Ghost Rider: 20 Years Behind Its Time?

[Matt]

As my wife and I left the theater tonight, she made a comment to me that is just so damn true. She said "This movie would've been great 20 years ago."

She was so right. It is your typical 80s movie with CGI. From the over-the-top, yet somehow underwhelming action, to the cheesey one liners, to the punk-ish anti-hero, to even Nic Cage who was playing a character that he was about 20 years too old for. This is your archtypical 80s movie. I really believe had this been made in the 80s it would've been a cult classic.

 

[Tempest19]

Definitely had an 80s feel... but, personally, that's one of the things I liked about it.

 

[kaijunexus]

Dude...I LOVE the 80s! No wonder I freaking love this movie!!

Btw, Matt, you're avatar is godly.

I kid you not.

 

[Eddie Brock]

That's because Ghost Rider thrived in the 80's and 90's.....he's not such a great character in today's world..

 

[topdog1]

Good observation. It did have an underwhelming 80's feel. Keep the bad script, forget the fire and cast Arnold or Sly as Johnny and you have a cult classic.

Sly's Cobra = Ghost Rider

 

[Tempest19]

Film's it's been said to be like:

Burton Batman (80s)
Robocop (I believe, 80s)
American Werewolf in London (80s)

 

[Eddie Brock]

the most obvious thing that points this out (and i don't live in Texas so maybe i'm ignorant but...)

how many daredevil bikers do you see anymore?
furthermore, how many carnivals do you see anymore?

 

[Spade]

That's because Ghost Rider thrived in the 80's and 90's.....he's not such a great character in today's world..

I find myself agreeing. The adaption sticks to the material, but the primary issue is that the concept hasn't had a new or fresh development in quite some time. It's not immensely detering, but it's noticeable that the material seems best set in a different timeframe.

 

[topdog1]

how many carnivals do you see anymore?

I work at a carnival.

 

[Matt]

I find myself agreeing. The adaption sticks to the material, but the primary issue is that the concept hasn't had a new or fresh development in quite some time. It's not immensely detering, but it's noticeable that the material seems best set in a different timeframe.

Agreed. One good thing that can be said about Stephen Norrington's lacklust career is that at least when he did Blade, he was smart enough to realize the material needed an update. Could you imagine if Blade looked like this:

And ran around with wooden knives calling everyone 'jive turkeys'?

It would've been a disaster. Ghost Rider needed an update. This is a case when sticking too close to the material didn't pay off.

 

[Killgore]

I work at a carnival.

Heh heh. Topdog is a carney.

 

[Mr. Socko]

I agree with the guy who said that if Arnold was cast as the Rider in the 80s, this would be a cult classic today like the Predator.


But these effects(flaming skull head) weren't possible then were they?

 

[topdog1]

Heh heh. Topdog is a carney.

At least I think it's a carnival. There's guy standing in the middle of the room that's always yelling stuff, a bearded lady, a really strong guy, an animal that occasionally urinates on my leg and every night I watch a bunch of clowns pile in to one compact car and drive away.

 

[Spade]

Agreed. One good thing that can be said about Stephen Norrington's lacklust career is that at least when he did Blade, he was smart enough to realize the material needed an update. Could you imagine if Blade looked like this:

[image clipped]

And ran around with wooden knives calling everyone 'jive turkeys'?

It would've been a disaster. Ghost Rider needed an update. This is a case when sticking too close to the material didn't pay off.

Well, I can agree with you on that. Though, I feel out of all the things in the film he was fine visually. Messing around with the look has got us...things...such as this:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/35/Ghost_rider_vol_2_80.jpg

It's just the time period. Maybe if the film placed itself in the early 90's when Ketch was at the height of popularity? Or before then, in the late 80's?

 

[Tempest19]

At least I think it's a carnival. There's guy standing in the middle of the room that's always yelling stuff, a bearded lady, a really strong guy, an animal that occasionally urinates on my leg and every night I watch a bunch of clowns pile in to one compact car and drive away.

If that's not a carnival. You're living in the Twilight Zone.

 

[Catman]

It is your typical 80s movie with CGI.

Um...not really, sir. THIS is what an `80s movie looks like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkgxLnUFYiU

 

[Mr Nick]

Film's it's been said to be like:

Burton Batman (80s)
Robocop (I believe, 80s)
American Werewolf in London (80s)

I love all those films dearly.

 

[atreestump]

Good observation. It did have an underwhelming 80's feel. Keep the bad script, forget the fire and cast Arnold or Sly as Johnny and you have a cult classic.

Sly's Cobra = Ghost Rider

yes I loved cobra. Ghost riders ending on a scale of one to ten gets a crap!!! it was a awesome awesome movie, with a nice 80's touch that I guess would have been better in the eighties but I don't know if they had what it takes to give it enough justice. the ending was completely ****ty I did like that he used his hell fire gun I don't know if it has an actual name to it but I was hoping he'd turn the gun and shoot hell fire from it like he did in issue 14 of ghost rider johnny blaze vs. the ghost rider now I know I know he didn't turn his own gun it was actually the spirit inside of Dan Ketch that gave johnny the means to kill him (just a quote) Still very awesome part

 

[atreestump]

Um...not really, sir. THIS is what an `80s movie looks like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkgxLnUFYiU

what about this for an eighties movie??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QScUaj8xBCY

 

[atreestump]

Agreed. One good thing that can be said about Stephen Norrington's lacklust career is that at least when he did Blade, he was smart enough to realize the material needed an update. Could you imagine if Blade looked like this:

And ran around with wooden knives calling everyone 'jive turkeys'?

It would've been a disaster. Ghost Rider needed an update. This is a case when sticking too close to the material didn't pay off.

he did call them jive turkeys in one of the movies I think it was the second or third blade movie. I'm not sure which

 

[RED_Rider]

MSJ has always said that he like 80's feel of GR and made his film like that. Its not a traditional Superhero film. Its a road trip/ western/ horror / comedy movie and thats the esscense of 70 and 80.

 

[Catman]

what about this for an eighties movie??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QScUaj8xBCY

Its sad but that barfight in Howard the Duck is better than all the fight scenes in Ghost Rider.

 

[Bubonic]

The guy should have made it more like DD directors cut instead of giving it some lame 80's vibe. Not that I care for the feel of modern movies that are often soulless, but for the movies that are made with care and passion in todays world, turn out great.

Plus can you imagine the effects if this were done today? They'd probably have someone with a DBZ haircut, dyed bright orange, and grey skeletal face paint!!!

 

[blind_fury]

Ghost Rider is perfect for R-rated grindhouse. That would've been a thousand times better than a forgettable, kiddie cheesefest starring Nicholas Cage.

 

[Spade]

Ghost Rider is perfect for R-rated grindhouse. That would've been a thousand times better than a forgettable, kiddie cheesefest starring Nicholas Cage.

The same could be argued about Blade, to be fair. I loved Blade, but trying to remember half the things that happened in it is like trying to remember how to factor a quadratic equation off the top of my head. Films like this have the Forgetability Factor inherent in all dark/ acton-orientated films. I'm not entirely certain Goyer would have done a better job at it, and after seeing how they pushed the envelope I'm not entirely certain the R rating was needed.