Sight and Sound, 05/01/2007, p.62, "[Cage] gives one of his eccentrically committed performances....There are also two perfect, shivery performances from Sam Elliott...and Peter Fonda..."
Uncut, 08/01/2007, p.137, 3 stars out of 5 -- "Nic Cage's patented range of doleful stares make him a fine choice to play a doomed hero..."
Ultimate DVD, 03/01/2007, p.88, 3 stars out of 5 -- "[B]ig, loud and outrageous....When he rides and cars explode in his wake, that's pretty cool."
Theatrical Release: February 16, 2007
DVD Features:
Anamorphic Widescreen - 2.40
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Dubbed - French - Optional
Subtitles - English, French, Spanish - Optional
Subtitles - English - Closed Captioned
Additional Release Material:
Audio Commentaries - 1. Mark Steven Johnson - Director/Writer; Kevin Mack - Visual Effects Supervisor
2. Gary Foster - Producer
Behind the Scenes - "Spirit of Vengeance (2 parts)
The prophetically named Johnny Blaze and his father perform death-defying stunts in a carnival, but the real danger to his dad's life is the cancer growing within his dying body. To save him, Johnny makes a deal with Mephistopheles (Peter Fonda, EASY RIDER) and sacrifices his soul. When his father is killed mid-stunt, Johnny runs away, leaving behind his grief and a young love named Roxanne. Years later, Johnny (Nicolas Cage, WORLD TRADE CENTER ) is the most famous rider in the country. Despite his daredevil tendencies, Johnny is a different man when he's not riding his bike. Though he wears leather jackets and pants, he prefers jelly beans to Jim Beam while listening to the Carpenters. Years have passed since Johnny has seen the love of his life, but he still carries a torch for Roxanne (Eva Mendes, HITCH). When he sees her after a stunt, he tries to regain her love and trust. But it's time for the devil to take his due as he brings Johnny into an epic battle with Blackheart (Wes Bentley, AMERICAN BEAUTY). In the presence of evil, Johnny transforms into a super-strong skeleton with a flaming skull who has the power to defeat Blackheart and his minions.
As Johnny, Cage plays a cross between his Elvis devotee in WILD AT HEART and the sensitive he-man in CON AIR. The evil Mephistopheles is Fonda's most memorable role since his Oscar-nominated turn in ULEE'S GOLD, and this film provides an opportunity for him to return to the spotlight. GHOST RIDER doesn't rank with the best of the comic book adaptations such as SPIDER-MAN and BATMAN BEGINS, but director Mark Steven Johnson (DAREDEVIL) provides a film driven by both humor and action.