Ghost Rider

[KLAXXON]

"Yippie yi Ohhh
Yippie yi yaaay
Ghost Riders in the sky"

The Marvel Universe is a big place - full of superheroes, super-villains and secret identities. From Ant-Man, through to the X-Men, there's a legion of characters, each with their own story. It's not surprising then, that those of us who've a passion for big screen, comic book adaptations are never very far away from another offering. The latest (anti) hero to appear on DVD is Johnny Blaze aka the Ghost Rider, demonic bounty hunter of the devil, tasked with bringing escaped souls back to hell.

In an attempt to save his dying father, circus stunt rider Blaze (Nicolas Cage) makes a pact with the Devil (Peter Fonda), parting with his soul in return for his father's health. Unfortunately for Blaze, Mephistopheles deceives him and his father dies shortly afterwards during a stunt exhibition. Leaving the circus and his girlfriend Roxanne (Eva Mendez) behind; Blaze sets off on the road to become the world's most famous stunt rider.

Several years later, Roxanne, now a TV reporter, re-enters Blaze's life when she covers his latest world record attempt, but their reunion is not going to be easy. Mephistopheles calls upon Blaze to track down the demonic Blackheart (Wes Bentley), who's planning on ousting Mephistopheles and rule Hell as his own. Bound by the pact he'd made, each night Blaze must become the Ghost Rider and unwillingly search for Blackheart until he fulfills his part of the bargain and defeats this demon. Only then will he win back his own soul from the Devil.

So, how does director Mark Steven Johnson’s latest effort shape up against his previous comic book projects (Daredevil and its spin-off Elektra)? Well, to be honest, compared to Elektra anything would shine. Whilst Daredevil had some quality villains, Ghost Rider's are rather damp (especially Bentley), but while Daredevil suffered from some poor casting with the rather wooden Ben Affleck in staring role, Cage is perfectly cast.

Although Johnny Depp was reportedly keen to have played the title role, it’s hard to see anyone else other than Cage as being able to pull this off. A life long fan, Cage IS Ghost Rider. His interest in the project proves to have been worthwhile and he delivers a performance worthy of the character. A few years back, Cage was destined to be the new-look Superman, but could anyone really see him in a pair of red underpants and cape? Black leather, flaming skull and a motorcycle are much better suited!

Yes, the villains are fairly weak, yes the script is sometimes beyond cheesy and yes it takes 45mins for the Rider to appear, but when he does its all worthwhile! With an abundance of superhero movies to choose from, Ghost Rider is something for those of us who like their heroes slightly darker, for those Jack Daniels drinkers amongst us; those of us who think the X-men are too camp and Batman just not scary enough to be taken seriously by any credible villain. Loud and noisy, with some awesome action sequences and visual effects, Ghost Rider is not to be missed.

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


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