In this FandomWire Video Essay, we explore why Ghost Rider is better than you remember.
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Is Ghost Rider (2007) Better Than You Remember?
2007’s Ghost Rider isn’t exactly fondly remembered. After all, it has a 5.2 rating on IMDb, a 35 on Metacritic, and a 27% on Rotten Tomatoes. IGN even ranked the film 7th on its list of the worst comic book movies of the 2000s, and Nicolas Cage received a Razzie nomination in the Worst Actor category. But the film was moderately successful on a financial level, having made $228 million worldwide on a $110 million budget, and despite its many flaws, the chances are that it’s much better than you remember it being.
It makes sense that the film was financially successful because Ghost Rider is a popular character in the comics. Having debuted in Marvel Spotlight issue #5 in March of 1972, Ghost Rider proved to be so popular that he received his own series beginning in 1973. And prior to the film’s release, an ongoing Ghost Rider monthly series began getting published in July 2006.
In Marvel lore, Ghost Rider is a mantle given to an individual who makes a deal with the Devil. The version we see in the 2007 film is the most recognizable and prominent character to take the title — Johnny Blaze, a motorcycle stuntman who sells his soul in exchange for the Devil curing his father’s cancer. As part of this deal, he becomes the bounty hunter of the damned and is given supernatural powers.
The film was directed by Mark Steven Johnson, who had already experienced moderate success in the superhero genre, having directed the 2003’s Daredevil. Although it might not have been the most critically lauded, Daredevil was again a decent financial success, making $179 million against its $78 million budget. Johnson played a big part in bringing superhero movies into the mainstream, so it was fitting to see him tackle another, slightly more niche character.
When Ghost Rider premiered in 2007, comic book movies were still finding their footing as a genre. To that point, the adaptations we had seen tended to lean into the camp and cheesiness associated with comic books, with the X-Men trilogy acting as the greatest exception, which was widely considered the highlight of comic book adaptations till then. Although many might not think of Ghost Rider as a groundbreaking film in the genre, in a way, it set the precedent for what a superhero movie could be.
Although most would likely think Ghost Rider should be a counterculture biker movie, the film has several significant Western influences. The background is there — as the original character named “Ghost Rider” in Marvel comics was later renamed Phantom Rider after the motorcycle-riding Johnny Blaze was introduced to the canon. What we see in the film is a blend of the different versions of characters who’ve taken up the moniker, something that many comic book movies have attempted to pull off, but few have succeeded in.
Ghost Rider is one of the first comic book movies to truly blend genres. The Blade trilogy had incorporated elements of horror and action, but Ghost Rider’s way of merging these genres is seamless in a way that many films in the MCU would do with other genres down the line.
There’s no denying that this, much like the rest of the superhero movies of the 2000s, is clearly a product of its time. The use of CGI is… dated. But it’s important to remember that the technology in 2007 was nowhere near as developed as it is in the 2020s. Of course, if you look at a movie like Ghost Rider against something like Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, there is going to be a significant gap in the quality of execution.
Still, for what it is, the movie succeeds in bringing one of Marvel’s most popular characters to the big screen in a way that feels genuine to the source material. The use of CGI allows them to recreate the flaming skull of the character in a way that feels accurate, if not particularly realistic. And with the horror influence of the film, seeing the transformation from Johnny Blaze to Ghost Rider is pretty gnarly, despite being held back by the film’s PG-13 rating.
Costuming is another elevated area of the film. Granted, it’s not hard to recreate a character whose whole aesthetic is black leather biker gear, but if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. From a visual standpoint, 2007’s Ghost Rider sticks faithfully to the on-the-page design, and it’s all the better for it because the style is a big part of what made fans love the comic books in the first place.
Of course, no superhero movie is complete without its hero — and Ghost Rider has a great one in Nicolas Cage. This film holds a place at a turning point in Cage’s filmography. It’s certainly after his prime — which arguably took place in the ‘90s with films like Face/Off and his Oscar-winning turn in Leaving Las Vegas — and it’s right before his downward spiral into straight-to-Video On Demand territory. While it’s not one of his best turns, Ghost Rider showed Cage could still be a leading man in a major IP after his last film: the critical and audience dud The Wicker Man.
Nicolas Cage as Ghost Rider is one of the most pitch-perfect castings we’ve ever received in a comic book film. While Robert Downey Jr’s performance as Iron Man is likely the Gold Standard, Cage as Johnny Blaze is certainly in the discussion. Cage is known for his eclectic, larger-than-life, and sometimes hermit-like personality. A fitting persona for the character of Ghost Rider. He’s withdrawn from the world by day, and an unrelenting vigilante by night — and it’s totally believable to see Cage having both of these sides to his complex and mysterious personality.
The humanity of Johnny Blaze is a vital and important part to the character, just as Clark Kent is a vital element of Superman. You can’t have one side without the other, and Cage does an amazing job of portraying the human side of Ghost Rider. Johnny Blaze is arrogant, reckless, and yet slightly charming. It’s a difficult combination to pull off while still maintaining a likable persona that audiences can connect with and route for. Although we never quite see him go “full Cage” in the role, he brings that askew, slightly unhinged dark side to the role.
One of the largest flaws present in 2007’s Ghost Rider is the sound mixing for Cage’s voice in his demonic form. It’s a deep, gargled, and difficult-to-understand delivery that sounds so digitized you can hardly even tell it’s Cage voicing the character.
The film also features a very small, but fun supporting turn by iconic Western star Sam Elliott as Blaze’s mentor. This is where the differences between the comic and film adaptation *really* start to reveal themselves, as Elliott plays a mix of the Caretaker and Phantom Rider. These two characters have different roles in the comics, but they work together shockingly well. And Elliott radiates the same rugged charm he’s known for.
The primary antagonist, Blackheart, also has significant differences from the comics. Played by Wes Bentley, the film’s version plays more like Kid Blackheart from the comics than the monstrous one fans are likely more used to. However, there’s something to admire about the relentless ruthlessness of Bentley’s villain — something we haven’t seen in any comic book movie since then.
Even more interesting is the film’s secondary antagonist, Mephisto, played by Peter Fonda. Similar to Blackheart, this version of the character doesn’t particularly resemble the comics, with a much more ‘90s version of the Devil. He’s far less a supernatural king of the underworld, and more businessman a la Al Pacino in The Devil’s Advocate or Robert De Niro in Angel Heart. Given that Mephisto is one of the most powerful villains in Marvel Comics at large — beyond his role as an adversary for Ghost Rider — it was quite a choice to relegate him to the sidelines like this, but it works in the context of the film.
Fonda was an ambitious casting choice for the character, not just because he’s a legendary actor, but also because he’s a figure virtually synonymous with motorcycle counterculture. Fonda was the star of the cinematic classic Easy Rider, which is one of the most important films ever made about biker culture. Although Ghost Rider doesn’t share many narrative similarities, it’s a nice little easter egg for cinephiles to see him back in a film related to biking culture.
It was also refreshing to see that Ghost Rider contains surprisingly little fan service. Of course, the movie pre-dated the MCU — and just by a year — so fan service in superhero movies wasn’t quite a thing yet. There are moments that are clearly meant to elicit a reaction from fans, like Ghost Rider getting his iconic chains, or the first time Johnny Blaze’s motorcycle morphs into the Hell Cycle, but these moments are worked in more naturally compared to future comic book movies, not leaving time for an “applause break” like so many movies these days do.
It’s quite telling that Cage’s Ghost Rider is the only adaptation that has gotten the character right. Diego Luna’s take on the Robbie Reyes version in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. didn’t make much of a splash, and we never got to see him in his own show as part of the “Adventures Into Fear” canon for Hulu because of the failure of that universe’s intended kick-off, Helstrom.
Even the sequel to the 2007 film, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, was much more maligned and far less profitable than its predecessor. The Ghost Rider film holds a special place in the hearts of many kids who grew up in the 2000s, but it’s also the only good cinematic version of the character we have seen so far.
Many fans of the comics wonder when we could see Ghost Rider on screen again. Some speculate that the best opportunity — and perhaps even a chance to see Nicolas Cage take up the mantle again — would be to visit Battleworld in Avengers: Secret Wars, which would allow plenty of one-off cameos from alternate realities, which could include 2007’s Ghost Rider.
Others wonder if Gabriel Luna will get the chance to portray Robbie Reyes again, perhaps in a larger capacity in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After all, Luna is having a moment right now, hot off his supporting role as Joel’s brother, Tommy, in HBO’s The Last of Us.
What do you think? Does 2007’s Ghost Rider get hated more than it deserves? And would you like to see Nicolas Cage return to the role, or would you rather see Gabriel Luna or someone else become the permanent Ghost Rider of the MCU? Be sure to let us know in the comments below, and don’t forget to like and subscribe. As always, thanks for watching!
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