Release Date: February 16th, 2007 by Columbia Pictures. The Cast: Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Wes Bentley, Sam Elliott, Donal Logue, Peter Fonda. Directed by Mark Steven Johnson. BASIC PREMISE: Johnny Blaze (Cage) sells his soul to Mephistopheles (Fonda) and becomes Satan’s bounty hunter. ENTERTAINMENT VALUE: Ghost Rider has plenty of loud action sequences and special effects, but sinks into absurdity with mediocre acting and a weak script. Johnny runs into his childhood sweetheart, Rosy (Mendes), who doesn’t know he has a secret identity as Satan’s bounty hunter, a.k.a. Ghost Rider, once the sun goes down. He and Rosy have zero chemistry together. Ghost Rider looks ludicrous as a flaming skeleton riding a motorbike as he fights Blackheart (Bentley) and other members of Satan’s crew. Watching these action scenes and others feels like you’re watching a violent video game. Johnny finds a cemetery caretaker (Elliot) who explains everything to him in precise detail is as if he can’t figure it out everything on his own. Unfortunately, Nicholas Cage gives a disappointing performance as the unappealing, dull Ghost Rider. Wes Bentley delivers some unintentionally funny one-liners and comes across as nothing more than a generic bad guy. Sam Elliot and Peter Fonda are the only two actors who seem at least somewhat believable in their roles. Ultimately, Writer/director Mark Steven Johnson makes a big mistake by overwhelming the film with expensive CGI effects and not spending enough effort to improve the script and strengthen the plot, which feels tedious and underwhelming. At a running time of nearly 2 hours, Ghost Rider overstays its welcome. SPIRITUAL VALUE: None is required or desired. INSULT TO YOUR INTELLIGENCE: None, as long as you suspend your disbelief. NUMBER OF TIMES I CHECKED MY WATCH: 8 IN A NUTSHELL: TV Main Page Alphabetical Menu Chronological Menu The "G" Menu ______________________________________________________ |