Ghost Rider

Ghost Rider is an incredibly charismatic character, but what became of him in the film is just ordinary. We have a "superhero" here who is supposed to be ambivalent, but in reality, he isn't. We have a villain here who is just negative,and you can't take anything else from him. Peter Fonda at least adds something extra to his character. Even Nicolas Cage didn't bother me; I generally like him. But the script is simply one big cliché that must end awkwardly happily. In the right hands, this character could look completely different. Even the western styling doesn't suit it. (22/05/2014)

Mark Steven Johnson is an incredible bungler. He loused up almost everything that could kindle the suspense and darkness of the comic book. The only thing that he kindled were jokes that I admit were occasionally quite good, but mostly not. Cage enjoyed his role, without a doubt and his overacting (it must have been on purpose, otherwise I can’t explain it) can be entertaining in places. The special effects aren’t very convincing. Which is fairly pitiful, considering they worked overtime on them. Most of the demons look painfully digital and the Ghost Rider himself also is sometimes a bit shoddy. Although there are a couple of "must see" scenes (ghost rider motorbike and horse running side by side) which worked well, but despite it’s potential, GR is really bad. (23/08/2007)

Kids, pay attention! Ghost Rider is perfect for an afternoon at home, better with popcorn and the brain in “switch-off” mode. A painlessly paced piece of crap, with a comically overacting Cage (who's working on his possible future reputation as "the Ed Wood of acting" film by film), a pleasantly feminine Eve Mendes, and cute comic book stylings, with Johnny Blaze's funny flaming skull being even cooler than Cage's laboriously glued-on toupee, and that's saying something. It's just a pity that Blackheart, the main villain, is a total loser who wouldn't even scare my cowardly hamster, and even more of a pity about the absolutely awful finale, which drops somewhere down to the bottom of the C-grade mud in the neighbourhood of Power Rangers. But whatever, 3 stars, I don’t care. Johnson's film is one of the weakest comic book adaptation in a strong competition, but definitely a notch in my guilty-pleasure trophies. (31/05/2007)

Action, humor, darkness, and one big antihype. I don't understand what's funny about a cow mooing in three emotional/action-packed/suspenseful moments, but on the other hand, I also don't understand why transformations into Ghost Rider or wreaking havoc with a motorcycle are considered a cinematic disgrace. I don't know who expected X-Men-like psyche or Batman-like depression from Mark Steven Johnson, but his work brought me harmless relaxation. The kind of relaxation that was expected from a comic book a decade ago. For this old-school approach (even though sometimes bordering on uncontrollable B-movie quality), the fiery Nicolas Cage and the third star are flying high. (29/03/2007)

The dumbest comic book movie of the last few years with an incredibly cheesy Nicolas Cage, whose haircut is more interesting than he is. Ghost Rider is terrible and Mark Steven Johnson is a loser of the first category. Something could have been squeezed out, after all, thematically it's not completely dead, but Johnson wouldn’t have to be pretending to be someone who can effectively combine romance (nothing special), action (very little), and mystery (laughable). The wannabe mythical plot adorned with legends is probably as exciting as the rampage of the Ghost Rider himself. Not to mention the fact that the director steals wherever he can (those who don't see Blade in the end should buy glasses), and not even the outrageously gorgeous Eva Mendes can save things. And the pile of embarrassing cliché bollocks? That’s something I haven’t seen for a long time. (17/03/2007)