A Bittersweet Piece of Hell

Rating: 6/10 (16 February 2007)

Given the early drought of 2007's first wave of movies, it's easy to pick out Ghost Rider as a film you'll indefinitely want to see. And why not? If you've got the main character being a flaming skeleton with a blazing motorcycle, it's hard to resist the eagerness of seeing what action scene they'll take place in. Mark Steven Johnson's latest movie is a lot like his recent Daredevil adaptation in how you might leave the theater. You may walk into the theater expecting something good and fun without much brains, but walk out getting the impression the story was taken serious and that little was utilized in the film.
Stunt motorcyclist Johnny Blaze takes on the main role of the film when he signs a contract to save his father in exchange for his soul. But poor Johnny becomes the victim of his own choice when the devil decides to turn the results of the contract around. Fast-forward a few years and Blackheart-the son of the devil-wants to obtain the ultimate form of power; is there ever a villain that isn't greedy? Thus, Johnny is turned into the Ghost Rider at night as the devil's bounty hunter to do his work; in this case, finding Blackheart and stop him from gaining his desired power.
The plot isn't terribly deep and it's easy enough to follow even with the fair number of plot twists tossed in the film. Like Daredevil before it, Ghost Rider likes to utilize the light-hearted humor and plot with a serious tone. And just like Daredevil, this really becomes one of the film's major weaknesses in how it leads to some very unnecessary scenes and details. Some of the comedy in the film does work, but most of the time you feel like you missed the point or that there was too little or too much effort put into that joke. As for the more serious parts, Ghost Rider tries to make these parts stand out, but they wind up feeling rushed so that the film can get to the next bit of details.
Then there's the characters, who go back and forth between being likable and totally unconvincing. This is especially noticeable in the chemistry between Johnny and the attractive love of his life: Roxanne. While they're both likable characters, the believability between the two goes back and forth between strong and nonexistent. And it's tough to establish just how a character feels when they shift from a comical tone to a serious tone and back to comical faster than I can snap my fingers.
Not to say that Ghost Rider is automatically a bad film due to these flaws, there's still some redeeming qualities. Nicolas Cage, while probably not the best choice for Blaze, usually makes for a character that you'll admire for his tragic flaws as individual. Supporting actress Eva Mendes also makes for some solid scenes with her character, and actually tends to be more believable than Cage himself. Blackheart and Mephistopheles (the devil) typically do well to be charming villains, but they do get rather annoying with their almost sadistic tone after a while.
There are also a few nice action scenes to experience in the film, particularly in the last hour or so. When the Ghost Rider is doing what he does best it makes for an entertaining and usually exciting experience. Also, the Ghost Rider himself has a few moments that, while containing corny dialog, manages to make them sound cool enough to help make his character all the more likable. And you've got to give it up for a guy with a flaming skull, chain and wicked motorcycle for those more memorable sequences.
These aspects are nice and do help Ghost Rider to avoid being a complete failure, but most of these moments take place within the second half of the film only. For the first half you feel like your being treated to a bunch of scenes that add little to nothing other than setting up the premise and helping you get used to the characters. Thus you get a bit of that Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest in which the start of the film does little but after the half of the film is gone, the potential is finally being realized.
Ghost Rider is by no means a bad film, there's plenty to like in the film, if most of it is because of the film and characters' style. But once the end finally comes, you get the impression that it was a missed opportunity. It may not have as much charm as Fantastic Four or even Spiderman for that matter, but at least you're treated to something of better quality than The Hulk. Proceed with caution, for this is one of those films that you may love for its action and style, but might be disappointed by due to the almost completely obvious flaws.