Sony’s Ghost Rider movies represent a bygone era of Nic Cage-starrer Superhero films. With the MCU multiverse now in full swing, there’s a way for the Ghost Rider movies to come back to the limelight. Here’s why.
They Already Have Mephisto
Mephisto is by far one of the shrewdest and most cunning Marvel comics villains. The Marvel Cinematic Universe tried its best to tease the second coming of Mephisto into the MCU. WandaVision fanned a lot of flames but ended up being just a smokescreen. Mephisto needs to be in the MCU. And what better way to do it than the Nic Cage Ghost Rider movies? The villain was introduced early on in the first Ghost Rider film. He was a major antagonist in Spirit of Vengeance. The Ghost Rider movies have already been where the MCu only dares to go.
Ghost Rider Movies Were Totally Insane (But In The Best Way Possible)
The Ghost Rider movies tend to be totally wacky and stupendously ridiculous at times. But do we hate them for what they did? Hell nah!! We knew what we were getting into when we went into to watch a Nicolas Cage movie. The actor is well-known and infamous for his bizarre acting style that gets a lot of attention. His characteristic eccentricity easily rubbed off on Johnny Blaze in the Ghost Rider movies. Most of the times, when Johnny Blaze is transforming into the Ghost Rider as the hellfire is searing his skin, we see Nic Cage screaming at the camera. Those scenes are blissfully insane and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Got The CGI Right
The first Ghost Rider film may have not done a bang on job at the CGI. But the second movie surely did. In terms of story, the Ghost Rider movies were lacking. But overall in the CGI department, they were spot on. Johnny Blaze’s first attempt at turning into a burning skeleton in the first film will forever go down as one of the best superhero movie scenes in human history. Then there’s the Ghost Rider chase sequence in the same movie. Who can forget the time the Rider possessed an Excavator machine and went bat-sh*t crazy. Even the Ghost Rider’s CGI was done right and looked creepy and demonic – as it should be.
The Direction Is On Par (Or Better) Than Many Non-MCU Marvel Films
It was not designed to win awards at the Oscars. The Ghost Rider movies were created to serve as pure popcorn flicks. And there are a few general rules for making a good popcorn thriller. The story should flow nicely and should not look lacking in plot elements. The characters should fit into the story. And most important of all, the direction should be smooth. The first movie ticked all the boxes. The second movie even did a better job in some elements. Mark Neveldine, the director of Spirit of Vengeance, used the same fast-paced, shaky, extremely high frame-rate camera work he used in his famed Crank films starring Jason Statham. And it works like a charm.
The Action Scenes Featuring The Rider Are Pure, Unadulterated Carnage
Fans of the Ghost Rider movies shower praises at the franchise for at least doing the action sequences right. Whenever the Ghost Rider appeared on screen, there was a guaranteed bloodbath that would follow. Spirit of Vengeance took it up a notch, adding more flair than ever seen in superhero movie action sequences. Everything the Rider touched turned into a deadly weapon of war.
Ghost Rider Movies Are Blessed With Awesome Soundtracks
The first film took cues from classic heavy metal songs that fit right into the film like a glove. It made proper use of Christopher Young’s original score that only added more fuel to that fire. The second film also did a pretty good job at the soundtrack, especially the main overture of the Ghost Rider. The soundtrack in Ghost Rider movies sound like a fusion of western, gothic, and classical symphony music with a dark, gritty theme.
