Ghost Rider (2007, Mark Steven Johnson)

Ghost Rider isn't breathtaking or touching, but it was imaginative and spooky enough to capture my eye. As a fan of the darker side of fiction, the plot appealed to me and the natural elements are used creatively, even if each element's respective time-to-shine is inexplicably cut short. This turnout bothered me due to the wrongly lopsided balance of buildup/exposition and execution/payoff. But as I said, Ghost Rider isn't going to linger long in my mind. If it were, the brief action sequences would be a larger issue.

There is a lot of CGI in this picture. The presentation of it is too clean and sleek--or maybe it's a literal presentation--because it can't escape that "computer generated" look, even if certain effects like fire and wraiths stand out in a good way. Along with the heavy use of CGI, there is the typical poignant back story of any other comic book hero. Johnny Blaze was once a meager youth, and it's all very dull, even if young Johnny's concern for his father's smoking habit is genuine and wholesome. The problem is, we all know where the story is going to wind up so it can actually start, and the introductory exposition is overlong. Especially when it is all meant to justify the obvious outcome of the cliched romance that will serve later as a plot device, I much prefer the quick intro approach we saw in DareDevil. Nevertheless, the ball eventually starts rolling.

Nicolas Cage fits the role, but he is confined here. I'm not certain it's for the best, either. While the film's low ceiling of scope does "cage" the zany actor's crazy side, there isn't much he can offer to the role other than read the lines in a misguided southern accent, ostentatious lines that feel ripped right out of a comic book, those superficial statements that belong on posters, not as natural dialogue.

I did feel an inconsistent mixture of tones from Ghost Rider. Is it supposed to be campy, dark, action-packed, or solemn? I would've liked to see the film take a more solid approach down one of these avenues than see all this hodgepodge. When you're doing a story about fiery bounty hunters and 'Old Scratch', himself, it is expected for one to go full blown comical like "Bedazzled" or pitch black dark like "The Devil's Advocate." I'm not saying the comical bits rolled by without chuckles, but it clashes with the spooky villain's satanic plot of death.

Speaking of characters, there isn't much in that department, either, nothing on the level of inner struggle you'll find in the Spider-Man or Batman films. There are "good" guys, wicked incarnate fiery bounty hunters that are starving for adrenaline, and evil guys that just are. I do wonder why the evillest of them all looks so pampered, though, compared to his scary cronies. There must be a air-conditioned salon in Hades where one can get a nice shave, a bombastic demeanor and strapping overcoat.

Because it doesn't go deeper, even though I begged it to try, Ghost Rider was still enjoyable as a spookier-than-usual popcorn flick but clearly doesn't have the impact of other films, even those from the same genre, and suffers from the formulaic "comic book movie" blueprint it is "cursed" to follow.