The Voice

Issue date: 3/12/07 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Media Credit: Sony Pictures

Don't let the star rating fool you. Ghost Rider is not a good movie, and that's exactly why I enjoyed it so much.

The trailers are deceptive in that they only hint at the superhero cheese-fest this movie brings. It's hard to wonder what else one could expect from a character that couldn't even hold his own ongoing comic book series since the late 90's. As a guy who worked at a comic shop at around this time, I know Ghost Rider as a comic that seemed to only serve a recognizable yet niche type of comic book nerd: those looking for tattoo ideas.

The movie stars Nicolas Cage as dimwitted motorcycle daredevil Johnny Blaze, who signs away his soul to the satanic figure Mephistopheles (Peter Fonda) in order to save his father and mentor from cancer. The father dies anyway after the demon rigs a stunt, leaving poor Johnny alone and cursed.

While it may sound a bit heavy-handed, the acting talent of this entire "origin" segment of the film truly takes the film away from its apparently intended action/horror genre straight over to comedy land. The slow, predictable dictation of the script by Fonda had some audience members calling out his lines before he finished them. The awkward and stiff tough-guy poses the young Johnny Blaze (Matt Long) brandishes as he confronts Mephistopheles were laughable.

As time passes, Blaze goes on to become a famous stunt cyclist after realizing that until the demon calls on him for a favor, he won't be allowed to die. Before one of his appearances he runs into his teenage sweetheart, Roxanne Simpson (Eva Mendez), now a TV reporter. Meanwhile Mephistopheles' son Blackheart (Wes Bentley) and his gang of elemental demons plot to recover a contract which would grant them power over 1,000 souls. This act earns them the attention of Blackheart's father, who begins to seek out Blaze.

Despite the addition of some Hollywood veterans to the cast, the acting doesn't seem to do much to improve. Cheesiness increases, however, as Mendez's cleavage begins to steal the show. I'd be grateful to know how the crew was able to manage the yards and yards of double tape some of her capital V-neck tops must have required. But it wasn't just Mendez's chest that was thoroughly highlighted-one scene shows Cage preening in the mirror in what appeared to be plastered on six-pack and pectorals. Where would cinema be without Adobe?

The action scenes the movie provides as the film goes on were actually pretty impressive. I'll even admit it was somewhat cool to see that the film makers include the character's trademark Penance Stare, an ability Ghost Rider uses to make his opponent realize all the pain they've caused to their victims, and I was happy to see they didn't let his somewhat ridiculous power to drive up the sides of skyscrapers go without being captured on the big screen.

Overall Ghost Rider doesn't really disappoint, unless you were preparing yourself for some kind of arty, legitimate theater or something (and really, why would you buy yourself that movie ticket in the first place?). Ghost Rider is nothing but formulaic Hollywood product placement just like most of what you see on the marquee.

The difference here? All of the actors seem like they get the joke, with the possible exception of Nicolas Cage.

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