Since I received one "like" on my last review (the 2nd "like" was mine haha) and writing a review is great for time-killing at work, I've decided to post my second review on comicbookmovie.com!
Ghost Rider (2007) is a comic book adaptation of a classic character which puts the hero in league with a Ghost Rider-cowboy to face off against the devil, Mephisto and his son, Blackheart. It did not fare well with reviewers when it was released, but got by at the box office to the point that it warranted a sequel. So after almost 6 years I wanted to know, was it as bad as I remember?
Actually, it is worse than I remembered. The plot is dumb at best, and the acting is just BRUTAL. Let me take this moment to apologize for reminding you that this movie exists.
The general storyline deals with Blackheart wanting power from his father as he is jealous of the Ghost Rider's abilities, so his plan is to destroy them both and take it. Super original.
The movie is filled with awful story, but the scene that stands out for me happens toward then end when this cowboy Ghost Rider says he has "one last ride" in him and he follows Ghost Rider to the bad guy in epic CGI fashion. After a minute or 2 of twin Ghost Riders they stop and the Cowboy G.R just leaves, accomplishing zero. It was an absolutely useless scene/plot-point just to show off a little special effect.
I am still not understanding why there would be a new Ghost Rider if the original still lives, and why Mephisto wouldn't just go to his pre-existing Ghost Rider for help. For that matter, why doesn't Blackheart hate the Cowboy Ghost Rider? It's like he doesn't even know that one exists somehow. The entire movie is littered with questions like this. And don't get me started on the romance sub-plot.
Garbage-can story aside, the acting still ruins this movie alone. Nick Cage is painful to watch in this one, I know he isn't always bad, I recall Adaptation being a good movie, but in this one he is going out of his way to be cheesy and make these weird facial expressions that I'm assuming he was "inspired" to use when researching some old shitty Ghost Rider comics from the 90s. And he wasn't even close to the worst in this one.
Eva Mendes has never been good in anything she has ever done, she always just plays a dumb girlfriend. I somewhat enjoyed a scene where they are first re-united, she plays a reporter interviewing the stunt man for television and he keeps bringing the interview questions back to their personal relationship, but this was the only positive moment for her (and almost the whole movie). Any chemistry there is gone almost instantly and really, this love-story does nothing for the movie.
Sam Elliot plays a useless mentor-ish character that is the previous Ghost Rider (why why why??) and he purely exists for his deep, cowboy-esque voice and helpful storyline explanations.
And the worst acting comes from our villian, Blackheart himself played by Wes Bentley, who has since admitted to being hooked on heroin at the time of filming this movie, and using it only as a paycheck to continue shooting up. I will concede that since he played the son of satan, his junkie look wasn't bad for the role, just everything else he does is terrible.
On a positive note, I will say I kind of enjoyed Peter Fonda as Mephisto, he was a good creepy old man. And guess what? They replace him in the sequel.
All in all, this movie is just terrible. Avoid it. I can only hope Sony does the same thing as Fox and attempts to consolidate their own Marvel Universe (how bomb would a Spider-Man movie be with Ghost Rider in it?)
3/10
Thanks!