart Roxanne Simpson (Eva Mendes) is forced, with absolutely no chemistry between the two actors.
While Mendes's performance is forgettable at worst, Cage plays Blaze as a groan-inducing annoying redneck more than a sympathetic and burdened hero. Fonda and Bentley, likewise, turn in lame performances; a shame considering that both of them have demonstrated what great actors they can be in the past. And, worst of all, the dialogue is so cheesy that at times it's like watching a daytime soap opera.
Cage and Johnson are supposedly big fans of the comic, but that love doesn't seem to translate well onto the big screen at all. With Spiderman 3 and 300 coming out later this year, we'd suggest saving your money for comic adaptations that actually show some promise.
You'll dig Ghost rider if you enjoyed: Daredevil, Elektra and Spawn. Of if you take some weird pleasure from seeing Nicholas Cage's head on fire.
I liked the movie due to the action and special effects, but that's about all. It was not too bad 2.5/5 stars.
8:57 AM
