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77 Reviews
Another "B" movie for Marvel but still in my collection
I don't care how much Nick Cage liked & read Ghost Rider when he was growing up, he should not have been cast in this role. His first transformation scene from regular Joe into Ghost Rider was his 30 seconds of fame for the part. Another let down was Peter Fonda. I think he was there only because he made a movie way back when called "Easy Rider". Sam Elliot as the old salty Ghost Rider just doesn't make it. Maybe it's because he plays to many salty old characters?
The storyline was good but the special effects where the bast part of the movie. It's still in my Marvel DVD collection but I purchased the cheapest version of the movie. Let's face it. What is going to compete with the Spidey or X-Men Trilogies?
The Wolverine movie I hope.Read full review...
DVD Bonus Features Reviewed !
As Promised I am posting about the 2 Disc Ghost Rider DVD that was just released!
The 2nd Disc is the one with the Bonus Features...
One of the Features is called: Spirit of Vengeance, The Making of Ghost Rider:
Part 1: This had some interesting interviews and some background history.
For those that did not know, this movie was supposed to be a 'supernatural western' movie, based on the 1950-1970's comic book version. That definitely has some of the fans upset, as they were expecting a more grim and gritty 1990's - 2000's Ghost Rider comic book version.
Johnny Blaze's bike was patterned after the movie 'Easy Rider' where Peter Fonda played 'Captain America'. Peter was also in this Ghost Rider movie, so the bike was intentionally styled after the one he rode in Easy Rider!
The coats the fallen angels wear were patterned after the coats worn by the gunslingers in 'Once Upon A Time In the West'!
Part 2: Some interesting background on the making of the movie... in Australia. This I found to be informative and a little entertaining. However it was seeing Eva Mendes, and Nic Cage doing their scenes that kept my interest.
Part 3: Could have done without this part... very technical, and overlong in running time. After the first few minutes, I didn't see anything valuable so fast forwarded thru some of it....
Next part of the Bonus Features was the Comic Book Origin featurettes:
1970's - actually started by going back to the 1950's where there was a 'Ghost Rider' from M.E. Comics, which got cancelled around the time of the Comics Code Authority coming into being. Dick Ayers was the artist on this version. Then in 1968 the Ghost Rider name was taken by Marvel Comics when Stan Lee directed Roy Thomas to have a comic written about this Ghost Rider who was also a western character. Roy had Gary Friedrich write the story and Dick Ayers was there to draw it! Westerns had become passe by then, so this Ghost Rider version lasted a short while only....
1980's - Roy Thomas was asked about having a motorcycle rider as a villain, which he had done in a Daredevil comic, with the villain called 'Stunt-Master'. However Roy decided that the concept should be a superhero instead of a villain, and thus the new Ghost Rider was born! Roy had been a fan of Elvis Presley since 1956 when Elvis sang Heartbreak Hotel, and remembered how hot Elvis looked in his leather outfit in the '68 'Comeback Special'. Thus the Ghost Rider had a look, which Mike Ploog the artist added to with a flaming skull head. Stan Lee called Roy and asked that the character's name be 'Johnny Blaze', which sounded a lot like 'Johnny Storm' the Human Torch who was a member of the Fantastic Four! Mike Ploog borrowed some concepts from Evel Knievel and the comic book lasted for several years!
1990's - This period was covered also. There was a new Ghost Rider, named Danny Ketch. I had read just a few of these comics, as Marvel expanded its' comic line by almost fourfold during this period, and I had cut back on purchases..... This period was sufficiently covered in the DVD for those who are fans of this period of the Ghost Rider.
2000's - This period was additionally covered, and had a good interview with the Kubert Family, (Joe, Adam and Andy), who were involved in this period. The Ghost Rider is now a more supernatural book, and a lot more grim and gritty.
Note: Not enough room left to finish this review. Please check our Blog!Read full review...
Ghost Rider and Niccolas Cage Collide Badly
First let me say that Ghost Rider is a great franchise. There are cartoons, comic books, action figures, lunch boxes, t-shirts and more. There should be this is a great story of a man who has gotten off track and how through a deal he made with the devil learns to overcome his worst enemy, himself. In addition the love interest is played by the beautiful Eva Mendes and the mentor is played by the ultra-cool Sam Elliott.
What I cannot understand about this movie is why the let Nicolas Cage play the lead. Sam Elliott I think would have done a fine job in this role even though in the comic it is played by a younger man. Perhaps Hugh Jackman would be a more plausible choice over the long run if there are going to be sequels. But almost anyone could have been stuck in there that is actually young and kind of a brawler. Heck even The Rock would work. However, I do not care how many movies his uncle's friends make of Nicolas Cage now 44 as a youthful toughguy he's even less of one than Patrick Swayze was in Roadhouse. And not the first time you saw it but if you watched it now. I think we have all seen how ridiculous Nicolas Cage (aka Kim Coppola nephew of Francis Ford Copolla) looked in Con Air. The only time he looked tough was when he had on his uniform and that is because we all know the men and women of the US Armed Forces are tough. The good news is that Nic does not get to speak much in this movie. We can only be thankful that dialogue-wise they were not trying to compete on the level of Kevin Smith films.
All in all its about average. It was nice to see Eva Mendes and Sam Elliott again but they appear infrequently. The special effects are over the top in the chase scene when they could of used that part of the effects budget to further develop the two villians. I liked the dual villian twist and the use of the tragic hero as a pawn of one of them against the other.Read full review...
When you make a deal with the devil---you get burnt
When I first heard that they were going to make a Ghost Rider movie,I was a little worried.
The reason, is that Hollywood does not't always stick to the character's origin-
(Ghost Rider was one of my favorite characters when I was growing up and I've owned or read most of the Gost Rider comics)
When I heard Nic Cage was going to be Johnny Blaze, I was also a little sceptical(Nic has been attached to several comic movies- from Superman to Iron Man,and for one reason or another not made them)
When this movie came out ,I decided to buy it, and chose this-the extended cut- and I'm very happy with the choice.
The movie has stayed true to it's comic origins(for the most part), and Nic Cage puts in his usual excellent performance.
In addition, the special effects are tremendous.
If you're a fan of Ghost Rider,(or Nic Cage) then I definitely recommend this movie.Read full review...
*~*~ AN "OK" MOVIE w/ GREAT SPECIAL EFFECTS *~*~ 6/10
Ghost Rider turned out to be just an "OK" movie. Somewhat long, with a storyline that just didnt get our full attention. Its based on the Marvel comic.
We bought this movie primarily for the following reasons:
*The awesome special effects of a skeletal Nicholas Cage, bound in leather on a flaming Harley.
*We have always enjoyed most all movies with Nicholas Cage
The storyline can be pretty much summed up with one making the ultimate sacrifice with the devil, while in turn chasing ones lifelong true love.
We felt Cage played a good role, as it appears many think different of his performance in this film.
Rent It or Buy It? We suggest renting it first!
You may (or may not) enjoy it, as we found it to be an "OK" film, and have only watched it twice. Its definitely not a movie we will watch very often, if at all.
OUR RATING: 5.5-6.0 out of 10
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The Movie Pushers...
Since I was a kid in the 1950's, I have always been one to enjoy special effects in the movies. From the revolutionary 1963 Tinseltown production of Jason and the Argonauts, to the modern digital creations of King Kong and Jurassic Park, special effects have always fascinated moviegoers everywhere... And in terms of special effects, the Ghost Rider did not disappoint, but the story line of a "good demon" vs. the "bad demon" was hard to swallow.
The story line reveals that a strong lead was needed just to make the movie appealing and "credible", and the hiring of actor Nicholas Cage, who made a reported $12 million for the film, was the kind of showcase needed just to sell it to the public. Although the Ghost Rider was considered a flop at the box office, it did recover very well through DVD sales, rentals, and movie downloads.
It is estimated that almost 35% of all movie releases within the movie industry today have a horror or demonic connotation attached to it, and the publics continual support of them validates this supply-demand-supply theory. The movie industry can be thought of as a kind of “Movie Pusherman”, and this movie appears to be yet another production designed to systematically supply and influence the publics appetite for movies that depict special effects, or demonic and horror themes.
But after watching this movie, it is so obvious why it was not a box office success and that this project was first and foremost "business" and to specifically capitalize from the money making power available within the publics appetite for special effects, Nicholas Cage, and "good evil vs. bad evil" horror movies.
Certainly, Hollywood will readly spend the $ducketts "where $cake will be made” and the Ghost Rider is one of those movies that was worth the risk, especially with a credible and dynamic actor like Nicholas Cage headlining the film. Cage is such a good actor that he can play twin borhters in a movie and the movie watcher will forget that it is just one person.. The Ghost Rider needed this kind of ingenuity just to bring some kind of life to the predictable script..
Shoot...!... anyone knows that with a veteran actor like Nicholas Cage headlining we can produce a movie called "Pimp-My-Outhouse", and if we add special effects and mix that storyline with an evil or good demon or ghost, we could even call it "Ghost in the Outhouse" and make a lot of $ducketts and $bread!
I think the public will see the continual stream of "good demon" vs. "bad demon", alien demons, and "evil" supernatural/space movie releases offered as "entertainment" more than other productions because they are what their "customers" crave.
It's alarming that the clever and witty "pusherman" that seeks and supplies users hoping to addict them to their offerings is so similar to movie producers today. It works even in Hollywood, so don't be Pimped...
Review by Brother Bleu, Publisher and Editor of the Urban Spirit...
http://www.goodgroundrecords.5u.com/about.htmlRead full review...
1 of my fav movies,extended cut tells a better story:)
I love how the devils pawn turns tail coat on him. I saw the theatrical release and went "wow that was cool". Then Starz Movie Channel announced it was going to air the extended cut of Ghost Rider. I had no ides there was one. Watched it and when "WOW, a much better story"! It's amazing how it changed the story. The elements in the extended version filled in the gaps. The movie made more sense. From my point of view what gets left out to tell a better story makes me not trust the people in charge for a movies release. If I see that Ghost Rider is on the schedule I wait to see if the Johnny's dad mentions the name of the motorcycle,. If I don't, I know it's not the extended cut and change the channel. That's why I wanted to purchase this version. I bought a Ghost Rider T-shirt, I saw the scull and knew it was ghost Rider!! I looked at the tag and it was a Marvel Comics tag!!! It's a profile picture of him on the shirt. A black shirt w/ a white skull on it. Wouldn't have mined some flames on the skull on it. I think that if there were some flames it would have been cooler, but I knew it was Ghost rider. My mom gives me heck when I wear it. I have to tell her he is a super hero that turned a devil's curse of servitude into a super power to fight all evil, including the devil himself. Talk about turning lemons into lemonade!!:) My mom just doesn't get it. And that's another reason I bought it, to make her watch it;) Well there you go, The generation gap fully in play. Know I'll say it, I'm 42 yrs old and I LOVE GHOSY RIDER!!!!!!!!!!! the extended cut. Thanks for reading this and Rock On like Johnny Blaze. Flying High Again... Oh, and I love Nicolas Cage, excellent casting when they chose him for the role!!!! Can't picture anyone else playing the part. But when it come to which version to watch... only the extended cut will do!!!!!Read full review...
Ghost Rider Extended Review
Ghost Rider has never been one of my favorites. I didn't really expect to like this movie at all. But the film is actually pretty well done. I found the special effects to be pretty cool, and there were also a few positive points for Nicholas Cage as far as his acting is concerned. This film is no typical comic book - superhero flick, which fans of "Ghost Rider" in general should be aware of already. It has enough of the "good movie" formula to be entertaining, at least upon the first viewing.Read full review...
Ghost Rider
IF YOU RIDE A HARLEY, YOU WILL LOVE THIS MOVIE. TRUE ENOUGH IT,S SOMEWHAT SIMPLE, BUT RIDING A FLAMING CHOPPER AND A HORSE ON FIRE THROUGH THE BARREN DESERT? COME ON ALL YOU NEGATIVE NAY SAYERS, DON,T YOU DO ANY THING EXCEPT SIT IN FRONT OF YOUR COMPUTER. AMERICA LOVES COWBOYS, AND THE LAST HOME FOR FREEDOM -ANTI- ESTABLISHMENT, COOL-COOL IS THE AMERICAN , HARLEY DAVIDSON MOTORCYCLE, DON,T YOU LIKE IT WHEN THEY ROAR PAST YOU ON THE ROAD? DONT YOU SOME TIMES WISH YOU WERE MORE LIKE THAT?MANY FAMOUS MOVIES, TITANIC COMES TO MIND, ALL FICTION, ARE GOOD, OK GET OUT OF THE BOX AND JUST ENJOY THIS FOR WHAT IT IS , THE GOOD GUYS WIN AND THE BAD GUYS LOOSE---AMERICARead full review...
Comic book hero brought to life
Nicholas Cage plays the comic book hero, Ghost Rider in the movie by the same name. Here, he plays the character of Johnny Blaze, a motorcycle stunt rider/jumper. The movie starts off with a young Johnny who works in a carnival with his dad in a motorcycle stunt show. Johnny, an accomplished rider, has other thoughts, those of young love. While he plans an escape with his girl, he learns of his dad's illness. A mysterious stranger, played by the icon Peter Fonda, offers Johnny a solution to his problems. The stranger offers to heal his dad, in exchange for his eternal soul. Johnny, not putting much stock in religious beliefs about his soul, eagerly signs the contract with his blood. With every deal with the Devil, there are always strings attached. He would soon lose his dad and his girl. He would try to resolve these problems for many years. It is when he meets his ex-girlfriend that everything comes together. This story is a classic tale of good and evil. The movie is as true to the comic book as possibly it could be. You will love the special effects and especially the soundtrack. Well worth watching and even buying.Read full review...