Seen: March 9th, 2007
Format: Theater
Rating: 7
While it's not too uncommon for me to see two films in a theater in a single day, seeing two comic book films is unheard of. I saw 300 this afternoon, and Ghost Rider this evening. I've said before that I don't go to the movies on Friday nights, but this was the exception, as it was my nephew's birthday, and I just can't say no to the kid.
I didn't love this film, but I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. I left feeling good, instead of bored, and maybe this is why.
Unlike 300, Ghost Rider takes much more than its stylistic cues from its comics heritage. Its characters are broadly defined. Each has their place and function. They each have arcs. They are revealed through the story, which is a fairly simple. It's a story or good vs. evil, of love and sacrifice, of redemption and defiance. Its story which, of itself, we may forget in days or hours, but whose timeless themes reverberate in our collective psyche.
Yeah, that's a bit over-the-top for a flick about a guy whose head catches fire, but it's not so far from the truth. And its why kids have loved comic for more than half a century.
Ghost Rider succeeds where 300 fails because all of its characters have fundamental flaws. Their individual stories center around rising above despite those flaws and the potential of their redemption (or destruction) based on their struggle. 300 has none of this. In 300 every character is perfect. Whether perfect in their good, their evil, their nobility or their hubris, no character 300 will grow or change in the course of the film. Everybody changes in Ghost Rider.
Ghost Rider has many flaws. The most glaring of which may be the thin underlying premise of the film. Johnny's deal with the devil, the legend of the rider, his conflicted feeling for Roxanne, these are all Ghost Rider legend and are the meat of the story. The contract and the rise of Legion are merely props to give the legend a place to play out.
The cast is good. I have a love/hate relationship with Peter Fonda. His portrayal wasn't great, which added to my personal irony. I think Nick Cage is solid. He's a little cheesy here, a little hick, a little weird but he doesn't try to make Johnny more heroic than he is. The tendency to be melodramatic he gives his character seems appropriate, given Blaze's background. I'll watch any film with Sam Elliot in it. I like Eva Mendes, but she's underutilized here. Donal Logue is another favorite.
The look of the the film is good . It's appropriately stylized, and the comic humor of spinning license plates and shattered windows translates to the screen. I seem to be immune to effects as of late, so I'll just say that for the most part, they served their function.
Stan Lee and Avi Arad have made a serious run at the industry lately, recycling Marvel's labors of the 70s into modern entertainment. I'm biased because I loved those comics as a kid. Seeing them come to life, even in compressed and compromised forms, still holds a lot of magic for me.
The Good: The chopper from hell, and its conflicted rider.
The Bad: Roxanne relegated to stereotypical eye candy.
The Ugly: Thin underlying plot.
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