Great effects/spectacle, not-so-hot acting

Rating: 6/10 (17 February 2007)

As a long time Ghost Rider fan, I was willing to overlook a lot on this movie. For one thing it is comic-book based and people should not expect it to be full of profound acting. However I was only actually impressed by Sam Elliot as Caretaker. Nicolas Cage was next, he did as good a job as he could under the constraints of the direction and script. Peter Fonda was impressive due to camera angles, shots and props, rather than really being allowed to shine through his own effort. Eva Mendes was just OK but there was no real chemistry between her and Cage; guys will enjoy looking at her ever-present cleavage. Wes Bentley as Blackheart, son of Mephistopheles, was totally unconvincing and as a villain utterly unimpressive. The NY Post, which rarely gets anything right, accurately described his look as "rockabilly Eddie Munster". His henchmen, the Hidden, were equally without any gravity as villains, leaving a real hole where a nice hateable villain should be (except for Fonda/Mephistopheles).
On the positive side, the action and effects kept me glued to the screen for more; speaking as a long time GR fan, the way they did his transformation, his flame cycle (even the sound) and his action scenes were very cool and satisfying! At least 4 times during the movie the audience in my theater broke out into applause, all during great special effect or action scenes, such as the first time Johnny Blaze turns into Ghost Rider.
I did laugh out loud at several (intentionally) funny moments; but this movie was all over the map and not consistent in what balance of action, horror, camp and comic relief to aim for. There wasn't enough horror or tension to call for that much comic relief.
This movie is worth seeing on the big screen for the spectacle; it is fun and I am glad I saw it. I think Nic Cage and Sam Elliot were the right choices for their characters. However I was disappointed in the villains and supporting characters for the most part and they were bad enough to distract me even during the "comic book movie" I had anticipated.