Ghost Rider

There are only a smattering of reviews for Sony-Columbia's Ghost Rider, starring Nicolas Cage in the title role based on the Marvel Comics superhero. Most of the reviews agree that the movie is, well, comical -- and often in unintentional ways. (Variations of the word "cheesy" appear in virtually all the reviews.) Writes Kyle Smith in the New York Post: "When we get a glimpse of [Cage] shirtless, his CGI-built torso is so ridiculously ripped that the effect is like one of those carnival attractions where you stick your head through the hole in the giant photo of a bodybuilder." Peter Howell in the Toronto Star remarks that the movie is "20 minutes too long and the special effects are cheesier than Mickey Mouse's lunch." But Bob Strauss in the Los Angeles Daily News suggests that it's Cage's "oddball" performance that makes the movie work. "Whether you like it, hate it or just don't get it, this at least makes Ghost Rider an intriguing, witty/nutso acting experiment from beginning to end," he writes. And Matt Weiss concludes in the Dallas Morning News that the movie "achieves an emotional resonance and sheer enjoyability that, like a fine wine, complements the accompanying cheese."

three things can be said in favor of this movie...sam elliott, cage's hairpiece, and the fact that it ends...nick is given little to work with, and does so...ms. mendes apparently is less impervious to bad direction than her costars, and falls behind even this vapid script.