I could probably think of a hundred negative things to say about Ghost Rider. The narrative is simplistic and yet unnecessarily convoluted. The demonic bad guys feel like they’re dressed in Halloween costumes and Ghost Rider’s fights with them are over all too quickly. The film’s tone is unevenly corny and solemn. And as is common with introductory comic book films, way too much time is spent on character origin.

Nicholas Cage’s turns in an odd performance as a lost, listless motorcyclist, almost enough to be compelling if it weren’t so lifeless. And I might say that Eva Mendes phoned in her performance, but I don’t think she ever even picked up the phone; it probably wouldn’t be entirely fair to criticize her performance however, because I don’t think she ever took it seriously in the first place.

And yet, in no way that I can fully explain, Ghost Rider, fully realized in blazing glory, is about as cool a thing as I’ve seen in a long time. My personal fanboy bias no doubt bleeds through, but I enjoyed every minute of the film despite my perpetual cringe. It's just cool.

The film’s finale clearly paves a way for future installments. I hope they come. Preferably sans writer/director Mark Steven Johnson. But I hope they come.

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