Movie · 2007 · Thriller, Action, Fantasy · 1h 54m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 0.6/10 (558.9K ratings)
Long ago he made a deal to save someone he loved.
Overview
In order to save his dying father, young stunt cyclist Johnny Blaze sells his soul to Mephistopheles and sadly parts from the pure-hearted Roxanne Simpson, the love of his life. Years later, Johnny's path crosses again with Roxanne, now a go-getting reporter, and also with Mephistopheles, who offers to release Johnny's soul if Johnny becomes the fabled, fiery 'Ghost Rider'.
Ratings
Curator score: 0.6/10
IMDb: 5.3/10
Letterboxd: 2.52/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 28%
Metacritic: 35
TMDB: 5.6/10
Director
Mark Steven Johnson
Production
Crystal Sky Pictures, Relativity Media, Columbia Pictures, Marvel Studios, Canarsie
Cast
Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Sam Elliott, Wes Bentley, Peter Fonda, Matt Long, Brett Cullen, Raquel Alessi, Donal Logue, Tony Ghosthawk, Hugh Sexton, Marcus Jones, Lawrence Cameron Steele, Eddie Baroo, Jessica Napier, Rebel Wilson, Daniel Frederiksen, Mathew Wilkinson, David Roberts, Matt Norman
Curator Review
Verdict
A loud, uneven comic-book fantasy that’s more memorable for Nicolas Cage’s committed oddness and the fire-and-leather spectacle than for its story or effects. It’s worth a watch if you enjoy campy superhero movies with a strong B-movie streak; otherwise it can feel thin and repetitive.
Best for
Nicolas Cage fans
viewers who enjoy campy comic-book adaptations
people in the mood for pulpy supernatural action
fans of early-2000s studio fantasy with a cheesy edge
Skip if
you want polished writing and coherent mythology
you dislike cartoonish performances
you need strong action choreography or modern visual effects
you prefer serious, grounded superhero films
Overview
Ghost Rider is a very specific kind of studio comic-book movie: glossy, overcooked, and just self-aware enough to become unintentionally entertaining. The premise has real pulp appeal, and the flaming skull imagery gives the film an immediate hook, but the execution is uneven and often feels like it’s racing past its own mythology without much confidence in the details.
Worth noting
What keeps it afloat is Nicolas Cage, who treats every scene like a dare. His performance is the movie’s main attraction, full of twitchy intensity, bizarre line readings, and a willingness to make Johnny Blaze feel like a haunted, half-mad carnival act. The supporting cast brings some texture, but the film mostly exists as a showcase for Cage’s combustible persona and the franchise-friendly iconography around him.
Bottom line
As an action-fantasy watch, it’s more enjoyable as a curiosity than as a fully satisfying genre piece. If you like your superhero movies with a heavy dose of camp, leather, smoke, and infernal melodrama, there’s enough here to justify the ride. If you’re looking for a tighter or more emotionally grounded comic-book film, this one is likely to leave you cold.
Top Letterboxd reviews
KMOKLER (3★) · 1662 likes
Guilty pleasure, I mean Nicholas Cage going crazy with his head set on fire shouting bad dialogue, its what we've come to know and love.
cactusgodnathan (0.5★) · 1290 likes
WOOOO FUCK YEAH BIG GHOST MAN ON THA GHOST CHOPPER GOIN 95 IN A SCHOOL ZONE FLAMES ON FLAMES ON FLAMES FUCKING EPIC DUDE GOD DAMN FOR THE WIN I WANR TO GIVE NICHOLAS CAGE REDDIT GOLD
Rachel Rhodes · 825 likes
Was that Rebel Wilson?
*checks Letterboxd*
Indeed it was !
Matt Singer (2★) · 677 likes
I’m fairly confident Sam Elliott is playing the same guy in this and The Big Lebowski. And I’m 100 percent confident this movie would be better if The Dude became Ghost Rider, even though Nicolas Cage is consistently and entertainingly bizarre in this; chugging coffee right out of the pot, talking like Elvis on quaaludes, and touching his face like he’s an alien consciousness that’s just been given physical form for the first time.
Matt The Snapper (1★) · 600 likes
Why is Nicolas Cage eating candy from a martini glass the only thing I remember from this movie?