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Ghost Rider (2007)
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Reviews Counted:125
Fresh:33
Rotten:92
Average Rating:4.3/10
Consensus: Ghost Rider is a sour mix of morose, glum histrionics amidst jokey puns and hammy dialogue.
Rated: 12A [See Full Rating] for horror violence and disturbing images
Runtime: 2 hrs 7 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Theatrical Release:02-03-2007
Synopsis: The prophetically named Johnny Blaze and his father perform death-defying stunts in a carnival, but the real danger to his dad's life is the cancer growing within his dying body. To save him,... The prophetically named Johnny Blaze and his father perform death-defying stunts in a carnival, but the real danger to his dad's life is the cancer growing within his dying body. To save him, Johnny makes a deal with Mephistopheles (Peter Fonda, EASY RIDER) and sacrifices his soul. When his father is killed mid-stunt, Johnny runs away, leaving behind his grief and a young love named Roxanne. Years later, Johnny (Nicolas Cage, WORLD TRADE CENTER ) is the most famous rider in the country. Despite his daredevil tendencies, Johnny is a different man when he's not riding his bike. Though he wears leather jackets and pants, he prefers jelly beans to Jim Beam while listening to the Carpenters. Years have passed since Johnny has seen the love of his life, but he still carries a torch for Roxanne (Eva Mendes, HITCH). When he sees her after a stunt, he tries to regain her love and trust. But it's time for the devil to take his due as he brings Johnny into an epic battle with Blackheart (Wes Bentley, AMERICAN BEAUTY). In the presence of evil, Johnny transforms into a super-strong skeleton with a flaming skull who has the power to defeat Blackheart and his minions. As Johnny, Cage plays a cross between his Elvis devotee in WILD AT HEART and the sensitive he-man in CON AIR. The evil Mephistopheles is Fonda's most memorable role since his Oscar-nominated turn in ULEE'S GOLD, and this film provides an opportunity for him to return to the spotlight. GHOST RIDER doesn't rank with the best of the comic book adaptations such as SPIDER-MAN and BATMAN BEGINS, but director Mark Steven Johnson (DAREDEVIL) provides a film driven by both humor and action. [More]
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Wes Bentley, Eva Mendes, Sam Elliott
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Wes Bentley, Eva Mendes, Sam Elliott, Peter Fonda, Donal Logue, Matt Long, Raquel Alessi, Brett Cullen, Gibson Nolte
Director: Mark Steven Johnson
Director: Mark Steven Johnson
Screenwriter: Mark Steven Johnson
Producer: Avi Arad, Gary Foster, Michael De Luca, Steven Paul, E. Bennett Walsh
Composer: Christopher Young
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Reviews for Ghost Rider
A sodden, listless mess that wouldn't thrill even the most ardent Hot Topic enthusiast.
This is the type of film for which the actors involved carefully describe it in press junkets and interviews as “a lot of fun” rather than good.
Not as dreadful as the studio’s decision to withhold press screenings until less than 24 hours before opening day would suggest, but not especially good either.
Provides just enough pop thrills and slam-bang action to make it perfectly acceptable matinee fare.
The story doesn't arc so much as unspool like a stretch of desert highway, but the Ghost Rider is such a powerful amalgam of hot-rod iconography that this is still fairly watchable.
A classic example of style over substance, a usually negative criticism that works fine here. "Ghost Rider" is second tier Marvel, played fast and flashy.
The blank, frenetic exhaustion of the final reel acts like a kid who tries to snap out of a candy-binge coma by snorting lines of Pixy Stix.
Rarely in Hollywood have so many labored so hard with so much time and such financial resources to fill a movie screen with as vast an array of spiritual gibberish, literary poppycock and pure flummery as Mark Steven Johnson's Ghost Rider.
It's not quite a thrill ride but it isn't a total embarrassment for Cage. It's certainly no worse than Wicker Man, which depicted the actor chasing hippie chicks in a bear suit.
Anyone who knows the character from the comics will be disappointed. Anyone outside a head-banging 13-year-old will be laughing their asses off.
Ghost Rider had some excellent one-liners, comedic breaks, and enough excitement to keep me wondering when and where the next battle might ensue.
The story is rather lame. It's the star power that makes this worth the price of admission.
Only when the flaming skeleton strides his fiery bike does the film hit high gear which, admittedly, is often enough to make this a passably diverting two hours.
Nicolas Cage wangs it up with a not-so-subtle Elvis impersonation as Johnny Blaze, the comic book hero who transforms into a flaming skeleton bounty hunter for the Devil.
turns the heat up in an otherwise cold and dreary winter movie season.
'I've always wanted Scott Baio's scalp from Charles in Charge, and now I have it,' said Nick.
Latest News for Ghost Rider
November 05, 2009:
David Goyer Promises "Existential" Ghost Rider Sequel ![]()
Saying it will be the "Casino Royale" of the franchise, David Goyer spoke with MTV about the "Ghost Rider" sequel, which he says will find Nicolas Cage in a "much darker,... More...
October 02, 2009:
David Goyer Talks Ghost Rider 2 and Magneto ![]()
"Ghost Rider 2" is coming together with a script he wrote almost a decade ago. Will it take that long for David Goyer to get "Magneto" into theaters? More...
July 15, 2009:
Nicolas Cage Talks Ghost Rider 2 ![]()
Curious about Nicolas Cage's plans for "Ghost Rider 2"? You won't want to miss the actor's new interview with MTV. More...
January 29, 2009:
Ghost Rider Rides Again ![]()
You knew Nicolas Cage wanted it to happen, and it looks like he'll get his wish: Bloody Disgusting is reporting that Columbia Pictures has started development on "Ghost Rider 2." More...
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