by Thomas Ferguson

There have been countless, endless comic books turned into major motion pictures — some of them have been welcomed (Spiderman); others got a door slammed in its face (Cat Woman). The latest comic to ride into theaters is the Marvel Comic’s Ghost Rider and boy, is he ridin’ dirty.

Academy Award winner Nicholas Cage plays Johnny Blaze, a motorcycle daredevil with a secret and a knack for danger. His knack for danger comes from his personal creed to not fear anything that comes his way. His secret, a deal with the devil (Peter Fonda), made when he was starting out in his dare devil career. He is tricked into giving up his soul in order to save his dying father’s life. Unfortunately, you can’t really trust the devil, now can you?

Johnny must ride for the devil when the time comes, no questions asked. In the process, not only does he lose his father, but also the love of his life Roxanne (Eva Mendes). He must become the rider, the devil’s bounty hunter. Riding the country at night collecting the souls of the evil.

Years after making this deal, Johnny is called into action when the devil’s son Blackheart (Wes Bentley) comes to earth looking for a sacred contract that was stolen from his father by a former rider. Johnny must find and protect this document before Blackheart and his band of thugs can complete a ritual to release thousands of evil spirits — giving him enough power to overthrow his father. Ultimately, giving him enough power to destroy all things human.

To complicate matters, his old flame Roxanne comes back in his life and now he must decide rather to let her in on his secret or risk her life by not.

Ghost Rider was a very good movie with amazing visual effects. It’s a very refreshing comic story. There were so many genres combined. It was a western, a love story, an action story, and a ghost story. A perfect blend of all of those genres.

I never heard of this comic before this movie, but I can go out on a limb to call myself a fan now. There was a perfect set up for a sequel and if the opening weekend box office is on par, I’m sure we will see Ghost Rider 2 on the horizon.

Now, with all the good things, there has to be bad, right? I loved the overall story, but the ending was a bit flat. The final battle could have been more exciting, but the visual effects and the overall story redeemed the weak ending. I think this could be an awesome franchise. I’m sure the people at Columbia Pictures are hoping for the same.