If No One Is Going to Say It, We Will: Nicolas Cage’s ‘Ghost Rider’ Was Great

Remember when superhero movies weren’t only about perfect heroes in spandex? We do. Okay, we’re not going to be pretentious and claim that Ghost Rider, which starred Nicolas Cage, ushered in the age of the anti-hero. However, the film gave us a complex anti-hero (on a bike, if we may add), who had layers that made him relatable. So, we’re just going to say it, Ghost Rider was great.

The movie itself was centered around a skilled stuntman turned demon bounty hunter who made deals with the devil look a bit too cool for comfort. Did the critics appreciate it? Let’s just say, that in his vast, vast, vast career, Cage has produced some gems and they didn’t consider this one of them. However, this fun, unhinged depiction of the hero with the flaming skull definitely came off as one of his most unforgettable performances. With that in mind, we’ve got some high praise for the actor and the underrated movie that showed us another angle of his artistic prowess.

How ‘Ghost Rider’ Stands Out Among Superhero Films

Image Credit: Sony Pictures Releasing

One of the reasons we stand on the truth that Nicolas Cage’s Ghost Rider was great is the fact that the film didn’t shy away from the road less travelled. We’re not talking about your run-of-the-mill superhero in a cape, this is a flaming skull biker bound to a demonic spirit! The movie takes a grittier tone with the main character Johnny Blaze. He’s no poster boy for morality. He was just a boy, who loved his father. There’s something deeply relatable about his initial choices. He makes a deal with the guy down below (Peter Fonda) to save his father’s life. But as fans and critics alike know, that all went awry. However, hidden in the fine print was a badass gift that could equally be viewed as a curse.

Due to what we can only describe as some interesting choices, the film itself came off as an erratic mix of action and horror. Then, of course, Cage brought his own version of pizazz to the role. In the process, he embodied the spirit of Johnny Blaze, depicting him as a balanced mix of tortured soul and over the top hero. Over all, with Cage at its helm the film wasn’t afraid to lean into its wild side.

Then there’s the unforgettable visuals! Whether you liked the films or not, they are certainly hard to forget. Whether you think it was all a little too campy or not, it was a spectacle to behold. From the intensity of each transformation scene to the all-around hellish vibes created by the demons, the visuals captured the film’s fiery chaos. Was the CGI sometimes over the top? Most definitely, but perhaps that’s the whole appeal of Ghost Rider. It’s a little too much and we’re OK with that.

Critics Didn’t Get It, But Fans Did

Now, this has constantly been a bone of contention as far as the Ghost Rider films were concerned. Critics were simply not buying what the movie was selling. Ghost Rider (2007) and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2011) sport two of the lowest Rotten Tomatoes scores of any Marvel movies. They sit sadly at 27% and 19%, respectively. On one hand, it’s understandable since the comics had a darker, edgier air to themselves. The movies on the other hand were campy and took a borderline funny approach to the daredevil’s story. In the past, non-accurate comic book-to-screen adaptations have not fared so well. So, there’s no reason Ghost Rider should have gotten a pass on that.

The great thing is that years down the line, audiences have found a way to get past these inaccuracies. It can even be argued that some of them never had an issue at all. This is one of those instances where you have to take things for exactly what they are. The movie was unapologetically dramatic and gave Cage room to be as deranged as the role required. Over time, people have come to love Cage’s wild performance and the cheesy dialogue for how ridiculous it is. Cop it up to nostalgia (it is a powerful drug), or this newfound liking for the bizarre. The fact is that Cage’s Ghost Rider was a beast of its own. Unlike typical hero stories, it chose to explore themes of redemption and revenge, offering a narrative that was outside the typical good-versus-evil storyline… and who doesn’t love an unhinged Nicolas Cage?

To watch Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze, Ghost Rider is available on Prime Video.