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Ghost Rider

2007, Movie, PG-13, 114 mins

Ghost Rider: Review

GHOST RIDER
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Marvel-man Mark Steven Johnson, who wrote and directed DAREDEVIL (2003) and scripted ELEKTRA (2005), continues to demonstrate the wrong way to make comic-book movies: Make sure special effects overwhelm the characters, let campy mannerisms go unchecked and be sure dialogue is declaimed rather than spoken.
Teenaged Johnny Blaze (Matt Long) sold his soul to Mephistopheles (Peter Fonda) to save his father, veteran stunt biker Barton (Brett Cullen), from cancer. But, as the Devil does, Mephistopheles cooks the deal: He heals Barton overnight just so he can die during a dangerous stunt. The terrified Johnny hits the road in hopes of outrunning his destiny, leaving behind first love Roxanne Simpson (Raquel Alessi). Some 15 years later, Johnny (Nicolas Cage) is still running. He's become a world-famous daredevil, accomplishing apparently impossible stunts and surviving what should be fatal accidents, but he's haunted and hopes for redemption. When Roxanne (Eva Mendes) walks back into his life, he believes he's found his sign. Unfortunately, destiny also comes to call: Mephistopheles needs Johnny to deal with his wayward son, Blackheart (Wes Bentley), who's planning an infernal take over with his demon pals (Laurence Breuls, Daniel Frederiksen, Mathew Wilkinson). Mephistopheles unleashes Johnny's inner Ghost Rider: At night, Johnny becomes the Devil's bounty hunter, a leather-clad skeleton on a hell-bound hog, skull and hands aflame. Advised by the Caretaker (Sam Elliott), a rangy old man who knows an awful lot about ghost riders, hell spawn and such, Johnny must simultaneously master his powers, rekindle his romance with Roxanne and stop Blackheart from inflicting his own brand of hell on the world.
If the devil is in the details, GHOST RIDER is damned. Why can Blackheart kill a priest in a church when the Caretaker says evil elementals can't enter hallowed ground? If Johnny walks away from bone-shattering smash-ups unscathed, how does a junkie's knife wound Ghost Rider? Why does Johnny worship the Carpenters, talk like Elvis, and gobble red-and-yellow jelly beans from a martini glass? Motivated eccentricities reveal character; pointless quirks reveal screenwriters scrambling for ideas. As to why Johnny looks old enough to be Roxanne's father, the answer speaks volumes: Cage is bankable, an actress his age is mom material, and Mendes' youthful bust trumps Roxanne's backstory. Good pulp fiction is driven by the truths beneath the conventions. Prefab junk runs on contempt for fans, with a layer of goodies and gimmicks on top. leave a comment --Maitland McDonagh
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