Film Review of
Ghost Rider
Director:
Mark Steven Johnson (2007)
Distributor:
Columbia Pictures
Certificate: 12A
Reviewed by Andrew Wooding
Spoiler notice: If you read on will become aware
of some of the content of the film.
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Main Characters:
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This, for me, is one of those “guilty pleasures” films. I know it’s rubbish, and I’ll probably lose any credibility I might have, but I have to hold up my hand and admit that I really enjoyed it. The main reason is that I was a Marvel Comics fanatic in the seventies, and I remember reading Ghost Rider comics late at night under the blankets, with a cheap plastic torch to illuminate the pages.
Any time a film adapts a comic, I ask myself: “Do I get the same feeling watching this as I did when I was a kid reading comics?” The answer is not always in the affirmative, but in the case of Ghost Rider it’s a definite “yes”. It’s corny and clichéd, but it’s also colourful and fun. Nicolas Cage isn’t the best actor in the world, but here he is very likable as stunt rider Johnny Blazer. While others around him are swigging beer and trying to look macho, Johnny Blaze indulges in jelly beans, children’s programmes and the greatest hits of The Carpenters.
The romance is unconvincing, and the juxtaposition of motorbiking scenes with metal music is obvious and corny, but I allowed myself to be manipulated for once. There was a big guitar hit in the sixties called “Ghost Riders in the Sky”. If I’d been the director of this film, I would have thought, “Even though it’s nothing to do with the comic, I probably ought to use that song, ‘Ghost Riders in the Sky’, but I won’t because it’s far too obvious.” No such hesitation here. As Johnny Blaze races through the desert, “Ghost Riders in the Sky” blares out in all its glory.
Even though this is set in the present day, I liked the wild west, mythical feel of the film, with a number of scenes on remote desert roads or in small town America. On one level, it is great escapism, but on another, the spiritual themes are constantly in your face and challenging.
Back in the 1970s and 1980s there was an evangelist called Jack Chick who produced dozens of pocket-sized Christian “tracts” explaining the Christian message in comic strip form. The tracts were deadly serious (though unintentionally humorous) and the stories (such as they were) normally focused on people dabbling in demonic powers (maybe through “the evils of loud music” or reading “demonic fantasy novels like Lord of the Rings”) and selling their souls to the devil rather than giving their lives to God. The Chick tracts now have a cult following – for all the wrong reasons! There are tribute websites to them, and you can even collect them on eBay!
Why do I mention this? Well, it struck me that the plot of Ghost Rider, the movie, could very easily have been the plot of one of these Chick tracts. Johnny Blaze sells his soul to the devil and becomes a famous stunt rider, in the vein of ‘70s hero Evel Knievel. He is a driven man, thinking up ever more dangerous stunts that only increase his fame. But there are demons round every corner. The themes of sin, innocence and redemption occur throughout the film. And there is a scene where Johnny Blaze is standing at a crossroads, a visual representation of an important choice he has to make. I haven’t read all the Chick tracts, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this image appears at the end of many of them.
I’m glad this film was made. It was fun and thought-provoking at the same time, and now I’m going to dig out my old collection of Ghost Rider comics ... and try to find a cheap plastic torch for reading under my blankets!
Through the lens of Christian Faith
Some key themes: Does God give second chances? Don’t mess with the devil.
“Our fight is not against people on earth but against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world's darkness, against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly world” (Ephesians 6 v 12).
“It's said that the west was built on legends, tall tales that help us make sense of things too great or too terrifying to believe. This is the legend of the Ghost Rider.
The thing about legends is: sometimes they're true.” - (Opening speech from Ghost Rider)
Johnny Blaze made a big mistake when he was younger. He played with fire – he sold his soul to the devil – and now the devil has come back to collect on his part of the deal. Johnny didn’t do it for fame or glory – he did it so that his father would be healed of cancer. But even so – doing deals with the devil is a no-no, and they will always backfire. Ever since then, Johnny Blaze has lived in fear, pushing himself to perform ever more dangerous stunts, including a televised motorcycle jump over the sharp rotating blades of half a dozen helicopters. It is almost as if he has a death wish!
We’ve all made mistakes, but making a pact with the devil is a biggie. Can Johnny Blaze somehow undo this? Can he back out of the deal? Will he be forgiven? Another character in the film, who also made a deal with the devil, says: "God knows I've made my share of mistakes. Been trying to make things right ever since. Guess all I can do now is hope he sees fit to give me a second chance."
This character also tells Johnny: "Any man who's got the guts to sell his soul for love got the power to change the world. You didn't do it for greed. You did it for the right reason. Maybe that puts God on your side.” I like the word “maybe” there. That word speaks of hope. And when we have hope we are motivated to do something about our situation. Hopelessness just leads to sitting back and feeling sorry for ourselves.
I believe that God is all about hope. I also believe that the devil likes to bring hopelessness into the lives of everyone he comes across.
Take a look at Jesus’ disciples, who were among the closest people to him when he lived on earth. They spent all those many months with him, soaking in his thoughts, teachings and lifestyle, and they had high hopes when he processed into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. They were living in hard times under Roman rule, but Jesus was going to change all that – they believed he was going to overthrow the authorities and bring about God’s kingdom on earth. But things didn’t go quite according to their expectations – instead, Jesus was arrested, questioned, tortured and then put to death.
Imagine investing three intense years of your life into something you passionately believe in, only to have it snatched away from you right at the last minute. How would you feel? The disciples had a self-pity party, locked away in a room for the best part of three days. All hope was lost. It was the end. How could they possibly go on?
But as I said: God is about hope. News reached them that Jesus may have come back from the dead, and they soon found that the rumours were true. They went on to spread his good news round the world, and that good news is still spreading 2,000 years later.
Ghost Rider is a film about a man who lived for far too many years in fear and hopelessness, caused by his dealings with the devil. But he started to believe in a God of second chances, and … well, I won’t give away the ending. You’ll have to see the film for yourself! But I am encouraged by Johnny Blaze’s example. He saw that the demons couldn’t enter hallowed (or holy) ground – ground that was consecrated to God. He hoped that this God might give him a second chance, and acting on that hope changed everything for him. Isn’t that a good example for all of us? Hope or hopelessness? You decide.
Discussion questions . . .
- Are you a fan of Marvel Comics? Which Marvel character would you next like to see adapted into a film?
- Is the devil just a myth or legend to explain away evil, or is there a real evil being known as the devil or Satan?
- Is there anything that God can’t forgive or redeem us from? Can we ever get into a situation where we are beyond hope?
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