INSTEP Magzine

Not since Gone in 60 Seconds has Nicolas Cage looked this sexy. That said, Ghost Rider isn't one of those superhero films that thrive on sex appeal – lycra tights, bulging muscles and all. It's about bikes and leather and it deserves a watch just to see Nicolas finally scratch the itch of playing a "superhero".

The plot is very simple: Johnny Blaze (Nicolas Cage) and his dad Barton Blaze are motorcycle stuntmen who ride through fire and blazing hoops. Daddy darling has cancer and is dying and girlfriend (Eva Mendes) is moving from town. One fine day, the devil appears in form of Mephistopheles (Peter Fonda) and offers a deal to Johnny. In exchange for his soul, he will cure Johnny's father. Johnny signs the dotted line but his Dad dies anyway. Then the plot thickens.

Meph may not have kept his word but years later, when Johnny is all-famous for his stunts, he comes back and alas! It's time to return the favour that never really materialised. But hey, a contract is a contract. Meph's evil spawn son Blackheart (Wes Bentley) is even weirder and cryptic than Dad. Meph needs a soulless stuntman to be his bounty hunter and thus begins the battle between Blackheart and Ghost Rider.

The character of Ghost rider comes from Marvel comics and the storyline faintly reflects the classic tale of Dr. Faustus who also sold his soul to the devil for omnipotence. Ghost Rider kicks in as an amalgamation of both, and his superpowers lie in the way he shoots up in fire, transforms into a skeleton and fights evil with metal chain whips.

Okay, so there really is no story. But the special effects really set the story here. It seems as if every effect that the makers could think of and use, has in fact, been used. The Ghost Rider isn't one of those "superheroes" who wants to sacrifice themselves for the good of mankind. On the contrary, Ghost Rider is a self-involved, cornered stuntman who just does things because he has no choice.

For a film that was supposed to be one of the biggest films of the year, Ghost Rider hasn't done well at all in America. The reason is that there are too many superheroes out there. Over the last two years, almost all major superhero films made a comeback and it is really hard for a film such as this to break down the legacy of films like Superman, Batman and even Spiderman.

The question then is, is it worth watching? The plot is formulaic, special effects as good as they are, don't do much if the screenplay isn't tight and the actors aren't fun to watch except for Johnny. You should only watch this film if you like Nicolas Cage. All of his last few films were brilliant. The loser Weatherman and the merchant of death in Lord of War, Nicholas was a revelation. Here, too, he pulls off an excellent superhero. Otherwise, the flick is stamped with flaws. It's like that Daredevil film; Ben Affleck has never been able to play cool and sexy. He can act but not in a way that makes one swoon, on the other hand, with the red hair and the maroon leather pants, he really looked sexy. Coupled with the brilliant soundtrack of the film that re-launched Evanescence, there was a film that one saw just for its music and Ben. Similar is the case here.

Superhero films these days have become political, edgy and aware of global issues. Even if a comic book is a reference point, superhero films usually depict the disparity in society, the problems of individuals, sometimes in subtle tones and other times, blatantly like V for Vendetta and 300. If nothing else, they establish the hero and then continue in a series of films about how he makes the world a better place. Batman Begins, X-Men trilogy, Hell Boy are just some examples. However, Ghost Rider is unaware of world happenings, its unable to really make one feel empathic to the hero and it doesn't have that 'wow, that's real action' factor by any means. So, skip it if you don't like the bad man from Face Off. But if you do like him even a little bit, then this film should be watched, just for the sheer pleasure of seeing Nicolas Cage in leather, whipping baddies in chains and looking simply gorgeous doing so! – Maheen Sabeeh YUCK WHATEVER GOOD SUPER ***AWESOME