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Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

How wonderful it is to see this fine actress carry a film and carry it so beautifully.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

"Ghost Rider" has very low ratings and reputation of one of the worst Marvel movies, and it slowly starts to worry me that this is an increasingly common case with my favorite movies. I'm watching Marvel chronologically, and of the 24 films and series I've seen so far, this one is in my top 5. I can not say I'm amazed, but it was close enough.The story is one of the most powerful in the Marvel universe, and a dark and fairly serious atmosphere is more in the spirit of DC than Marvel. Considering one of the lowest budgets in the genre, the film is very well done and I have no objections from the technical side. An excellent balance of action, drama and humor, which is rare in Marvel films, keeps the attention from start to finish and, if you are a more careful observer or you watch it several times, you will notice a lot of interesting details. There are Bible quotes, characters borrowed from other Marvel stories, references to "Apocalypse Now" (a film directed by Nikoilas' uncle), scenes made as a homage to painters and all sorts of interesting stuff. It is interesting fact that Nicolas Cage is a big fan of comics, especially this one, so he fought tooth and nail to get this role, and even has a tattoo of Ghost Rider that they had to hide when shooting. He is such a fan(atic) that he took his stage name from comic character Luke Cage, and he named his son Kal-El after Superman. Director does not fall far behind Cage, because he gave money from his pocket for shooting some of the scenes that the studio didn't approve. All in all, this is the movie that true lovers of comics made from the heart, and it's really sad that it is so badly (un)accepted by the audience and criticism. I rate it strong eight.8/10

Releases of superhero movies based on Marvel comics are more often than not subject to the most attention of their year from the public, while also scoring abundantly high on the box office ladder. Majority of the time, these films are intended for make for some high-octane entertainment; even when centering on the arguably lesser known comic book heroes like Ghost Rider here. Occasionally, the superhero genre from both the DC side and the Marvel Comics side has the tendency of slipping into the crack of some mediocre attempts bring some comic books on the silver screen. Ghost Rider, directed by Mark Steven Johnson, is one of those films. Though it certainly not one of the worst the genre has to offer especially when considering some of the more horrendous entries such as 'Catwoman', this film fails to succeed beyond the level of disposable entertainment. Based on the marvel comics, this film stars Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze, a motorcycle stuntman who suffers from emotional trauma after the tragic death of his father (played by Brett Cullen) as a teenager. He learns the death of his father was a result of when he mistakenly sold his soul to the devil known as Mephistopheles (played by Peter Fonda). Not only that, he gains the powers of the devil that turn him into a fiery monster with a skull scorching in flames. When his son known as Blackheart (played by Wes Bentley) threatens to release demons from hell to take over the Earth, Blaze must use his newly gained powers to fight back while protecting his childhood crush Roxanne (played by Eva Mendes).This superhero action flick isn't a total drab to say at best. Those who go in for some action sequences tapped with fine visual effects will have at least something to hurrah for. The action kicks in our titular hero ramping up in flames as his humanistic body morphs into a skeleton body with his head transforming into a skull bursting into CGI flames. What transpires then is the hero racing at high speed on his devilish-looking motorcycle and facing off the bad guys in some chain-whipping action. Beyond this, the film fails to deliver much palpable excitement. The plot is a bit generic as it deals with the conflict between our titular hero and a hellish villain known as Blackheart also known as Legion. While Nicolas Cage generates a fair amount of charisma to make for a hero for audiences to root for, Wes Bently's performance fails to amount of an interesting or even memorable villain. Though he is not expected to fall on the lines of more highly iconic villains like The Joker or Magneto, his lack of ingenuity is rather hard to overcome. The conflict between the two characters eventually comes down to a final showdown sequences that should have been fun, but criminally lack the adrenaline it needs to be a climatic action farce. Then there is Eva Mendes who is given almost nothing to do beyond playing the corny love interest of Nicolas Cage. Though her performance is at least on the par, the chemistry between her and Cage never quite sizzles.Ghost Rider is a generic superhero action flick that fails to rise above the typical standards of an average Marvel comics blockbuster. Although this film may demonstrate a glimmer of fun in its tense action sequences and small dosage of humor, the overall entertainment value leads little to be desired even for die hard comic book fanatics.

Bad. Horrid. Awful.You can choose the word for it.Who is Ghost Rider? Is it Johnny Blaze or Dan Ketch? Is it the evil spirit of vengeance or the good one? It's hard to tell, mainly because the movie never seems to make that judgement call.They tried to combine them both and failed horribly.And then Blaze himself, Nick Cage just can't really pull it off. Too earnest, he over acts a little too much, he tries to make the tortured Johnny Blaze a little too light and likable, but that could just be because they couldn't decide which Ghost Rider they were depicting.Sure, it was fun watching his fiery alter-ego ride around dispensing vengeance, but in the end, at the final stand-off, we got something rushed and under-cooked.You sit down for a movie, and even on a mindless popcorn crunching level, you leave disappointed.They just can't force an audience to care at all about this Ghost Rider or his human host.

Mark Steven Johnson's "Ghost Rider" (2007) combines Faust and Spider-Man and mixes in elements of all the variations of the Ghost Rider comics up to the present, including the 50's Western hero, but it's main inspiration is the 70s-80s comic featuring Johnny Blaze as the protagonist.What makes Ghost Rider appealing? Well, the only thing cooler than a guy in black leather and chains driving a Harley is a flaming skeleton in black leather and chains driving a supernatural flaming Harley. That pretty much explains it.THE PLOT: Johnny Blaze and his father make a living as Evel Knieval-like stunt riders in a carnival. When Johnny's dad is diagnosed with cancer he is misled into making a deal with the devil. His father is healed of the cancer but Satan makes sure he dies in a stunt accident. Because of Johnny's foolish deal he is cursed to become the nigh-invincible Ghost Rider -- a supernatural flaming skeleton.Some criticize Nicholas Cage as Johnny Blaze because Blaze is supposed to be about 30 years old, while Cage was around 41. Yeah, someone like James Franco would have been better for the role, especially since Franco looks exactly like Mike Ploog's version of Blaze, but Cage does a fine job. Besides, Cage is in great shape and I know guys 25 years old who look older than him. As for Eva Mendes, who plays Johnny's girlfriend, she's ten years younger than Cage and is both voluptuous and adequate in the role.Some criticize the film as too serious, others as too goofy, but the fact is that "Ghost Rider" has the same general tone as all the other superhero flicks released since 2000. It's a serious story for the most part, although completely unbelievable due to the subject matter, with some humor thrown in for good measure. In other words, it's neither deathly serious nor a campy goof-fest; it rides the line between these two extremes.If all you want out of "Ghost Rider" is an entertaining supernatural superhero flick "Ghost Rider" delivers and is worth viewing for this purpose. But the film delivers on a deeper level. Here are a smattering of noteworthy elements: Note that Johnny is misled into "selling his soul" to the devil and has to face the negative consequences of his decision. Few people will literally "sell their soul" to Satan as shown in the story but we can all relate to the struggle with the evil that exists within our own hearts. If we decide to live according to the inclinations of our lower, destructive, selfish nature are we not, in a sense, "selling our soul" to the devil? (regardless of whether you view the devil as a literal spiritual being or merely as a symbol of potential human evil). Whenever we choose to live according to this lower nature will we not automatically perform evil and, in that sense, fulfill the devil's will? (ditto).Peter Fonda as Satan is perfect and entertaining, as is Sam Elliott as the old Westerner.Love is an important theme in the story. Johnny "sells his soul" for love of his father. He didn't do it for greed or some other carnal purpose. This is agape love, self-sacrificial love, love in it's highest and purest form. This puts Johnny on God's side (as Elliott's character observes in the film) and makes him a serious threat to the devil's purposes on earth.We also witness Blaze's great love for Roxanne and vice versa, as well as Mack's love for Johnny, etc.This is contrasted by the total absence of love in Satan's kingdom. The devil hates his son and vice versa. This is a fitting depiction because God is described as love in the Bible; and since Satan has chosen to separate from God and be His enemy, he has naturally separated himself from love and become love's enemy. Hate in all its ugly manifestations is therefore the essence of the devil's kingdom and relationships.When Blaze first turns into the Ghost Rider and goes for a ride in his flame cycle he causes great havoc wherever he goes. You'll note that this is much toned down in his later excursions as Ghost Rider. The explanation? Johnny simply didn't know how to control the supernatural hellfire and "spirit of vengeance" during his initial conversion.Although it's supposed to be amusing, it makes sense that Johnny would listen to The Carpenters in his down time. Blaze's daredevil lifestyle and his problems with the Ghost Rider curse would understandably cause him a great deal of stress. Listening to Karen's ultra-soothing voice would be a great pacifier.There's a great scene of Ghost Rider riding off the top of a skyscrapper, whipping his chain in exulting fury, and then riding full blast down the building smashing into the pavement below as police and onlookers observe in total disbelief.In the comics Blackheart was the only comic character that ever sent chills down my spine (in Ann Nocenti's Daredevil). I didn't get this feeling from Wes Bentley's portrayal in the film, although there's a hint of that. Regardless, Bentley does a fine job in the role. And Blackheart's total ugly wickedness is certainly revealed or demonstrated here and there.There's a great musical interlude featuring the Ghost Rider and the Caretaker (Elliott) riding through the night desert for hundreds of miles to San Vengaza. Fittingly, the song is a modern hard rock version of "Ghost Riders in the Sky" (I love that song! Who doesn't?) The picture was filmed in Victoria, Australia, and the city of Melbourne.The Ghost Rider himself (itself?) is a triumph of special effects. Needless to say, the film is enjoyable just to look at.GRADE: B+