Ghost Rider Reviews

A dud

What could have been an entertaining romp was reduced to a poor film with a dire plot and serious charcter flaws. Cage seemed to be running on auto pilot and Mendes seems to be here just for the eye candy.

Banish This Film To Hell!!!

Some impressive cgi special effects aren't enough to rescue this pic from the same pitfalls that have come to characterise most comic book adaptations - two demensional characters, formulaic plot and style over content. A shame that more directors dont take a leaf out of Christopher Nolan's book and make a superhero film that actually has something interesting to say.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Cheesier than a family pack of cheetos but good...

We were warned not to watch this, but you know, even though it has more cheese than a french deli, and so many dumb lines and scenes it will leave you with a full 'what did I watch that for' smile. It is still pretty good,. Certainly one for the rental list rather than making a trip to the flicks for, go on... you know you are interested or you wouldn't be reading the reviews.. put it on your list and taste that fromage...

[Highly rated reviewer]

A terrible missed opportunity!

Ghost Rider has never really been a big title for Marvel comics. Originating in the 70s, the first incarnation was a bit of a mess really, with cheesy stories, and dialogue akin to a medieval monk's writings (all “Thy powers art foulest!” and the like). Over the past couple of decades attempts were made to make the comic more serious, to quite a good degree – but the popularity of the character didn't really increase. There were hopes that this film would be akin to Blade, being a more mature comic book vigilante tale.

Unfortunately it is even more of a mess than the original comics were!

The film tells the tale of Johnny Blaze (Nic Cage), a stunt rider who makes a deal with the devil (well, with Mephistopholes anyway) and finds himself transformed into Ghost Rider. His task is to reap all the evil souls and send them back to hell, and in particular he must get the soul of Blackheart, a rougue agent of Hell. Along the way he gets advice from a mysterious (in a 'oh complete lack of surprise when his past is revealed' kind of way) gravekeeper (Sam Elliot). Can he complete his task and save his own soul at the same time?

So, where does it all go wrong? Well, for a start the delayed release date “to touch up the effects” didn't do much, and we have yet another badly CGI filled film. Ghost Rider's skull is impressive on its own, but sits (wobbly) on top of a very stiff body which makes him look like he has arthritis! Then there is Cage's complete excitement at finally playing a comic book role, which meant he forgot how to act! Throw in some of the most humdrum action scenes – only a skilled director can make a chase scene which involves cop cars, a flaming bike, and a helicopter really boring – and some totally pointless scenes (“I still have one ride left in me!” for one....what was the point?) and the result is a film that puts comic-book movies back decades! As for the 'penance stare' – it makes the victim see a swirly mess of images that reminded me of watching Mummy Returns and Van Helsing...so I guess that explains why it kills your mind!

This is a huge, kiddified disappointment of a film, and it is no wonder that Stan Lee doesn't cameo in it (he always pops up in the first film in a Marvel franchise). He must have seen some rough cuts and refused to put his name to it.

wow!

What a film! Good story. Special effects spectacular. A bit slow to start so not five stars, but stay with it. It's a well acted and Nicholas Cage is he's moody and distanced best. Watch it and stay with it. It's cool!

[Highly rated reviewer]

Moderately entertained. 6/10

As both my wife and I are Cage fans this movie had the opportunity of being a real treat, despite the fact that most comic book translations outside of perhaps the X-men and Spiderman disappoint Ghost Rider was eagerly awaited. Sadly it was not worth the wait, although parts of this movie were entertaining and the director had made big efforts to make the movie ‘funky’ for want of a better expression, it just did not pack a punch, in fact by the end we were both bored stupid. The story follows stunt motorcyclist Johnny Blaze (Cage) who discovers he has a special ability but with that ability comes a horror he could not have imagined. Sounds ok? Well it is in principle, plenty of chasing and some moderately entertaining evil characters however even with Cage’s charming way he could not rescue what is a weak and emotionally blank film that in the end just goes on too long! Possibly fans of the comics or this style of film might enjoy but your average viewer should not expect to be more than moderately entertained. 6/10 3 stars.

Dreadful

This film made me feel like you do on a rainy sunday before you go back to work. It's just not very good. Ghost Rider looks cool in the comics but a live action version just looked a little silly to me. The CGI looked a little cheap and rushed at points.

So there you go.

Ghostrider rocks!

Nicholas Cage is brilliant in this movie. The baddies were ace - I just wish they'd died more painfully. I don't know why the others hated this movie - watched a different film? My missus loved Cage's hair and can't wait to see if they'll do a sequel.

Nothing on telly? Try this

It's a film about a guy who turns into a burning skeleton and fights evil. What more needs to be said? leave brain at door, crack open a cold one and have 2 hours of nonsense flow over you.

Perfect for 14 year old boys

This is a boys own adventure. It's not scary, though some of the images could give nightmares to the very sensitive. My 14 year old son loved it but I thought it was very boring and silly. My 18 year old son and his girlfriend hated it. The story was quite a good idea, I suppose. It was at least different to many of the films that are coming out at the moment.