Hi 72 / Lo 56
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Hi 72 / Lo 56 |
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Volume 72, Issue 96,
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Life & Arts Appeal of ‘Rider' is in Blaze's bad bike Visuals effects, magical motorcycle make Marvel adaptation appealing by CHRIS ELLIOTT
There's nothing cooler than a modified hog, except for maybe a supernaturally modified hog with flaming wheels, the ability to ride up walls and on water, and travel faster than a jet. Yes, the Ghost Rider has a sick ride. The producers and visual effects artists in Ghost Rider captured the concept of the vengeance driven, vigilante-style hero that Marvel Comics artist and creator Stan Lee drew up back in the day. That was the key to the movie: perfectly illustrating the Hellcycle. Marvel screen adaptations have always been about the heroes and how well filmmakers demonstrate their abilities, and the task seemed to be accomplished perfectly in Ghost Rider. Years after selling his soul to the devil to save his father's life, Johnny Blaze (Nicolas Cage) is asked to pay up by becoming the devil's Ghost Rider, a soul reaper with a sweet ride. Blaze is given the task of locating and destroying Blackheart, the devil's son, before he finds the contract of 1,000 souls that could lead to the Apocalypse. This contract was stolen and hidden by the previous Ghost Rider, who turned on the devil hundreds of years earlier to save the world. When the time comes for Blaze to do his side of the bargain, he changes into the Ghost Rider and gains some impressive new abilities, most of which involve fire and manipulating weapons. The Ghost Rider doesn't just ride the Hellcycle -- he tears down streets, alleyways, up buildings and on water, leaving flames and destruction in his wake. The artists behind the movie did a nice job selling these scenes. The overturned cars, shattered windows and melted concrete look believable. Blaze's powers look great on film, too, but most of the fight scenes were anticlimactic and short. Blaze always finds a way to quickly dispatch his elemental enemies by beating the tar out of them with the flaming chain he carries around. Blaze's love interest, Roxanne Simpson (Eva Mendes), plays a significant role toward the end of the movie. Blackheart kidnaps her, but she eventually helps Blaze save the world. They share some awkward moments in Ghost Rider that add some comic relief, but in the end, it isn't about them. Ghost Rider is more the story of a man and his mutant motorcycle, and the movie succeeds in that regard. Send comments to dcshobiz@mail.uh.edu |
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