Ghost Rider? Oh Hell Yes...

I've long given up on an accurate portrayal of any of my old comic faves. Though the "Spider Man" franchise has been minimal in sullying the comic's legacy, the upcoming third installment -- which introduces Venom -- doesn't look too promising. So why the hell am I so amped about "Ghost Rider?"

First of all, "Ghost Rider" stars Nic Cage, who has been in maybe one or two good movies ("Face Off" and "Raising Arizona"); but the great thing about Cage is that he's able to ham it up like no other and his take on Johnny Blaze, the stuntman who signs his life way, recognizes the whole theme of being an Evel Kinivel-type: showy, loud and, as I said before, hammy.

I'm actually relieved that writer/director Mark Steven Johnson (who unceremoniously fucked Daredevil) decided to use the Johnny Blaze story arc, versus the nineties Ghost Rider, Daniel Ketch, whose transformation was accidentally forced by tragedy. The nineties "Ghost Rider" was backed by a world that bathed in its own filth, from drug peddling thugs to high powered corporate villains, it was very much a response to a Bush Sr-led urban world.

The film version of "Ghost Rider," however, with all its glitz, slick special effects and beautiful stars (Eva Mendez, what up) best reflects the excess of Hollywood and the many Americans who choose to ignore what's going on outside the comfort of their Ikea furnished homes.

I'd much rather have my Ghost Rider as big and bad ass as possible since the finger wagging version wouldn't bode well for anyone. I don't watch movies to be preached at, I watch them to see shit explode, which -- judging from the trailers -- "Ghost Rider" won't fail to deliver.