Ghost Rider (2007)

Director:

Mark Steven Johnson

Writers (WGA):

Mark Steven Johnson (screenplay)
Mark Steven Johnson (screen story)

Release Date:

16 February 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Fantasy | Thriller

Tagline:

Long ago he made a deal to save someone he loved.

Plot:

Based on the Marvel character, stunt motorcyclist Johnny Blaze gives up his soul to become a hellblazing vigilante, to fight against power hungry Blackheart, the son of the devil himself.

Plot Keywords:

Exploding Car | Fall From Height | Person On Fire | Helicopter | Father Son Relationship

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Matt Long	...	Young Johnny Blaze
Raquel Alessi	...	Young Roxanne Simpson
Brett Cullen	...	Barton Blaze
Peter Fonda	...	Mephistopheles
Nicolas Cage	...	Johnny Blaze / Ghost Rider
Donal Logue	...	Mack
Tony Ghosthawk	...	Team Blaze
Hugh Sexton	...	Team Blaze
Marcus Jones	...	Team Blaze
Matt Norman	...	Team Blaze
Kenneth Ransom	...	T.V. Reporter
Lawrence Cameron Steele	...	X Games Announcer (as Cameron Steele)
Wes Bentley	...	Blackheart
Eddie Baroo	...	Motorcycle Gang Member
Jessica Napier	...	Broken Spoke Waitress

Also Known As:

Spirited Racer (Philippines: English title) (review title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for horror violence and disturbing images.

Runtime:

114 min | 123 min (extended cut)

Country:

USA | Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Cinevex)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS (8 channels) | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Portugal:M/12 | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | UK:15 (DVD rating) | Sweden:15 | UK:12 (UMD rating) | Hong Kong:IIA | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Australia:M | Italy:VM14 | Peru:14 | Netherlands:12 | South Korea:15 | USA:PG-13 | UK:12A | Ireland:15 (DVD rating) | Argentina:13 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Brazil:14 | Singapore:PG | Ireland:12 (UMD rating) | Ireland:12A | Canada:G (Quebec) | Germany:12 | Malaysia:U | Finland:K-13 | Norway:11

Filming Locations:

Bacchus Marsh, Victoria, Australia

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

To create the Ghost Rider's voice, sound designer 'Dane Davis (I)' recorded all of Nicolas Cage's lines as the Ghost Rider, and then filtered them through three different kinds of animal growls (played backwards, covering three separate frequencies) and then played them through a mechanical volumizer, before finally giving them a fiery crackle. Director Mark Steven Johnson compared it to "a deep, demonic, mechanical lion's roar" and says that "one thing is for sure, his voice will shake the theatre!"

Goofs:

Continuity: When Blaze steps on his bike and says "Let's ride", he turns into Ghost Rider, and you can see his skeletal hands on fire (no gloves). In the very next shot, as Blaze and Slade are riding through the desert, Blaze suddenly has gloves on.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Caretaker: [voiceover] It's said that the West was built on legends. Tall tales that help us make sense of things too great or too terrifying to believe. This is the legend of the Ghost Rider.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Robot Chicken: Massage Chair (#2.9)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

(Ghost) Riders In The Sky

Saw it for free...if you can't...DON'T.

I've heard those who defend this sad film state "It's a movie based on a comic book, what did you expect?" This annoys any true comic/graphic novel appreciator because not only do statements like that give Hollywood the impression that producing weak films based on comics is acceptable to the fans, it also seems to indicate that the true fans of the comics are reading books that are similar to the films. Let me state this emphatically: Ghostrider the comic ECLIPSES Ghostrider the film. There is no comparison. The movie was simply nonsensical, but the acting was simply terrible.

Half the city blows up when Ghostrider travels the streets, and they find one charred license plate and BAM, they surround Johnny Blaze with guns drawn, curse him out during an interrogation, and then blame him for some obviously bizarre murders. HUH? You mean out of all of those exploding cars only HIS charred plates were supposed to be a clue? There must have been dozens at least. Even staggering is the assumption that he was a murderer. What made them think he murdered anyone? He didn't even seem to have a prior record. Those are some amazing leaps but even more importantly, they are indications that the writer isn't creative enough to come up with a more realistic scenario so he cuts to the chase without worry of making any sense.

In other words, the writer is a "hack".

The villains...oh God...they were the sorriest I've seen on screen in some time. I could start by saying that the demons were weak but that in itself is an understatement. One punch and the "earth" demon is already screaming "mercy"? He didn't even use his "earth demon" powers, just a large truck to smash into Ghostrider. Talk about under-utilizing your skills. The water-demons "powerful" abilities allow him to turn into a puddle and grab Ghostrider by the foot. Wow. The wind-demon had the ability to push Ghostrider really really hard. Oh and Blackheart pokes people with his finger and they dry up.

Satan SHOULD HAVE BEEN HAPPY TO BE RID OF THOSE LAME BRAINS! One thing I noticed is how poorly Ghostrider was used in this film and when he was used it made no sense. A knife wound to the shoulder while as Ghostrider shows up on Johnny, so obviously bullet wounds as Ghostrider should kill Johnny when he turns back right? Wrong.

I'll skip over Eva Mendez and the romance in the film because it looked as if the director did to, but Nick Cage just does not seem to be trying anymore. The whole mirror sequence with Cage acting goofy and chomping his teeth was so embarrassing to watch I actually felt bad for the guy. Just when I didn't think it could get any worse, there he was snarling and swiping the air at bad guys in a jail cell when they were about to attack him for...well for no real reason really. This is a real low for Cage.

The best that I can say about this film is that some of the graphics passable at times. That's it.

Johnny Blaze said "He may have my soul but he doesn't have my spirit", well they may have gotten my time but they didn't get my money.

I saw it for free...if you can't...don't.