reasonably entertaining

Rating: 6/10 (28 March 2007)

Nicolas Cage seems to have a random process for selecting movie roles. The man who won an Oscar for his self-destruction in Leaving Las Vegas has also taken on action movies such as Face/Off and Con Air with great success, and has even found the time to star in family films such as National Treasure.
It's not with great surprise then that we find him as Johnny Blaze, a motorcycle stuntman by day who, via a clichéd twist of fate, becomes a fiery vigilante by night after selling his soul to the Devil. The plot was clearly not a priority, and it seems to have been overtaken by the CGI, which is successful in its attempt to adapt the comic book style to the big screen. While it never looks real (how real can a man with a flaming skull for a head look?), it's impressive, especially as computer-Cage rides down particularly tall buildings and jumps helicopters.
Cage, ever the over-actor, takes to his role with a typical eccentric enthusiasm that effectively sums up the spirit of Ghost Rider: sit back, switch off, and enjoy the ride.