Ghost Rider

Johnny Blaze is a very talented stunt motorcycle rider who makes a deal with the demon Mephistopheles to save his father’s life. Mephistopheles keeps his word to a point, curing Johnny’s father but allowing him to die in a fiery motorcycle crash. Johnny then leaves home, running from his life and guilt. He becomes a famous stunt driver when the demon comes calling. Mephistopheles needs Johnny to bring his son Blackheart back under control. Blackheart has a plan to rule the world by taking control of a thousand souls.

Movies based on comic books have quite a few challenges. Fans of the comic book will have high expectations from the movie and will want the producers to stay true to the storyline. There are the non fans who will have to brought up to speed on the character to truly appreciate the character’s motivation.

Although the pacing seemed a little slow, the back story of Ghost Rider was done well. Some parts felt a little awkward like how Johnny finds out his Dad has cancer, and Dad returning from the doctor with news that he is all cured. Watching the movie I was anxious to see the Ghost Rider emerge and start kicking tail. Ghost Rider is the best part of the movie. Johnny Blaze was a cross between Batman and Spider-man. At some points he seems like the weight of the world is on his shoulders while at other times he is cracking jokes. I’m not sure how Blaze acts in the comics. While I’m usually a fan of Nicholas Cage, I just wasn’t that impressed with his portrayal of Johnny Blaze.

Ghost Rider is now available on DVD and is a fun movie to watch. Just don’t have high expectations of this being a memorable movie.