Image: Marvel Entertainment and Sony Pictures Releasing
“Ghost Rider,” starring Nicolas Cage, is a perfect popcorn movie for me without a doubt because it strikes a balance between all the cinematic qualities one would desire in a superhero film. This is especially true since it features a supernatural hero with deep roots in Marvel Comics and has had a highly successful run as one of Marvel’s consistently top-selling titles. The supernatural character originated in the early ’70s with its original human host, Johnny Blaze, portrayed by Academy Award winner Nicolas Cage in the movie adaptation.
Initially, I had doubts about Cage being the right actor for the role when I saw the official movie trailer in the cinemas. Yes, my memory is that good because I do live at the moment. However, my concerns were proven wrong once I watched the movie, which ultimately became one of the most enjoyable and entertaining films I had ever seen up to that point in my life.
As someone who has been a comic-book reader and collector since childhood, Ghost Rider quickly became one of my all-time must-buy issues every time I visited a comic-book shop. Whether it was the new Ghost Rider human host Danny Ketch or the numerous Ghost Rider titles, especially the Spirit of Vengeance run, I was always fascinated by Ghost Rider because, simply put, he was unlike any other Marvel Comic Book character. As a boy, who would not find a supernatural figure with a flaming skull, riding a motorcycle, and wielding a chain cool? Plus, he had his penance stare as one of his ultimate powers with supernatural ability that was shown in the movie adaptation a lot.
Additionally, in the movie “Ghost Rider,” Nicolas Cage did a fantastic job portraying Johnny Blaze with his superior acting style, facial expressions, and mood changes depending on the demands of each scene. Nicolas Cage may have been a bit too old to portray Johnny Cage, but he certainly captured the essence and approach of the character.
In past interviews on the late-night show, it was revealed that Ghost Rider has been Nicolas Cage’s favorite Marvel comic book character since he was a teenager. He mentioned having a tattoo of Ghost Rider. So it was the role he truly desired and the perfect casting choice. Then you have the love interest of Johnny Blaze, “Roxanne Simpson,” portrayed by the beautiful, charming, and sultry Eva Mendes, which made the movie a win-win as their pairing worked and felt natural.
“Ghost Rider” was released in 2007, a full year before the first Iron Man movie was released, predating the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). It belonged to a time when there were a good number of movies starring Marvel superheroes, but they were not interconnected with each other. Each character existed only within their specific movie, which was great because it was not a convoluted mess like it is now, with every MCU movie tied to each other I am sure you know what I mean by that.
“Ghost Rider” earned close to $400 million, which is highly impressive and praiseworthy, especially considering its modest budget. However, the main reason “Ghost Rider” became a commercial hit was that the movie studio took the necessary risks in bringing Ghost Rider to life on the big screen. Ghost Rider belongs to the underworld of Marvel Comics characters, who are extraordinary.
To this day, I still watch specific scenes from “Ghost Rider,” particularly the transformation scene, his first confrontation with Blackheart and his minions, and the prison escape scene. These scenes are some of the most memorable from the movie, but they were later poorly imitated in a Marvel series in an attempt to re-create the same moments.
I believe that if “Ghost Rider” had been released in the 2010s when the MCU was becoming the force it now is, the movie would have been just as successful, or even more so. However, the trend of having to tie in every movie at that time may have affected the storyline of “Ghost Rider” and removed the focus on its central onscreen characters, who were all perfectly portrayed.
There are two distinct eras or phases to Marvel movies: Pre-MCU and MCU. What is left of it now? Sadly, the “glory years” of the MCU have passed. This is based on all the box-office returns and the downward trajectory of the quality of the movies that have been released. The reality is, they are already scraping the bottom of the barrel.
“Ghost Rider” and its predecessors, such as the Blade movies, the Spider-Man movies, X-Men movies, Fantastic Four, Daredevil, Elektra and Hulk, all laid the groundwork, planted the seeds, and began the formation of what would become the MCU. A term that we all know and its meaning.
“Ghost Rider” will always be a beloved memory of a time when high hopes for the next batch of movies based on Marvel Comics would be as great as or surpass “Ghost Rider”; hopes that became a reality.
Do yourself a favor—if you have not seen “Ghost Rider” yet, watch it. What if you have already seen it? Go down memory lane and give it another watch.