![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
While it's on the list for a reason, I did actually like Ghost Rider. It is pure mindless fun.
The Statement For The Prosecution:
Ghost Rider suffers from a problem that a lot of the less good Marvel adaptations do, which is 'too many villains'. The Blackheart's three sidekicks, who spend most of their on-screen time threatening Johnny Blaze, don't even make it into the Wikipedia summary and yet no important information is lost. This leads to their being too many empty SFX-laden set pieces that do very little other than pad out the film.
It also has a bad guy who is too easily defeated IMO, which again, is a problem it shares with a lot of bad comic book adaptations.
Lots of people objected to Peter Fonda's Mephistopheles, saying he was too under-the-top, but I quite liked that. More reasonably, for most of the film, when Johnny turns into the Ghost Rider, he's more creature of Earthly vengeance than a character, and that's hard to cheer for.
The plot is perfunctory with characters getting the minimum amount of characterisation (although having Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes and Donal Logue playing those characters means they more or less get away with this).
The Scene Itself: Which I know is on Youtube because I watch it some times. (I have no shame.)
Why the Scene is so Good:
Story time. My mother hates films with superheroes, aliens and orcs. She has learnt to be wary when I go 'OMG you've got to see this'. I squeak, high-pitchedly, about this scene she has to see. She sits down to watch it, dubiously, and, after it's over, she says "that one was worth it".
It is a scene that should be ridiculous, and is, but in the good way, because it's also funny and oddly touching (having Sam Elliot helps). And cool. Stupendously cool.
Because, you know, flaming bikers are one thing, but fiery cowboys of vengeance are even better.
I may have a bias.
And the film is improved by the scene.
I like how the soundtrack reflects the old/new mash-up by having the electro version of Ghost Riders In The Sky play over the scene.
I also like that the horse actually gets to San Beganza first. Of course hellfire-horsey will win.
The Statement For The Prosecution:
Ghost Rider suffers from a problem that a lot of the less good Marvel adaptations do, which is 'too many villains'. The Blackheart's three sidekicks, who spend most of their on-screen time threatening Johnny Blaze, don't even make it into the Wikipedia summary and yet no important information is lost. This leads to their being too many empty SFX-laden set pieces that do very little other than pad out the film.
It also has a bad guy who is too easily defeated IMO, which again, is a problem it shares with a lot of bad comic book adaptations.
Lots of people objected to Peter Fonda's Mephistopheles, saying he was too under-the-top, but I quite liked that. More reasonably, for most of the film, when Johnny turns into the Ghost Rider, he's more creature of Earthly vengeance than a character, and that's hard to cheer for.
The plot is perfunctory with characters getting the minimum amount of characterisation (although having Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes and Donal Logue playing those characters means they more or less get away with this).
The Scene Itself: Which I know is on Youtube because I watch it some times. (I have no shame.)
Why the Scene is so Good:
Story time. My mother hates films with superheroes, aliens and orcs. She has learnt to be wary when I go 'OMG you've got to see this'. I squeak, high-pitchedly, about this scene she has to see. She sits down to watch it, dubiously, and, after it's over, she says "that one was worth it".
It is a scene that should be ridiculous, and is, but in the good way, because it's also funny and oddly touching (having Sam Elliot helps). And cool. Stupendously cool.
Because, you know, flaming bikers are one thing, but fiery cowboys of vengeance are even better.
I may have a bias.
And the film is improved by the scene.
I like how the soundtrack reflects the old/new mash-up by having the electro version of Ghost Riders In The Sky play over the scene.
I also like that the horse actually gets to San Beganza first. Of course hellfire-horsey will win.
