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</script></div>{/googleAds}You take a solid actor that is seemingly perfectly suited to the material, a nice, dark-anti-hero with a cool look, and then you put them together to create something... wholly mediocre?
That's right, folks. Ghost Rider aint' no great shakes, and certainly doesn't have enough crack and pop to rattle anyone's bones. Is the film bad? Not really, at least not according to this reviewer. It's a fairly decent ride, with some passable special effects, and at least one cool action set piece. The problem is that it doesn't seem like anyone involved with the project and any higher aspirations in mind other than just that.
So whose fault is it? Well, on screen anyway, it certainly isn't Nicholas Cage's. Despite the below average script and execution by all involved, Cage at least tries to imbue his character with a bit of personality. Instead of just brooding his way through the film, Cage has a great deal of fun with the roll and provides plenty of quirks to Johnny Blaze to truly bring him to life. He's clearly having a great time, and it's the only reason that anyone would care to give this comic book film a look.
The supporting players range from bland (Eva Mendes, beautiful but blah) to very nearly riveting (Peter Fonda anyone?). Sam Elliot also turns up as another one of his wise, stoic, mentor figures. The thing is, I love Sam Elliot as the wise, stoic, mentor figure, so no complaints here. However, don't even get me started on Wes Bentley (who was once so good in American Beauty). His bad guy character here is, quite literally, a non-entity. Boring and forced.
But, in the end, director Mark Steven Johnson is ultimately the one that has to be blamed for the lack of panache on display in the film. He achieved similarly middling results with Daredevil a couple of years ago. The fact that he's also the screenwriter as well pretty much says it all. The mind boggles at what someone like David Fincher could have done with this material.
As far as the character of the Ghost Rider himself is concerned, chalk this one up to a colossal miscalculation. Once Cage has been CGI'd and his skull burns with computer generated fire, it becomes impossible to recognize any sign of good character development or delivery. Even his voice is so gravely that you lose track of what he's even saying most of the time. Aside from the occasional moment of wit (the jail cell scene), this is one instantly forgettable comic book hero. Maybe they'll get new special effects guys for the sequel.
So, in short Ghost Rider isn't going to draw any comparisons to the recent high water marks set by Superman Returns, Batman Begins, or Spiderman, but it's a harmless enough time-passer that you might have a little fun with on a Sunday afternoon while cleaning house. High praise indeed.
DVD Details:
Screen formats: Widescreen Anamorphic 2.35:1
Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
Language and Sound: Closed Captioned; English: Dolby Digital 5.1; French-Canadian: Dolby Digital 5.1; French-Canadian: DTS 5.1 Surround
Other Features: Color; interactive menus; scene access; audio commentary.
Note This review and the below specs are based on the single disc edition. A two disc extended edition is also available on DVD and Blue-Ray DVD.
The special features are traditionally sparse on the one-discs and this one is no exception. The featurette and commentaries are informative for fans of the film and the character, but like the movie itself, lack any pop. But damn, do I love Sam Elliott.
* Commentary -
o 1- With writer-director Mark Steven Johnson and special effects supervisor.
o 2- With producer Gary Foster
* Deleted Scenes - 4 scenes that didn't make the final cut totalling 09:35.
* Featurettes -
o Spirit of Vengeance - 2-Part Making of Ghost Rider.
Number of discs: - 1- Keepcase Packaging
{pgomakase}
