Even as a big comic book fan (BIG),
I’d have to admit that the original idea behind Ghost Rider the
comic, first published in 1972, was not a very good idea. I mean, a
stunt motorcyclist sells his soul to the devil, forcing him to serve
said devil as his deal collector (and part-time super hero). Some
Hell’s Angel’s wet dream? Perhaps. The stuff classic
literature is made of? Uh, no.
So, it was really no surprise when the same
titled movie, despite starring one of my all time favourite
actors Nicholas Cage, also sucked. The film follows Johnny Blaze, an idealistic young motorcycle rider who
finds out his father has cancer. A shadowy figure appeals him to sign a
contract (although I’m not sure if I’d be too keen on
dealing with a guy who walks with a skull-topped cane), in exchange for
the perfect health of his father. Of course, after being cured of
cancer, his father dies the next day in a motorcycle accident, causing
the young Master Blaze to reconsider his hasty decision. The next hour
and a half are filled with scenes of horrible acting, and even worse
make-up. A ridiculously digitalized Ghost Rider (Nicholas Cage only
appears as Johnny Blaze) fights incredibly cheesy and surprisingly easy
to defeat demons at the behest of Mephisto,
his dark feudal master. Carmen Electra and her boobs are prominent in
several scenes, though, if you’re into that. The few decent
moments all occur with Cage front and center. As the only real actor in
the whole cast, his time on screen allows a brief respite from the
often wince-inducing acting, and even worse script. He’s also
Nicholas Cage, and thus, awesome.
In closing, there really isn’t much
else to say about this movie. It sucked. Big time. A big thank you goes
out to Hollywood for reconfirming my belief
that there is no reason to go to a North American movie theatre between
January and June.
