Smoreni Zmaj "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

merelyaninnuendo Ghost RiderEven though being childish and flawed, it is quite fun in bits and pieces and allows you to finish it without being annoyed, considering its premise.

Screen_Blitz 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.

Leofwine_draca I watch a lot of B-movies and have seen a lot of bad films. The two go hand in hand and I'm pretty used to the latter; bad films can usually be entertaining as long as they don't ever become boring – the cardinal sin of movie-making in my book. Unfortunately, this latest comic book extravaganza is exactly that, one long, bloated and boring mess that has virtually no redeeming features whatsoever to recommend it. I'm getting pretty tired with the new spate of comic book adaptations; sure the likes of SPIDER-MAN and even DAREDEVIL were fun to begin with, and I'll always enjoy Frank Miller's work, but even the 'good' new ones still feel bloated and soulless. GHOST RIDER must be the very nadir, a film that ties with FANTASTIC FOUR for sheer godawful-ness, and the only interest that can come from watching it is seeing Nicolas Cage's career in free-fall after his once promising days as a Hollywood hero.The plot is some ineffectual bit of fluff about Cage acting as the devil's hired hand, taking care of bad guys and sending up their souls to hell. Inevitably he ends up going against the devil's son, played here by Wes Bentley, who has to deal with his character's face keep breaking out into bad CGI effects. Peter Fonda, with absolutely awful hair, makes zero impression as the devil – Gabriel Byrne in END OF DAYS did it better – but the worst actor by far is Cage. His awful mannerisms I used to laugh at – until now I realise that they're his gimmick, his only acting ability. The silly faces he pulls, the rubbery expressions, all of it is diabolical – he's just completely laughable and I now have zero respect for him. Even worse, Cage is regularly doubled by a stunt guy, and most of his motorbike scenes are obviously done with that dated effect of having the vehicle stationary while the background moves behind him.So what else is there to say about GHOST RIDER? Sure, some of the special effects are good – what with the flaming skull and flaking skin – nice 3D work even if it does look a bit cartoonish in places. Eva Mendes also seems to be another special effect, a long line of actresses chosen for their 'beauty' rather than any discernible acting ability. The plot drags out for two hours but boils down to simply 'defeat the bad guy' stuff yet again and the silly baddies reminded me of the equally bad VAN HELSING. GHOST RIDER sure is pretty, but it's also pretty awful.