"Trying to Catch the Devil's Herd..."
Ghost Rider Fires Up Comic Book Hero

It's not easy to think of Nicholas Cage as a superhero. Years ago, Cage had nearly been cast as Superman in what would have been -- in my opinion -- the worst casting decision in history. Cage doesn't have the stance, poise, or heroic charm that it takes to be Superman. But he does have passion and an amazing ability to look tortured even under the best of circumstances. Oddly enough, he turned out to be ideal for the film adaptation of the comic book Ghost Rider.

Ghost Rider
At night, in the presence of evil, stunt rider Johnny Blaze becomes the Ghost Rider in Ghost Rider. (Columbia Pictures, 2007)
Directed by: Mark Steven Johnson
Written by: Mark Steven Johnson
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Peter Fonda, Sam Elliott, Eva Mendez, Wes Bentley, and Donal Logue

Rated PG-13 (for horror violence and disturbing images)
Running time: 114 min.

FilmGuru's Rating : 7 out of 10.

Ghost Rider has gone through several changes over the years. The film follows the original story introduced in the 1970s comic book. Stunt motorcyclist Johnny Blaze (Cage) makes a deal with Mephistopheles (Peter Fonda) to save his father -- who is dying of cancer.

To Johnny's dismay, his father is cured only to die in a freak accident a short time later. When Mephistopheles comes to collect, he turns Blaze into his bounty hunter, a vengeance demon that collects souls of the wicked. With a flaming skull and supernatural powers, the Ghost Rider tracks evil souls from dusk till dawn. But a piece of Johnny Blaze's soul still exists, helping the innocent when they are in need.

While the origin story relies heavily on the first Ghost Rider comic book, the look and feel of the film are directly lifted from the second Ghost Rider series that debuted in 1990. Johnny Blaze's black leather jacket (complete with chains) and his fire-engulfed motorcycle are more reminiscent of the Daniel Ketch character of the Ghost Rider. Likewise, the character of the demon Blackheart (Wes Bentley) is from the '90s incarnation of the series.

Ghost Rider offers a number of memorable moments, especially the transformation of the Caretaker (Sam Elliott) as he rides along side Johnny Blaze. However, like other Marvel Comic film adaptations, this film goes for style over substance. It relies on great visuals and jaw-dropping effects to sell a mediocre story. The plot is predictable, even for those who haven't read the comics. The advantage, of course, is that any origin story sets up a series for possible sequels. It doesn't matter what the hero does, only that he can do it again.

To my surprise, Cage makes a pretty decent Johnny Blaze. His ability to seem both alienated and haunted helped sell the image of a tortured soul. Of course, Cage only had to create one half of the persona. Computer graphics create the fiery-headed demon -- with varying degrees of success. At times, the image looks perfect. At other times, the limitations of a computer generated actor are too clearly revealed.

As a comic book fan, I really enjoyed Ghost Rider. Although I was never a huge fan of the 1990s comic book, I picked up my fair share of the old Johnny Blaze stories when I was kid. I liked seeing an old hero come to life, even if it wasn't one of the A-list heroes from Marvel Comics. With Iron Man due out in 2008, I can only wonder how much longer we'll have to wait to see Captain America given the treatment his iconic character deserves.