A film that makes you smell the sulphur of hell...

Rating: 5/10 (29 April 2008)

...or is that just the stench of the film itself? Personally, I think the latter, but your mileage may vary. I was told by any number of friends and fellow film geeks that "Ghost Rider" was a cut above the ordinary, and not to be judged on the basis of its writer/director's previous failures in the genre. Sorry, but they were wrong, and that's a big disappointment to me since I collected the comic book back when Mike Ploog kept it visually attractive.
Make no mistake; "Ghost Rider" is eminently attractive. Production values are as good as one might expect for a $100mil+ film, visuals included. DP Russell "Picnic at Hanging Rock" Boyd works wonders with the camera; you'd hardly believe the western vistas and urban jungles he captures are Australian rather than Texan. But, unfortunately, Mark Steven "Daredevil" Johnson's script plays out like the comic book story it apparently wants to be; the poor guy has yet to match his maiden effort, "Grumpy Old Men." The acting's not at fault, at least not overly so. Nicolas "I've already got an Oscar" Cage is obviously too old to be playing a contemporary of Eva "Hitch" Mendes, and Ms. Mendes is obviously no Oscar contender herself, but given the genre and Mr. Cage's apparent affection for the character, neither of the two outright embarrass themself, even though their younger selves seem more screenworthy. Likewise the supporting cast, comprised of lesser luminaries, is blameless, though unextraordinary. Sam "Roadhouse" Elliott plays his typical grizzled character type that he can do in his sleep, while Peter "Easy Rider" Fonda narrowly avoids camping up Cage's adversary, Mephistopheles--yes, ol' Scratch himself. Stan Lee passed on his typical cameo, which may or may not be indicative of his opinion of the film.
Anyway, folks, once again it all comes down to the script, as it does in all films truly worth discussing (or not). Johnny Blaze just doesn't cut it as a superhero (maybe because he's not--he's a minion of hell, good intentions be damned). Worse, his opponents, having no real back story or screen presence, fail to impress; the "Ghost Rider" deals with them all too easily. Wham, bam, thank you, ma'am, and that's how I felt about this film. In one eye and out the other. Next.