A good movie, not a great movie

Rating: 8/10 (7 March 2007)

I went to go see Ghost Rider a couple of weeks ago and I am pleased to say that I quite enjoyed it. I had been waiting for this movie for years, as I am a long time Ghost Rider fan, and I was glad that they waited until now to make it. The CG was able to do justice to the changes that John Blaze undergoes to become the Ghost Rider, and the changes in the Hellcycle bridge the gap between the original 1970's inspired chopper and today's updated choppers.
I did spoil the movie a bit for myself as I had read a number of reviews and user comments before going into the movie, and so I was thinking of what others had said as I was watching the movie. Nicholas Cage's quirky sense of humour and delivery were a good match for the John Blaze character. Peter Fonda was too restrained as Mephistopheles. Wes Bently was excellent as Blackheart, as he captured the spirit of the character. Eva Mendes was OK as Roxanne, but the character was never a focus in the comics, and so her part in the movie was also minimal.
Ghost Rider, the character, was always a second tier comic in the Marvel Universe, so the movie is not in the blockbuster category of Spider-Man or X-Men. I think there is a good possibility for a sequel, as there are a number of other characters from the Ghost Rider series that could be introduced, especially as the movie took elements from the original John Blaze Ghost Rider, as well as the newer Dan Ketch Ghost Rider.
Overall, I thought this movie was good fun and quite enjoyed it.