Vengeance Rides.....at last

Rating: 8/10 (13 March 2007)

When Mark Steven Johnston was announced as the Ghost Rider director, it wasn't exactly ushered in with a parade. For fan boys, Daredevil is a terrible film, the black spot in an otherwise flawless resurrected Marvel CV. Oh and he wrote Elektra. The main problem with Daredevil though was the character. He wasn't as established as the X-men or Spiderman. So why do follow is up with a character that can be only described as obscure? Well because he wants to. MSJ is a huge Ghost Rider fan, and it shows. When Johnny Blaze finds out his father has terminal lung cancer, a deal with Mephistopheles (Peter Fonda) appears to be the only way to save him. However, being a devil, Mephisto saves Barton Blaze only to kill him in a motorcycle accident. Tormented, and awaiting the inevitable return of Mephisto to call in a favour, Johnny Blaze (Nicholas Cage) lives a life of virtual solitude. Not easy for the a famous stunt rider I'm guessing. When Mephisto's offspring Blackheart (an underrated Wes Bentley) challenges the throne, Mephisto turns Blaze into his Ghost Rider, his own personal bounty hunter, to take care of his wayward son. GR may lack the realism and psychological musings of Spidey and X-Men, but it's a hellavu lot of fun. Cage plays the part as if he's been practising all his life, with MSJ going so over the top with the script it borders in ludicrous. But why's that a bad thing? GR doesn't try to pretend to be anything it's not, it's a fantasy horror that revels in borderline B movie. The dialogue may seem a little cheesy in places however when some of those lines are lifted straight from the comic, how can anyone crucify MSJ for being anything than faithful? The film has an acquired taste, much like the comic. There's a reason why the comic wasn't as big as Spiderman and there's a reason the film wont be either. Not because it's no good, but because it's not the same. They may exist in the same universe however they are worlds apart. It's been a long hard road out of hell for MSJ and GR. Already making a tidy profit, the question is where to go next?