There’s nothing here that you haven’t seen previously in much better comic book movies.
Ghost Rider (2007)
Tomatometer
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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: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for horror violence and disturbing images
Runtime: 2 hrs 7 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Theatrical Release:Feb 16, 2007 Wide
Box Office: $115,802,596
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
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Release:
Nov 13, 2007
Reviews for Ghost Rider
The tagline for the new "Ghost Rider" movie promises that "Hell is about to be unleashed!" Actually, that might be an understatement. After seeing the movie, some might question whether it was the apocalypse that was unleashed.
It's ridiculous, likable, with some pleasing reminders of the Blade movies.
Grand, empty gestures and loads of CGI effects can’t cover up pure schlock. Even the character’s iconically cool trademarks -- a flaming skull and a fiery chopper -- are reduced to Velveeta slices. No, damn you, sir.
The self-conscious 'quirkiness' is painful: Nicolas Cage plays Johnny Blaze as a homespun dunce who 'drinks' jelly beans from a martini glass, listens exclusively to The Carpenters, and busts a gut laughing at chimpanzee slapstick on TV.
Yet another comic book adaptation that goes up in flames before our very eyes.
As comic book movies go, this delivers pretty much everything you could expect from a film about a guy with a flaming skull for a head.
Nic Cage seems comfortable in the role of the flaming-skulled biker, but the plot holes are too deep even for his Herbie-like arachnid motorcycle to negotiate.
The movie quickly devolves into a tiresome F/X spectacle, but Cage approaches the material with a gonzo sincerity that's strangely magnificent.
Fonda is smart casting as Mephistopheles, while sultry Mendes is topnotch eye-candy.
t’s fun in places, but the second you’re out the cinema, Ghost Rider vanishes from memory in a big puff of smoke.
By the time our hero has finally relaxed into his leathers, there's little time left to wrap up the main story, which is some forgettable stuff about the devil's progeny (a googly-eyed Wes Bentley) trying to take over the world.
A blockbuster that offers enough quirky pleasures to feel fresh and unpredictable.
Nicolas Cage is the film's only saving grace in a welter of cheesy (but accurate to the imagery of the Marvel series) special effects and dialogue.
The movie settles for cursory, disconnected allusions that don't exactly build character (Cage does some more Elvis impersonating and Elliott looks plenty leathery).
A pulpy cinematic comic book for teenage boys or adult males with arrested development. Next time, hopefully, they'll go for a Ghost Writer.
Mainly the movie's about riding a bike at the speed of sound while your head is burning. They can do anything these days, which isn't quite the same as saying they should do anything these days.
Let's face it, the appeal lies in the preposterous nature of all this -- and in Cage's truly bizarre performance.
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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