Chabot Spectator

Issue date: 2/22/07 Section: The Scene

Media Credit: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures Ghost Rider, played by Nicolas Cage, sits on his flaming chopper for the first time as the title character. This is Marvel's most recent adaptation of a renowned comic.

The ever popular comic book industry continues to churn out blockbusters as the latest Marvel Comics addition to the big screen, Ghost Rider lives up to the precedent set by other Marvel films, X-Men, Spider-Man, and The Incredible Hulk.

It's a Marvel film so of course the action sequences and the computer graphics are all going to be up to par, and with Ghost Rider, in most cases, far exceeds the standard Marvel mastermind creator, Stan Lee, has set.

However it wasn't just Lee bringing the dark hero to life but an incredible cast and crew whose work looks as though they put countlees hours of time and effort into making Ghost Rider looking as realistic as possible.

While reality is one thing, director Mark Steven Johnson, who also directed Marvel's Daredevil, along with Lee, and longtime Ghost Rider fan, actor, and star of the film, Nicholas Cage, do a good job of bringing the film to life.

Cage stars as Johnny Blaze, a motorcycle stunt rider with a secret. Blaze once made a deal with the devil to protect the ones he loved, and now the devil wants his pay. The price? Blaze must become the rogue demon hunter Ghost Rider at night.

Blaze uses his curse to protect the innocent, and pull off the most amazing motorcycle stunts ever.

Co-starring Eva Mendes, (2 fast 2 furious) Wes Bentley, (American Beauty) and Sam Elliott (The Hulk) Ghost Rider is what it was meant to be, a pretty good film, with really good computer graphics, and the occasional way too cheesy line.

If you read comic books, you'll enjoy this movie. If you want to see a good action adventure film, you'll enjoy this movie. However, your girlfriend probably won't enjoy this movie.


Ghost Rider
The Scene rating: 3 out of 4 stars
Cast:Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Wes Bentley, Sam Elliott, Peter Fonda, Matt Long, Brett Cullen, Lawrence Breuls
Director: Mark Steven Johnson