Ghost Rider

Director: Mark Steven Johnson

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Peter Fonda

Here’s to another comic superhero brought to the Big Screen by Marvel. Yet, this time there is more of a devilish feel to the save-the-day plot line.

The fantastic Nicolas Cage, most recently appearing in thriller National Treasure, plays the wacky Johnny Blaze. A hard rocker in appearance, albeit an avid Carpenters fan, Blaze is a stunt motorcyclists with a problem. Having sold his soul to Satan, who is known here as Mephistopheles and played by the amazingly well cast Peter Fonda, things have gone wrong. In return for saving the life of his father, Blaze is expected to join the Devil’s band of henchmen, acting as a bounty hunter for wayward souls. After a while of fulfilling this role, Blaze sees it as the disheartening and morbid job that it is, and, with his contract, runs away from Mephistopheles, knowing that one day he will catch up with him.

Years later Blaze is able to perform all sorts of wild stunts without injury in the knowledge that the Devil is keeping him alive. And there is certainly a task that Mephistopheles has in store for him, in the form the Ghost Rider. Blaze is to transform into this skeleton entity at night and ride his flaming motor cycle to complete a desperate mission: stop Meshistopheles’s son, Blackheart, and his band of divergent followers, from unleashing hell on earth. Can Blaze succeed, or is the world doomed to a fiery existence?

Directed by the man behind Daredevil, Ghost Rider is the kind of film that, whilst embracing action, is also just as good at stirring up the humour. Indeed, one can’t help but raise a smile at Blaze’s way of pumping himself up for his stunts by listening to the Carpenters and knocking back the jelly beans. This madcap character is portrayed perfectly by Cage. He seems to welcome the role sincerely in both its comedic moments and the more dramatic ones, such as the guilt of not being able to do more for his father.

Ok, so this is never going to make it up there with Superman or Spiderman, but is still a great action movie that makes perfect light entertainment and a must for all superhero followers. With effects and stunts galore, this blazing flick is hot viewing, so sit back and enjoy the ride. It’s going to be a good one.

Laura Sparshot