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Movie Review - Ghost Rider (2007)
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Mark Steven Johnson |
| Starring: |
Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Sam Elliott, Peter Fonda, and Wes Bentley |
| Rated: |
PG-13 (for horror violence and disturbing images) |
| Length: |
114 minutes |
| Genre: |
Action/Comic Book |
| Tagline: |
Long ago he made a deal to save someone he loved. |
| Studio: |
Sony Pictures |
| Website: |
Ghost Rider |
| Release: |
February 15, 2007 |
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PLOT
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Based on the Marvel character, stunt motorcyclist Johnny Blaze (Cage) sells his soul to the devil (Fonda) in
an effort to save his dad's (Brett Cullen) life. It's a deal that leads him to unparalleled fame and
success, but it also leads him to serving as the devil's bounty hunter, called on to take out Blackheart,
the son of the devil.
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JOHNNY'S TAKE
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Folks, you better bring your tents because it's time to set up camp! The first 20 minutes or so of
Ghost Rider tricked me into thinking I might be in store for a dark, somewhat serious take on the
comic book hero. Well, enter Satan and his perverted elocution, and I suspected things were about to get
cartoonish. Then Blackheart and his minions join the fray, and that's when we know for sure the cheese
is on.
I sincerely hope none of you are going into the film expecting something on par with
Batman Begins. I suggest you lower your expectations to somewhere
around the "well, I hope it's at least better than Daredevil" level, and maybe, just maybe you can
have a decent time. Just to further prepare you, here's a little of what you can expect:
- More examples of bad Southern accents. Is it really necessary for Cage to pronounce "Italian" as
"Eye-talian"? His accent wasn't this bad in Con-Air!
- What should you do when you fear Johnny Blaze may have broken his neck? Slap his face and jar his
neck around even more, of course!
- The more evil the bad guy, the deeper the echo of his voice.
- Cheesy one-liners, galore. Get ready for the fire puns. "Fight fire with fire," anybody?
I'll give Cage credit, though he's a bit over-the-top in the role, he at least plays it with conviction.
He legitimately seems to be having a good time with the character. And hey, I'll admit that I was never
bored. I guess that has to count for something. There is some solid action and plenty of cool visuals on
display, but the movie ultimately fails due to the fact that it could have been so much better. Any chance
future comic book movies can give us more intimidating, less GQ villains? Please?
At some point you're gonna have to resort to completing characters' sentences to keep your amusement moving
forward. Mr. Shade and I couldn't help but draw comparisons between Sam Elliott's character and Blazing
Saddles' Gabby Johnson. I dare you, after Elliott spits out a big stream of tobacco juice, not to say
aloud, "The ghost rider is a ni-DING!"
However, you better savor this while it lasts because by the time the film becomes "Deep Thoughts by Ghost
Rider" and Cage is somehow managing to say (with a straight face), "He may have my soul, but he doesn't have
my spirit," well, you're on your own.
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ODDS & ENDS
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- Ironically, Nicolas Cage had to have his Ghost Rider tattoo covered with make-up in order to play
the character.
- Thankfully, Johnny Betts didn't have to have his "Johnny Betts" tattoo covered to write this review.
- Eva Mendes is smokin' hot.
- If you need more examples of exactly what to expect from the movie, well, there is a song on the
soundtrack whose title directly mentions Satan's *ahem*, you know, "little devil."
- I bet at least one movie review will say something about how Nicolas Cage delivers a "cagey
performace."
- I also predict there will be at least one review that will say this movie "doesn't stand a ghost of a
chance" of [fill in the blank].
- Peter Fonda's bulbous head gives him an appearance not unlike the Simpsons' Mr. Burns.
- Try not to laugh when we see Cage shirtless and it's obvious that it's not really his body. Nice
Photoshop job.
- Elliott's narration sounds like to may have been cut and pasted from a Wild West documentary.
- Who wants to help me start a new trend? Whenever somebody mentions the name "Mark Steven Johnson,"
somebody needs to speak up and say, "The guy responsible for Daredevil." Whoever says this should
have a friend readily available who will then reply, "Daredevil? Get a rope." Trust me; hilarity
and fits of uncontrollable laughter will ensue.
- Brett Cullen of The Young Riders fame plays the young Johnny Blaze's father. He's sportin'
some sweet chops (that's sideburns for those of you not well-versed in 'burn terminology).
- Brett Cullen was in The Young Riders with Josh Brolin who was in Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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Nothing more than a stray profanity here and there. This one stays away from getting to dark or gory because
it wants to bring the kids in.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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The movie delivers about the level of silliness that the recent trailers lead you to expect.
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THE GIST
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Ghost Rider is not a very good movie, but it can be enjoyable if you know how to efficiently
watch cheesy, over-the-top B movies.
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