Review of Ghost Rider (2007)

The image of a man with a flaming skull on a giant motorcycle screaming down a street whilst ripping the pavement along the way is an image very familiar with comic fans. Though Ghost Rider has never been a big marquee character for Marvel, he enjoys a strong cult status regardless. Fans were overjoyed at the announcement of a Ghost Rider film. Then they did a collective face palm when they discovered who was directing and writing it. Mark Steven Johnson.

If you've read my review of Daredevil, you know I'm not a fan of Mark Steven Johnson. He does a better job at the helm this time around, but a few bad choices along the way cripple the film horribly. The dialogue and writing in his second effort has improved very little, but I suppose a little improvement is better than none. The main problem with the writing is every piece of information being fed to the audience is done in a way that they cannot possibly take seriously. Let's break down the individual elements of the film.

First, let's talk about the acting. There's some real gems here, but unfortunately they come in the form of supporting characters. Brett Cullen turns in a strong performance as Barton Blaze, the title character's father. Donal Logue also turns in a very solid performance as the loyal but concerned best friend. Sam Elliott is impeccable as Carter Slade and even makes Mark Steven Johnson's dialogue tolerable with his trademark wizened cowboy delivery. The rest, however, aren't so pleasant. Nicolas Cage loves Ghost Rider and while he didn't do an awful job by any means, the film doesn't really give him a chance to flesh out his character outside of a man trying to understand his powers and do the right thing. Nicolas Cage also has a ton of weight to his name, and it becomes a bit hard to not recall other characters he's portrayed in other movies. Regardless, he does his best and can't be faulted for the quality of the film.

Peter Fonda is in a similar situation. As a heavily altered version of Mephisto, he does his best to make simple, contrived dialogue have menace and he accomplishes it admirably as he is the only villain in the entire film worth the audience's attention. This brings us to Wes Bentley as Blackheart. I don't believe Bentley is a bad actor, but this is one of the worst miscasts I've seen in recent memory. Wes flounders to be a menacing villain but just can't pull it off and instead comes off as more of a Hot Topic employee with an obsession for vampire movies. His henchmen are also loaded cheesy dialogue that they can't get over, making the film a complete mess in regards to convincing the audience our hero is threatened. Eva Mendes is very bland in this role, brought in as love interest and eye candy but not succeeding on either an emotional or visual level.

The music in this film is very solid, both the original soundtrack and the classic songs used at key moments in the film. Christopher Young provides a modern, heavy feel while still keeping it sensible and manageable. His work here, I feel, is underrated. Cinematography is good, everything is clear and visible and there's some interesting shots throughout the film.

And then we get to the editing. Let me tell you, there's forty minutes until you ever see Ghost Rider in this movie. That's forty minutes of exposition before you see the title character. While I understand what Mark Steven Johnson was trying to do in regards to making the audience care about the characters, to say he failed miserable would be an understatement. The sequence with young Johnny Blaze and young Roxanne Simpson drags forever, showcasing a horrible script being performed by weak actors. Many fans immediately knew this movie was going to be a disaster from this first sequence alone.

The casting is mediocre at best. None of the villains save Peter Fonda fit their roles. Eva Mendes displays a ''stereotypical tough girl while being still a damsel in distress'' performance with lackluster results. Nicolas Cage is obviously a solid actor but is hard to take seriously as a spirit of vengeance. The best actors are carelessly wasted in this film as supporting roles.

The sets were very bland, incapable of offering a special feel for the world these characters live in. Perhaps they wanted to show that this film is grounded in reality and did the minimal amount of work in making the sets special, but regardless there's nothing here to remember. The special effects are very nicely done, and the film's action sequences look good.

Overall, this film receives a 4 out of 10 for some nice supporting performances, good action sequences, and good music.