Based on the Marvel Comic of the same name, Ghost Rider is one of those films that reeks of wasted potential. Anyone familiar with the comic knows that the universe that Johnny Blaze inhabited was one of bizarre demons and brooding antiheroes and while some of that has been transferred over to this film, so much more of it was left at the wayside.

The movie tells the story of one Johnny Blaze (played with much unintentional goofiness by Nicholas Cage), a famous motorcycle stunt rider who years ago sold his soul to Satan (Peter Fonda of all people) to save his father from the ravages of the cancer that is killing him. Of course, when you make a pact with the devil it never goes your way and soon Blaze finds out that he's basically unable to die until the devil decides it is his time. While this makes him a fantastic stunt rider, it also makes him pretty darn miserable.

Soon enough, a sinister demon named Blackheart (Wes Bentley) shows up on the scene, Hell-bent (pun intended) on finding a scroll containing details on thousands of damned souls which he hopes to acquire in order to beat the devil at his own game. Satan is none too pleased with this and so he calls on Blaze upon whom he bestows some crazy evil super powers that allow him to turn into a vengeful flaming skeleton when evil around and in need of a smack down. Of course, this all happens to poor blaze just as he's finally found his long lost love, Roxanne (Eva Mendes). Not only is Johnny trying to rekindle what he once had with her but he's also coming to terms with the fact that he's been turned into a spirit of vengeance against his will. Thankfully Roxanne and a weird old cemetery worker (Sam Elliott) are around to help him come to terms with what he has become, help him overcome his strange new predicament and to help him stop Blackheart before he goes too far.

Borrowing elements from the original comic book series and the re-launch that revived his popularity in the nineties, the film is entertaining enough even if it doesn't have much going for it in the way of any real substance. The effects, though very CGI heavy, are fairly impressive in a cartoonish way and some of the stunt scenes are very well done. The film certainly has a better, darker tone to it than director Mark Steven's previous attempt at bringing a Marvel property to the big screen (that'd be Daredevil for those not in the know, though the un-rated version of that film is definitely a lot better than the theatrical cut). Speaking of un-rated cuts, don't go into the slightly longer version of the film contained on this DVD expecting more sex or violence as you're not going to get it. Pretty much everything that has been restored in this version of the movie is characterization bits - that's not a bad thing, it does flesh out the central players a little more, but it's doubtful that any of this material was cut at the request of the MPAA, rather, it was likely excited for pacing reasons.

The film benefits from an interesting cast. It's hard to tell if Cage is hamming it up on purpose here or not but regardless, he makes for a decent, tortured Johnny Blaze even if he does pour it on thick in more than a few scenes. Eva Mendes is about as hot as it gets as the love interest and it's fun to see Sam Elliott and Peter Fonda show up in important supporting roles, as both actors have great screen presence and add their charm to the picture.

Ultimately the picture is a fun ride, even if it's empty. You're not likely to want to return to the world of Johnny Blaze any time soon, as it's fairly vapid; lots of style but little actual substance. Characters are a bit one-dimensional, the story is a little predictable and there are a few cringe inducing moments of bad acting and bad dialogue. That being said, seeing Nicholas Cage ride around on a bike with his head on CGI fire is pretty cool and the film is definitely entertaining on a base level.