Nicolas Cage’s two Ghost Rider films are now streaming for free on Tubi, giving Australian viewers a chance to revisit one of the most divisive comic-book movie series of the 2000s.
Cage’s connection to comics runs far deeper than a typical superhero casting choice. He adopted his surname from Marvel’s Luke Cage to distinguish himself from his famous uncle, named one of his sons Kal-El after Superman’s Kryptonian identity, and once owned a comics collection valued in the millions, including a copy of Action Comics #1. He has also played both Superman and a version of Spider-Man.
Why Ghost Rider remains a Cage showcase
The actor played motorcycle stuntman Johnny Blaze in two live-action films: Ghost Rider and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. Both performed successfully at the box office and featured notable casts, including Eva Mendes, Peter Fonda, Sam Elliott, Idris Elba, Christopher Lambert and the late Anthony Head.
Despite that talent, the films have attracted years of criticism. Complaints have focused on their flat tone, dated visual effects and underwhelming villains. Yet Cage brings his customary commitment to every scene. Even during the period when he accepted a wide range of roles to deal with back taxes, he rarely appeared to be working at half strength.
That intensity changes the experience. Where another performer might play the material straight, Cage leans into Johnny’s supernatural torment, creating moments that are strange, theatrical and unexpectedly entertaining.
Johnny Blaze’s deal with Mephisto
The first film begins in 1986. Johnny is a young motorcycle stunt rider whose father is diagnosed with cancer. He makes a bargain with the demon Mephisto in an attempt to save him, but his father dies the following day in an unrelated motorcycle accident.
Twenty years later, Johnny is a celebrated stunt performer who remains bound to Mephisto. The agreement comes due when Mephisto’s son, Blackheart, arrives on Earth looking for a lost contract. With it, Blackheart may be able to overthrow his father.
Mephisto transforms Johnny into the Ghost Rider, a supernatural agent of vengeance with a flaming skull. His mission is to stop Blackheart before the demon can claim the contract.
A more recognisable comic-book adaptation
One interesting feature of the two films is how closely they resemble their comic-book source compared with several other adaptations from the same era. The story does make changes: Johnny sells his soul to save his father rather than his mentor, Crash Simpson, while the sequel reworks Danny Ketch as a child instead of Johnny’s long-lost brother.
Even with those alterations, the original Ghost Rider remains recognisable as an adaptation. The sequel takes a less conventional Hollywood route, but both films retain the central image of a cursed rider dispensing supernatural punishment.
Where the films stumble
The visual effects are the clearest obstacle. The villains can resemble a heavy-metal band rather than an army of fallen angels, and the computer-generated imagery from the 2007 production has not aged particularly well. In some shots, the flaming skull looks more like a low-resolution animated graphic than a convincing supernatural transformation.
The first film may also have arrived before the technology and production approach were ready for its ambitions. More practical effects, or a fully animated format, might have helped the character and action age more gracefully.
Spirit of Vengeance has fewer advantages. It was made for significantly less money and gives its villains even less impact. Still, the film offers plenty of Cage’s full-throttle performance style, especially when Johnny appears to be fighting a fire from inside his own body.
A strange double feature for superhero fans
The Ghost Rider films are not conventional superhero comfort viewing, but that is part of their appeal. They sit outside the later Marvel formula and offer a rougher, more excessive interpretation of a character built around flames, curses and demonic bargains.
With Marvel reportedly preparing another attempt at Johnny Blaze starring Ryan Gosling, this is a timely opportunity to see how the earlier films handled the character. Viewers who enjoy flamboyant performances, unconventional comic-book adaptations or spectacularly uneven visual effects may find more to appreciate than the films’ reputation suggests.
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Ghost Rider and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance are currently streaming for free on Tubi.
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