Ghost Rider: The Spirit of Vengeance "Spoilers"

Rating: 9/10 (2 March 2007)

Tonight I went to see Ghost Rider with two friends one of which is an avid comic book fan as am I. Personally we all enjoyed this movie thoroughly and loved how they did justice to the character. The movie entertained me the entire time and kept me in my seat. Ghost Rider the character was great and in his Rider form was completely awesome. Mephistopheles was perfect in the role he played and I prefer him as he was in the film. Similar to how he was in the comic. Blackheart and the fallen angels were great villains and added a great element to the film. Personally I would have liked to see Blackheart in the demon form but otherwise Bentley did a good job. The action and battle scenes were great and Rider's use of the penance stare is something that I loved and never thought they would add.
To start off we need to realize one thing when watching movies based off of comic books and graphic novels. They are fictional and should not be taken to be things that actually occur in the real world. This movie was awesome and points about Blaze jumping a football field being impossible should be disregarded. It's a movie and is not true and you should not attempt to apply these things to the real world. The movie is supposed to be entertaining as it was, not translatable to things that actually happen.
That said this movie did justice to the character of Ghost Rider and Cage did a great job honoring that character. Eva Mendes, alright she's not Meryl Streep but she still did a decent job with the character. The Caretaker was a great addition in the movie and Blackheart and Mephistopheles were great in the roles they played in this movie. Mephistopheles was played perfectly in this movie and the way his character ends is perfect. Cage is an Academy Award winning actor, why does everyone hate him? He did a great job in this role and in a comic to film adaptation I'd rather see an actor take a leap and actually try and portray the character correctly as Cage did.
Let's add the fact that the writers decided to keep the origin as it was which is something that should be done in every comic to film adaptation. Unlike Fantastic Four and others. Also, anyone catch "My name is Legion, for we are many" loved it. This movie did a great job of sticking with the character as he was in the comic for the most part. The character could have been a bit darker however to do a movie it needs to appeal to a mass audience and as the Rider he was dark enough. The penance stare, the chain and the hellfire added a great element and I loved every minute of it. His use of the penance stare added a great element that I never dreamed the writers would use in a million years.
Some of the problems people see with this movie are things that should be left out of the discussion on some aspects. Such as the complaints about Ghost Rider in water not extinguishing the flames. Its hellfire not literal fire and therefore doesn't burn out like regular fire. His stunt show tricks are just those tricks and although they may not translate literally into the real world they shouldn't. They should be heightened to extend the drama and excitement of the film. We don't go in expecting the movie to be about actual things that happen every day. Personally I don't see guys riding around with their skulls on fire or shooting people with webs (Had to reference spidey). This movie did what I wanted it too and more, it kept me in my seat the entire time aching for more and more. It was entertaining, exciting and done awesome and I wish they'd stick close to the characters more often as they did here.
Let me say one thing though. The plot line is not meant to apply to the real world. Not to mention you people claiming you knew what was going the happen, unless you've read a Ghost Rider comic before you don't know. How in God's name did you know he'd use the penance stare to destroy Blackheart before he enveloped all the souls. How did you know that he was going to absorb the souls as he did. I have read the comic and I was still entertained even as I knew what would happen in the end.
Personally it is rare to find a comic to film adaptation that actually hits the character as it was in the comic. My buddy and I could not get enough of how well they did that in this movie. Cage did what he should have done, the character justice. This movie does not contain academy award winning acting but how many films actually do. There are numerous entertaining films that don't have the highest level of acting however they do what they are supposed and keep you entertained and this movie did this for me. Cage and Mendes had good chemistry on screen and Wes Bentley, Sam Elliot and Peter Fonda were great in their roles. Personally Donal Logue is one of my favorite actors and his character went along well with Blaze.
I rank this as one of the greatest comic adaptations they have done and I would rank it up there with Batman Begins and Spider-man. Anyway this movie did the character great justice and I would see this movie two more times in theaters before going out and buying the DVD the day it comes out. Go watch it. It was awesome.
"Your soul has been tainted by the blood of the innocent. Look into my eyes and feel their pain." The penance stare was awesome!