Ghost Rider (2007)

Review by All Movie Guide
Many problems lie at the heart of Ghost Rider - from the writing all the way to the casting, though it's the general blandness of this hour and 50-minute snoozer that ends up being the real kiss of death for audiences. Though eager to shower it with boffo box office numbers, it's sad to say that many will walk out of this supremely dissatisfied with the end result. At best, forgiving viewers will label it with some kind of throwaway "beer and popcorn" excusing rationale, though that just reeks of a blind acceptance to this type of big screen junk. Terribly awful films that end up funny are one thing, but a zero style paint-by-numbers trip to dullsville is something completely different. Of course, none of this should come as any surprise to anyone that's familiar with director Mark Steven Johnson's previous work on Daredevil, but one should hope that the folks that deal with the system would learn a bit from their mistakes. The good news is that each scene could easily be taken from a comic panel, although there is almost no rhythm to tie it all together in an exciting manner. Emotionally, the movie is devoid of any weight, while the quirky character work just comes off unnecessary. Nicholas Cage might have waited decades to bring a big comic character to the big screen, but his depiction of Johnny Blaze feels uneven, never mind inept - as can be heard with his on-again/off-again Texas drawl. The stereotypical goth villains are also a letdown, with their cheesy black eye makeup and extra long trench coats eliciting more eye-rolls than sincere dread. Only Peter Fonda and Sam Elliot come out of the wreckage with a bit more face than the rest of the cast, though one senses that they could do this stuff in their sleep. CG effects are impressive, aside from the lame demon-face distortions that flash on top of character's faces for no good reason. Much like the first Fantastic Four film, Ghost Rider will stand as a clear miss on the origin tale, prompting many to hope for better treatments of this comic property in the future. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide