Ghost Rider is a 2007 American supernatural
superhero film written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson, the director of Daredevil. Based on the character of the same name which appeared in Marvel Comics,
the film stars Nicolas Cage as Johnny
Blaze, a stunt motorcyclist who sells his
soul to the Devil and transforms into the vigilante
Ghost Rider. The film was met with negative reviews but was a success at the
box office.
Contents
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Plot
In the American Old West,
the Devil, Mephistopheles (Peter Fonda), sends his bounty hunter
of the damned, the Ghost Rider, to retrieve a contract for a thousand corrupt souls from the town of San Venganza. Given that the nature of the
contract would give Mephisto the power to bring Hell to Earth, the Rider refuses to give him the contract and goes into
hiding.
A century and a half later, Mephisto
reaches out to seventeen-year-old stunt motorcycle rider Johnny
Blaze (Matt Long),
offering to cure his father's lung cancer in exchange for Johnny's soul. Johnny
inadvertently 'signs' the contract when, after a paper cut, a drop of his blood
lands on the signature space. The next morning Johnny awakes to discover that
his father's cancer is cured, but his father is killed that same day in a
motorcycle crash. Johnny accuses Mephisto of causing his father's death, but
Mephisto considers their contract fulfilled. The Devil tells Johnny that he
will return for him in the future when he is "needed".
Years later, Johnny (Nicolas Cage)
has become a stunt rider famous for surviving disastrous crashes during his
stunts. Before a particularly dangerous new stunt, Johnny meets his childhood
sweetheart Roxanne (Eva Mendes), now a journalist, and he makes a dinner date with her
that evening. During the same time, Blackheart
(Wes Bentley),
the demonic son of Mephisto, comes to Earth, along with the hidden Gressil,
Abigor, and Wallow, a group of three fallen angels. They are demons who, after
being exiled from heaven by Saint Michael, hid themselves in the elements on Earth: earth, wind, and
water, respectively. They are tasked by Blackheart
to find the lost contract of San Venganza and use its power to usurp his
father.
In response, the Devil makes Johnny
the new Ghost Rider, and offers Johnny his soul back in return for defeating
Blackheart. Johnny is driven straight to the station on his "first
ride" where he transforms fully into the Ghost Rider and a fight ensues.
In the process, Johnny acquires a heavy chain, which he uses to kill Gressil
(the first of the three fallen angels accompanying Blackheart) while the others
escape. While searching for the quarry, Ghost Rider hears a woman being mugged.
He stops the mugger and uses his most powerful weapon on him, the Penance
Stare; a power by which a person's soul is subjected to all the pain they have
ever caused others. The mugger ends up in a catatonic state, worse than death,
which is implied to be the "burning" of his soul.
Johnny wakes in a cemetery chapel,
where he meets a man called the Caretaker (Sam Elliott), who seems to know all the history of the Ghost Rider.
When he arrives home, Johnny finds Roxanne and reveals himself as the Devil's
bounty hunter. She leaves in anger and disbelief at his tale. As Roxanne
leaves, the police arrive and take Johnny into custody for his connection to
the damage done to the city and the deaths caused by Blackheart. He is put in a
holding cell with some other prisoners, who mock Johnny and beat him before he
assumes his Ghost Rider form, knocking the prisoners down before taking one of
their jackets and, after recognizing the only one who made no attempt to harm
him as "innocent", he leaves to hunt down Blackheart. That night,
Roxanne recognizes Johnny Blaze in Ghost Rider form fighting and defeating
Abigor (the second of the three fallen angels accompanying Blackheart) in full
view of the city and a large police force. Johnny faces the police and then
leaves. Observing the scene after obtaining the location of the contract, Blackheart
realizes that Roxanne is Johnny's weakness.
Johnny goes to the Caretaker for
advice, who tells him of his predecessor, Carter Slade, a Texas Ranger known as a man of honor before his greed became a reason
for him to be sentenced to death. Slade made a deal with Mephisto to break
free; in return, Slade became the Ghost Rider who hid the contract of San
Venganza. The Caretaker then warns Johnny to stay away from those whom
Blackheart can use against him. Johnny then returns home to find that
Blackheart has killed his friend Mack (Donal Logue)
and already has Roxanne. During their resulting fight, Johnny finds that his
Penance Stare has no effect on Blackheart, who has no soul to burn. Blackheart
threatens to kill Roxanne if Johnny does not deliver the contract to him.
Johnny returns to the Caretaker to
obtain the contract. Johnny guesses that the contract is buried in one of the
graves. He picks up a shovel and prepares to dig, until the Caretaker snatches
the shovel and breaks it, revealing the contract hidden in its hollow handle.
The Caretaker then reveals that he is Carter Slade, having held on to his last
bit of power in expectation of this moment. He tells Johnny that he (Johnny) is
more powerful and unpredictable than his predecessors because Johnny sold his
soul for "the right reason," for love rather than greed, and the two
leave for San Venganza. They ride together into the desert, both in Ghost Rider
form. They stop a short distance from the town, where Slade gives Johnny his
lever action shotgun, and the warning to "stick to the shadows"
before fading away.
After killing Wallow (the third of
the fallen angels accompanying Blackheart), Johnny gives the contract to
Blackheart. He quickly transforms into Ghost Rider in an effort to subdue
Blackheart, but dawn comes and he is rendered powerless. Blackheart uses the
contract to absorb the thousand souls into his body, referencing the Biblical
demon Legion. He attempts to kill Johnny, but is distracted when Roxanne
uses Johnny's discarded shotgun to separate them. After she fails to destroy
Blackheart, Johnny takes the gun and moves into the shadows; the shotgun turns
into a supernatural weapon that shoots hellfire and blasts Blackheart apart.
Blackheart re-forms, but Johnny moves in and uses his Penance Stare, made
effective by the thousand souls inhabiting Legion's body, to render him
catatonic. Johnny turns away from Roxanne, ashamed of his monstrous appearance,
but she says she is not afraid, causing Johnny to return to his human self.
Mephistopheles appears and gives
Johnny his soul, offering to take back the curse of the Ghost Rider. Johnny
refuses, saying that he will use his power against Mephistopheles, and against
all harm that comes to the innocent. Infuriated of being robbed of the power,
Mephistopheles vows to make Johnny pay, to which Johnny in response recites his
favorite saying: "You can't live in fear". Mephistopheles then
disappears, taking Blackheart's body with him. Johnny and Roxanne share some
parting words at the tree on which Johnny carved "J&R FOREVER" at
the beginning of the film. Roxanne then tells Johnny that he got his second
chance before sharing a final kiss with him. Johnny then rides away on his
motorcycle, now a legend in his own right.
Cast
- Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze / Ghost Rider
- Eva Mendes as Roxanne Simpson
- Peter Fonda as Mephistopheles
- Wes Bentley as Blackheart / Legion
- Sam Elliott as Carter Slade / Caretaker
- Matt Long as Young Johnny Blaze
- Raquel Alessi as Young Roxanne Simpson
- Brett Cullen as Barton Blaze
- Donal Logue as Mack
- Matt Norman as Team Blaze
- Damned Boyz as Black Sabath Crew
- David Roberts as Captain Dolan
Production
Ghost Rider's motorcycle, in its supernatural
transformed shape.
In May 2000 at the Cannes Film Festival, Marvel Comics announced an agreement with Crystal Sky Entertainment to
film Ghost Rider with actor Jon Voight
attached as a producer. Production was scheduled to start in early 2001 with a
budget of $75 million, with actor Johnny Depp
expressing interest in the lead role.[1]
In July 2000 Stax of IGN reviewed a draft script for Ghost Rider written by
David Goyer. The script version is set in Louisiana.
Stax felt that the revision was convoluted; he suggested that Goyer rewrite the
plot and develop the characters.[2]
The following August, Dimension Films
joined Crystal Sky to co-finance the film, which would be written by David S. Goyer
and directed by Stephen Norrington.[3]
In June 2001, actor Nicolas Cage entered talks to be cast into the lead role for Ghost
Rider,[4]
and by July, had closed a deal with the studio. According to producer Steven
Paul, Cage had found out about Depp being a possibility for the role and
contacted the director to express his own interest, being an avid Ghost Rider
fan.[5]
In the following August, Norrington
abandoned the project due to a scheduling conflict, leaving to film the action
film Tick
Tock starring Jennifer Lopez.[6]
Cage eventually left the project as well. By May 2002, the studio Columbia Pictures
sought to acquire rights to the film in turnaround from Dimension Films following the success of Spider-Man.[7]
In April 2003, under Columbia Pictures, director Mark Steven Johnson took over the helm for Ghost Rider with Cage
returning for the lead role. Both had been drawn by a script written by
screenwriter Shane Salerno. Johnson, rewriting Salerno's script, was set to begin
production of Ghost Rider in late 2003 or early 2004.[8]
With production delayed into October 2003, Cage took a temporary leave of
absence to film The Weather Man. Ghost Rider production was slated to tentatively
begin in May or June 2004.[9]
Ghost Rider had again been delayed to begin in late 2004, but the lack
of a workable script continued to delay production.[10]
In January 2005, actor Wes Bentley was cast as the villain Blackheart,
having been introduced to Johnson by Colin Farrell,
who had worked with the director in Daredevil.[11]
Actress Eva Mendes was also cast opposite Cage as Roxanne Simpson.[12]
On February 14, 2005, Ghost Rider commenced filming in Australia at the Melbourne Docklands film studios.[13]
Then in March 2005, actor Peter Fonda
(who starred in Easy Rider) was cast as the villain Mephistopheles.[14]
Johnson originally planned to film before an audience at the Telstra Dome,
but instead opted to create a crowd using computer-generated imagery.[15]
The director also chose to film in the motorcycle district of Melbourne.[16]
By June 2005, principal photography had been completed for Ghost Rider,[17]
which was set for a summer 2006 release.[18]
In April 2006, the cast and crew performed last-minute reshoots in Vancouver.[19]
Ghost Rider was originally scheduled to release on August 4, 2006,[20]
but the date was moved three weeks earlier to July 14, 2006.[21]
Sony changed the film's release date once more to February 16, 2007 to help
relieve the studio's crowded 2006 calendar.[22]
Character
portrayal
Instead of a "hard drinking and
smoking bad ass" Johnny Blaze, Nicolas Cage decided to give him more
depth. "I'm playing him more as someone who... made this deal and he's
trying to avoid confronting it, anything he can do to keep it away from
him". Cage also explained that Blaze's stunt riding was a form of escape
and a way to keep him connected to his deceased father, who taught him to ride.
Cage rode a Buell motorcycle for Blaze's stunt cycle, and a heavily
customized hardtail chopper named "Grace" which transforms into the
"Hell Cycle".[23]
The Hell Cycle's wheels, made of pure flames in the comics, were changed to be
solid tires covered in flames in order to give the motorcycle more weight
onscreen.[24]
Ghost Rider's skull flames
were designed to become smaller and blue to display any emotion other
than rage.[24]
The film's visual effects supervisor, Kevin Mack,
and the visual effects team at Sony
Pictures Imageworks handled the difficult task of
creating computer-generated fire on a shot-by-shot basis.[25]
Ghost Rider's voice was manipulated by sound designer Dane Davis, who won an Academy
Award for Sound Editing for The Matrix.
Davis filtered Cage's line readings through three different kinds of animal
growls that were played backwards and covered separate frequencies. Davis then
amplified the dialogue through a mechanical volumizer. Director Johnson
described the sound as a "deep, demonic, mechanical lion's roar".[26]
Release
Promotion
In May 2005, Sony Pictures launched
the official website for Ghost Rider.[27]
The following July, the studio
presented a Ghost Rider panel at Comic-Con International and screened a teaser for the audience.[24]
The teaser, which did not have finalized footage of the film, eventually leaked
online.[28]
In the same month, Majesco Entertainment Company announced its deal with Marvel
to acquire worldwide rights to produce the video game Ghost
Rider for the PS2, PSP, and Game Boy Advance
consoles.[29]
In December 2005, the studio
presented a first glimpse of Ghost Rider in a ten-second footage piece on the
official site.[30]
In April 2006, Sideshow Collectibles announced the sale of a Ghost Rider maquette based on
the concept art of the film.[31]
The following May, domestic and
international teaser trailers for Ghost Rider were launched at Apple.[32]
The Ghost Rider was also featured in
a commercial for Jackson Hewitt Tax Services in which the character presented
his income tax forms to a clerk for processing to receive a quick refund check.
On April 19, 2007, Sony
Pictures Home Entertainment confirmed
that in America the film will be issued on June 12, 2007 as a single-disc
Theatrical Cut DVD, two-disc
Extended Cut DVD, Blu-ray Disc,
and UMD. Special features on the Extended Cut DVD include two commentary
tracks, a comic book history feature, and a making of the film featurette.[33]
Reception
Although Ghost Rider was well
received by audiences,[34]
it has received mostly negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes,
Ghost Rider has a 27% overall approval out of 131 reviews from critics
with the critical consensus stating: "Ghost Rider is a sour mix of
morose, glum histrionics amidst jokey puns and hammy dialogue".[35]
The results were mirrored in Metacritic
reviews as well, displaying a ranking of 35 out of 100 based on 20 critical
reviews.[36]
Additionally, Michael Ordoña of the Los Angeles Times[37]
and Jeannette Catsoulis of the New York Times[38]
expressed disappointment in the movie, with Ordoña citing the "satanic
references" and "judgemental" elements of Cage's character, and
Catsoulis denoting how Johnny Blaze is "more funny than frightening".
Although Eric Alt of the Chicago Tribune
praised the computer-generated effects of the film, he also criticized it,
calling it a "clumsy, lifeless outing".[39]
IGN named the film the worst comic book movie of the decade. The film was
nominated for one Razzie Award for Nicolas Cage as Worst
Actor.
Box
office
Ghost Rider was commercially released in the United States
on February 16, 2007. The film grossed $15,420,123 on its opening day,[40]
while earning $45,388,836 for its opening weekend. The film earned $52,022,908
over the four-day President's Day weekend, with a per-theater average of $US 14,374 in 3,619
theaters.[41]
The film's total earnings were $228,738,393 worldwide of which $115,802,596 was
from the USA.[42]
Music
Ghost
Rider Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
|
||||
 |
||||
Released
|
February 13, 2007
|
|||
Recorded
|
2006
|
|||
Length
|
55:96
|
|||
Christopher Young chronology
|
||||
|
||||
In December 2005, musical composer Christopher Young
was announced to score Ghost Rider. In addition, Spiderbait,
a band that Johnson befriended during filming in Australia,[25]
performed a cover of "Ghost
Riders in the Sky" for the end credits.[43]
There has been a critically negative reaction from fans about "Ghost
Riders In The Sky" not appearing on the soundtrack. The Studio still
has yet to respond.
Track
listing
No.
|
Title
|
Length
|
|
1.
|
"Ghost Rider"
|
3:16
|
|
2.
|
"Blackheart Beat"
|
3:06
|
|
3.
|
"Artistry in Death"
|
4:13
|
|
4.
|
"A Thing for Karen
Carpenter"
|
2:01
|
|
5.
|
"Cemetery Dance"
|
5:31
|
|
6.
|
"More Sinister Than
Popcorn"
|
5:40
|
|
7.
|
"No Way to Wisdom"
|
2:15
|
|
8.
|
"Chain Chariot"
|
6:18
|
|
9.
|
"Santa Sardonicus"
|
3:36
|
|
10.
|
"Penance Stare"
|
5:26
|
|
11.
|
"San Venganza"
|
3:22
|
|
12.
|
"Blood Signature"
|
2:08
|
|
13.
|
"Serenade to a Daredevil's
Devil"
|
1:53
|
|
14.
|
"Nebuchadnezzar Phase"
|
5:52
|
|
15.
|
"The West Was Built on
Legends"
|
3:59
|
|
Total length:
|
55:93
|
||
Sequel
Main article: Ghost
Rider: Spirit of Vengeance
The sequel, Ghost Rider: Spirit
of Vengeance started filming in November 2010 and was released on
February 17, 2012. Nicolas Cage reprised his role as Johnny Blaze and also
portrayed Johnny Blaze in his Ghost Rider form. Crank
filmmakers Neveldine/Taylor directed the movie.
References
1.
^ Michael
Sangiacomo (2000-05-25). "More Marvel heroes to join X-Men on film over
next few years". The Star-Ledger.
2.
^ Stax.
"The Stax Report: Script Review of Ghost Rider." IGN. July 6, 2000. Retrieved on April 4, 2009.
11. ^ Michael
Fleming; Nicole Laporte (2005-01-20). "Bentley to haunt 'Ghost'". Variety. Retrieved 2006-12-22.
15. ^ Clint
Morris (2005-03-03). "Ghost Rider skips Dome". Moviehole.net. Archived from the
original on 2007-12-27. Retrieved
2007-01-29.
16. ^ Karl
Quinn (2005-03-06). "Foreign film upturn a tale of two cities". The Age. Retrieved 2007-01-29.
20. ^ "Marvel Studios' Avi Arad on Upcoming Projects". SuperHeroHype.com. 2005-05-18. Retrieved 2007-01-29.
22. ^ Laporte,
Nicole (2005-12-14). "Sony cycles Cage starrer to 2007". Variety. Retrieved 2006-07-30.
23. ^ Andrew
Weil (2005-06-16). "SET VISIT: Nicolas Cage on Ghost Rider!". SuperHeroHype.com. Retrieved 2007-01-29.
Born
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Occupation
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Actor, producer, director
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Years active
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1980–present
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Spouse
|
|
Children
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Weston Coppola Cage
Kal-El Cage |
Parents
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|
Family
|
Marc Coppola (brother)
Christopher Coppola (brother) Francis Ford Coppola (uncle) Eleanor Coppola (aunt) Sofia Coppola (cousin) |
Nicolas Cage (born Nicolas Kim Coppola; January 7, 1964) is an Academy Award–winning
American actor, producer and director, having appeared
Eva Mendes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Eva Mendes
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Born
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Occupation
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Actress, Model, Singer, Designer
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Years active
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1998–present
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Born
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Peter Henry Fonda
February 23, 1940 (age 72) New York City, New York, U.S. |
Nationality
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American
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Occupation
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Actor
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Years active
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1962–present
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Spouse
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Susan Jane Brewer
(m.1961–1966; divorced) Portia Rebecca Crockett (m.1975–2011; divorced) Parky DeVogelaere (m.2011–present)[1] |
Children
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Bridget, Justin
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Parents
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Relatives
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Jane Fonda
(sister), Amy Fonda Fishman (sister)
|
 Wes Bentley |
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Born
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Occupation
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Actor
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Years active
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1995–present
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Spouse
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Jennifer Quanz (2001–2009)
Jacqui Swedberg (2010-present; 1 child) |
Wesley Cook "Wes" Bentley (born September 4, 1978)[1]
is an American film actor known for his roles of Ricky Fitts in American
Beauty and
 Elliott at the Veterans Day Ceremonies at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, November 2001 |
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Born
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Other names
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Kyle Peterson
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Occupation
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Years active
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1968–present
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Spouse
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Katharine Ross
(1984–present) |
Samuel Pack "Sam" Elliott (born August 9, 1944) is an American actor. His rangy physique, thick horseshoe moustache, deep, resonant voice, and
Born: May 18, 1980
American actor Matt Long was born on May 18, 1980, in Lexington, Kentucky, but grew up in the town of Winchester. Matt graduated from Western Kentucky University in 2002, and soon after he moved to New York to work in live theater, performing at the Williamstown Theater Festival. He made his film debut as Pvt. Smith in the civil war film "The Greatest Adventure of My Life." This led to roles in the films "Deceit" and the supernatural movie "Ghost Rider," where he played the young Johnny Blaze. Matt may be most known for his role as teenager Jack McCallister on the short-lived WB series "Jack & Bobby." When he's not working, Matt is a big fan of the outdoors and enjoys hiking and backpacking.
American actor Matt Long was born on May 18, 1980, in Lexington, Kentucky, but grew up in the town of Winchester. Matt graduated from Western Kentucky University in 2002, and soon after he moved to New York to work in live theater, performing at the Williamstown Theater Festival. He made his film debut as Pvt. Smith in the civil war film "The Greatest Adventure of My Life." This led to roles in the films "Deceit" and the supernatural movie "Ghost Rider," where he played the young Johnny Blaze. Matt may be most known for his role as teenager Jack McCallister on the short-lived WB series "Jack & Bobby." When he's not working, Matt is a big fan of the outdoors and enjoys hiking and backpacking.
 Cullen in 1996 |
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Born
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Nationality
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Occupation
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Actor
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Years active
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1979–present
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Spouse
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Website
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Peter Brett Cullen[1] (born August 26, 1956) is an American actor who has
appeared in numerous motion pictures
and television
programs. Early in 2007, he was cast as the role of an estranged father to one
of the American football players, Tim Riggins (played by actor Taylor Kitsch), in the NBC
 Logue with his children in Ireland |
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Born
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Occupation
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Actor/Film director
|
Donal Francis Logue (born February 27, 1966)[1][2]
is a Canadian actor
perhaps most famous for his role as Sean Finnerty in the television sitcom
 |
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Background
information
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Born
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July 13, 1966
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Origin
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Died
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November 10, 2006 (aged 40)
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Occupations
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Instruments
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Years active
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1984–2006
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Associated acts
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Gerald Levert (July 13, 1966 – November 10, 2006) was an American R&B singer.
Gerald Levert sang with his brother, Sean Levert,
and friend Marc
Raquel Alessi
|
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Born
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Raquel Nazzarena Alessi
7 March 1983 (age 29) Los Angeles, California |
Raquel Alessi is an actress and model who starred on the FOX series Standoff and the film Ghost Rider with Nicolas Cage.
She portrays the title
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