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Directed by: Mark Steven Johnson Starring: Nicolas Cage Ghost Rider is the tale of Johnny Blaze, a hot shot bike stunt man who sold his soul quite literally to the devil in hopes of saving someone who he loved. Early in the film he's a young man who dreams of nothing more than abandoning his life as a performer, and running off with his girlfriend Roxanne. However he abandons those dreams when things go wrong, and runs off to become a world famous dare devil with no concern at all for his own personal safety. Years later he meets back up with Roxanne, who has become a buxom woman who loves to show off her cleavage apparently (hey I'm not complaining). Just as things seem to be going good the devil returns to call in on their deal, and the Ghost Rider is born. All in all Ghost Rider is well acted in spite of a script that seems like it was written for comedians to play. Characters constantly joke, and for a superhero movie the fights seem to play second fiddle to the funny. Half of the time you'll find yourself wishing Johnny would just shut the hell up, and use his powers to do something to make paying for your ticket worthwhile. On top of this you may begin to question just how incompetent the writers are when they show absolutely no sense of police procedure. Apparently a burnt license plate amongst a bunch of exploded cars is all the reason the police need to arrest a world famous celebrity, but that's ok because he doesn't have any lawyers to defend him. It's obvious that Cage loves his role. The guy's giddy about being a superhero. It's also obvious that Eva Mendes will appeal to fanboys who love to look at girls with nice racks. All in all I'd say see it, but do so on a weekday when the tickets are cheaper. 3 out of 5. RATING: 3 PROS: It's a movie about a guy with a flaming skull on a motocycle. CONS: It tries too hard to be a comedy. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0259324/
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Feb 18, 2007 14:52
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| # ? Apr 16, 2024 12:58 |
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I thought this was actually a cool movie. Stupid cool, but cool nonetheless. Let's get something out of the way; this is literally a movie about a biker from hell. You're not going to see this for some deep intrinsic meaning, you're going there because you want to see the guy with the flaming skull tear poo poo up. Now, I'm only a casual fan of Ghost Rider, I've had trouble actually following the comics, the guy has got to be one of the most retconned characters I've ever read. So, to me, the movie puts it together in a more easily digestable format. The acting is good, the actors really seem to enjoy their parts. The weakness is in the story telling. There's a good setup and buildup to Johnny coming in to the Ghost Rider power, but after he gets it there is not a lot of development in how his character deals with it. It feels rushed, and I can't imagine any person would just quickly come to terms with becoming a Hell Knight. My next gripe: the Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider character are nothing alike. In the acting presentation there are no elements of Cage's Blaze in the Ghost Rider (save for one near the end, but it's a little late by then.) And nothing of the Ghost Rider in Blaze. They seem like two completely different characters. Which is really bad when one of them is CG, it leaves no connection at all. Gripe tois: The fight sequences, while they look good, are really kinda not cool. They're short and they don't really feel like a struggle. The good: The pacing is great. The movie rides in under 2 hours, and doesn't run into long boring stretches. The story for the most part stays pretty solid to Ghost Rider. He makes a pact with the devil and fights minions from Hell. It's not like they were too afraid to do anything with hell and blamed it all on genetics gone awry like some other movie... It sounds more like I'm leaning on the bad side, but I really did like this movie. It was fun. Yeah, there's some plot-holes, but the Devil's Bounty Hunter is fun to watch in all his sadistic action. And there is quite a bit of it. 4.5 / 5 Might be a little generous, but I'm in a good mood.
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Feb 20, 2007 01:59
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I really wish when some directors/producers would sit down and create a superhero (or super non-hero) flick, they would realize why we pay money to go see it. I don't know about the rest of you, but for myself, it's to watch said superhero kick copious amounts of rear end, all while looking badass. Sure, I can accept some character work, we do have to know who we are watching after all, and I'll even accept a lame, tacked on love story if it gives a reason to the superhero to kick serious rear end. What I will not accept though is lots of background storytelling, some lovely love story and completely unsatisfactory action. The storytelling itself was pretty lame, but would have been more then acceptable if there were some kind of payoff. I won't even get to the romantic story of it, since one has to be tacked onto every goddamn hollywood movie these days. The devils were all a joke. None of them stood toe-to-toe with GR for more then a minute before they get sent back to hell. It was a good idea, demons hiding in the elements, taking their respective powers. Shame it wasn't used as more then an excuse for why each demon can move around as they please. Blackheart would have been a decent villain if they didn't try to make him too PG. He had many opportunities for an awesome monologue or even some dialogues with GR, but it was all wasted. The only good line of his that stands out in my mind My name is Legion, for we are maannnyy. To cut it short, I was dissapointed. I wasn't expecting master storytelling and only one real moment had me smiling When Slade also changes into a GR and they both ride off into the night, shame that went nowhere as well and unfortunately, the action was very stale. The whole movie just reeked of a lost opportunity. Pro's: Ghost Rider looks badass; Decent CG; Storytelling isn't terrible, just leads nowhere interesting; You can see the potential for an awesome superhero flick Con's: Said potential is completely wasted; lame villains that don't put up a fight; cheesy tacked on love story (expected, but still a con); Totally underwhelming action scenes that are all too short. Overall 2/5. I didn't want to give it a 1, because it had some potential. Take the exact same movie, add about half an hour of awesome action scenes that were actually a struggle and it would be a 4 or 4.5.
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Feb 20, 2007 18:44
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For Christ's sake, Nick. You don't have to take every loving role you're offered. 1/5 moderator note: this isn't a worthwhile review. if you have nothing to say that can't essentially be summed up with "this movie was good/bad", please just vote. Somebody fucked around with this message at 06:32 on Feb 21, 2007 |
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Feb 20, 2007 19:26
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While I enjoyed this movie to an extent, the fact that so much potential was wasted is really REALLY sad. While the movie starts off pretty good, as soon as Cage turns into Ghost Rider, something bad happens. Ghost Rider spouts off some of the most horrible dialouge I've heard in awhile. I wish the dialouge was the only problem. This movie has some of the absolute worst cast of villians ever. Black Heart belonged in The Coventant, not this movie. Not only did the villians look like Hot Topic rejects, but they were extremely weak to boot. The 5 second fight scenes (yes, these oh so feared demons were pathetically weak) only helped to make the movie feel terribly rushed. This movie also has some pretty campy humor. If you enjoy that kind of stuff then thats a plus. Despite some obvious faults, Ghost Rider is still a decent watch. Cage acts pretty well (despite some of the last lines in the movie that sounded very scripted) and the story is good enough to (probably) make you want to see it through to the end. Rating: 3/5
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Feb 21, 2007 00:47
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I went to see the movie last Friday, with very low expectations, and even those expectations weren't met. I don't think the acting, as a whole, was bad, it was just Nick Cage that was bad. Of course, I've always thought he was a below average actor. I thought the special effects looked cool and Eva Mendes was great but that's about as far as I'll take the praise. It felt like it was an infomercial. Like they were more worried about sequels instead of drawing people in with the first title. It was, what? An hour and a half long or so...and it was like "here's Ghost Rider, here's some random opposition, dominated, time to go home." I've never read any of the Ghost Rider comics however if past movie indications are anything to compare it too, it'd probably make me dislike it even more. It looked cool, so as long as you weren't expecting a blockbuster title, you probably wouldn't be too disappointed. 2/5
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Feb 24, 2007 00:31
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Parts of this movie made no sense. How did he kill the wind guy? The fight scenes were retarded. Hay doesn't that old guy sell life insurance or beef jerky on TV? Doesn't matter he doesn't do anything anyway. 2/5
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Feb 27, 2007 21:47
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The villains were more interesting than I expected. Although, as a friend pointed out, the movie does have sort of a video game styled structure, with him fighting the villain's henchmen before he gets to the villain. I didn't think the jokes were really that out of place, but all in all, the movie did feel like we saw a lot less of the Ghost Rider than we should have. 2.5/5 One thing I've got to say, though: Eva Mendes has got a series Oompah Loompah tan going on.
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Feb 28, 2007 01:58
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Nicolas Cage has a scene where he laughs like crazy and turns into Ghost Rider that is so much fun. It's like that scene in Face Off when he's in prison and just causes a fight while he laughs like crazy, only this time his face melts off and turns into a flaming skull. I was surprised how much I liked this movie, actually. But you really shouldn't be surprised that a fiery skeleton guy riding around on a flaming skull cycle with a red hot chain whip is cool. This is a movie for your inner 10 year old. It might have been a good movie for your inner 14 year old, but Eva Mendes only shows off her cleavage so what can you do? This movie works well because the character isn't very sacred to many people in the first place. From his first appearance in the '70s, he was always more special effect than character. A biker tattoo come to life. And it's good that they waited so long to actually make a live action version of Ghost Rider because the special effects in this film are gorgeous. Exciting and gorgeous. They're the kind of exciting that make you speed home really really fast after you see the movie while Led Zeppelin music plays really loud, and almost make you forget you're driving a Subaru Legacy Wagon with a giant clamshell luggage rack on the top. Nicolas Cage was able to bring a ton of quirkiness to the role. The kind of quirkiness that Bruce Campbell used to make Ash so wonderful in the Evil Dead movies. He drinks martini glasses full of red and yellow jelly beans (because alcohol gives him nightmares). He relaxes by watching videotapes of chimpanzees doing Kung Fu. And gets psyched up for his motorcycle jumps by listening to The Carpenters. When his partner, Mac, walks in and asks if he's ready while the song is winding down, Nicolas scolds him, "Don't step on Karen!" I thought I wasn't going to like Cage as Johnny Blaze because the commercials show him doing stupid one liners and his wig looks like something Ben Affleck got rid of at a yard sale. But it's the charming Cage of Raising Arizona and Con Air that we have here. He takes the role seriously enough so that it's not a joke, but he knows the subject matter is basically thrill ride with a story thrown in, so he has a lot of fun with it. And sweet Lord, when he turns into Ghost Rider and does his thing, it's pretty drat kickass. You may have seen the trailer where he rides up the side of a building, but that's not even a tenth of the cool things he does. I hope you can handle watching him swing a helicopter around like some sort of helicopter on a chain and throw it away. And how about racing his cycle STRAIGHT DOWN the skyscraper back to the ground? Indeed, it's pretty awesome. Even the sounds his bike makes while it roars down the street is pretty kickass. Sam Elliot is pretty good as the obligatory long gray haired mentor figure that is required by law in movies like this. His voice is so deep and charming, it doesn't even matter what he's saying because it sounds so cool. There are certainly some weak spots in the movie. Wes Bentley plays Blackheart, the main villian who's supposed to be the son of Satan, but he just seems like an angry Hot Topic employee. When you feel like you can personally kick the villain's rear end, he loses a lot of menace factor. His henchman, that have the powers of the elements, just seem like random bad guys from an old Chips episode. Peter Fonda is also questionable as Satan (or Mephistopheles, if you must). He gets the job done, but he's not very imposing and looks like he really needs that cane he walks around with. Though I suppose his past in Easy Rider makes it fun for trivia purposes. Also, I don't buy the relationship and/or chemistry with Eva Mendes in this movie, either. And did they really have to make her a REPORTER? Is there some law that requires superhero girlfriends to be journalists? I would have cast someone a little wilder, like Gina Gershon in the role. Eva's nice to look at, but every moment she's on screen is just another minute you'd rather see Ghost Rider leaving a flaming trail down a Texas highway, turning Iguanas into skeletons on the roadside. Anyway...if you just want to have some fun, go enjoy this movie. This isn't one of those movies where you have to turn off your brain and settle for less. It's a good solid comic book turned into a movie. A great theater experience, and something that'll really let you show off your home theater system once it comes out in High Def DVD. I normally don't like to assign ratings, but if I had to I'd rate it 6.5 out of 10 stars, or a good solid B. If we were using the PASS/FAIL scale, that would probably be too broad, but I'd go for a PASS. On the Myers Briggs scale, I'd probably have to go INMP, and if I applied a MySpace "What Care Bear Are You?" quiz against it, it'd likely be Trueheart.
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Mar 1, 2007 01:19
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I hate this movie with every fiber of my soul, I understand that maybe no one reads GR anymore or even knows about the comics, but this movie is an absolute slap in the face to any true fans. GR was always my favorite hero, because he was so much more edgier then the other hero's and while yes his villians eventually came back in some capacity in the future, it wasn't like other charecters who just sent thier villians to jail and hoped they didn't break out. GR had a habit of actually killing his villians, which made him in my mind more interesting. Not to mention his motivations were always well done. I understand that they did the JB GR and not the DK GR, but still a complete Miscast, how in the hell do you go from Tall brute looking blonde with long hair and a permenent 5 oclock shadow, sun glasses and a shot gun full of hellfire to loving Nick cage? I mean what the loving hell? Why does caretaker look like a strong wind could blow him over? Why the hell did they make up lame fake villians instead of bringing Deathwatch and Blackout or scarecrow to the show? Wind Villian? Water villian? gently caress you. It's even worse then that, why is GR in St. Louis? Why do his wheels burn windows, since when were his flames "hot" flames, it was always "cold fire". As in a villian/person would touch the flame and get a sort of freezer burn, cause it wasn't like regular flame it was hell flame. Why is GR spouting of poo poo about Justice GR doesnt give a gently caress about Justice, all he cares about is vengeance. He does not shoot fire balls or judge people "guilty" he beats them to near death and then stares into thier souls revisiting every one of thier past sins onto thier mind and soul at once. GR doesn't make jokes, he's a juggernaut of gently caress you up. This is the worst comic adaptation i have scene, ever and i have seen them all. Maybe if you're a mindless action sheeple and pretty explosions do it for you, then waste you money and see this pile of poo poo. This movie steals your money your dignity and your soul. 0 out 5 Pros: GR finally gets a movie Cons: They hosed it up 100% Bottomline: gently caress everyone associated with this movie
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Mar 4, 2007 09:18
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| # ? Apr 16, 2024 12:58 |
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SageSepth posted:I hate this movie with every fiber of my soul, I understand that maybe no one reads GR anymore or even knows about the comics, but this movie is an absolute slap in the face to any true fans. haha, this is exactly what i was hoping to hear. i loved ghost rider movie because it was really entertaining, somewhere beyond "so bad it's good" and almost into the realm of "so good it's good." nicholas cage seemed to be trying his best to play a character completely incongruous with both the actor who played 'johnny blaze' as a teenager and also with the cg skull thing and he did a teriffic job; eva mendez wore nice dresses, the crew of evil demons were absolutely ridiculous and hilarious, and the cowboy narrator guy was cool as hell. the whole movie was a ton of fun. when it was over, i said to myself the only thing that could possibly have made it better to me is if the makers of the movie made it to completely spite the comic book, and it sounds like that's exactly what they did. the comic book was probably stupid as hell and i imagine they probably ignored all sorts of boring, serious, comicbook-drivel to make a movie that was enjoyable because there would most likely be no way it would have turned out nearly as good if they hadn't. i love ghost rider 5/5
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Mar 6, 2007 07:53
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