Ghost Rider

Long ago, superstar motorcycle stunt rider Johnny Blaze made a deal with the devil to protect the ones he loved most: his father and his childhood sweetheart, Roxanne. Now, the Devil has come for his due. By day, Johnny is a die-hard stunt rider--but at night in the presence of evil, he becomes the Ghost Rider, a bounty hunter of rogue demons.

I love Marvel comics and especially their translation to film. Films like Spiderman and X-men are very well done in their translation. Fantastic Four, Punisher and Daredevil aren't quite as good and The Hulk was just a waste of time. I was very afraid of how Ghost Rider could be ruined. Nicolas "The Eyebrows" Cage just didn't seem right to play Johnny Blaze. Thankfully, my fears were mostly unfounded. What a fun movie. From the first time Blaze changes to Ghost Rider almost to the end this movie is a visual treat. Cage actually does a pretty good Blaze since Cage has had plenty of experience as the reluctant hero. However, the real lack in this story was the enemies that Ghost Rider fought. The Devil was played well, however Blackheart just seemed silly throughout the entire movie. Apparently, to be a fallen angel all you need is a black trenchcoat as that seemed to be the uniform. The effects for the penance stare could have been improved.

Violence is mostly the reason for the PG-13 rating as you see the fallen angels literally suck the life out of their victims.

Ghost Rider is not a timeless classic, nor is it going to win any Oscars. However, it is a fun ride. This isn't Xmen 2, but neither is it The Hulk.

3.9 out of 5

Eragon

A boy named Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest. At first, he thinks it's a lucky discovery, something that will bring meat to his poor family for the winter. Instead, it brings a dragon hatchling, and Eragon is soon thrust into a world of magic and power through which he and the dragon must navigate.

I really have to stop reading the book before I see the movie. If you are making a movie based on a very good book do you: a. Follow the book as much as possible as it is a tried and true success or b. take the characters from the book and a loose plot outline and basically make the entire story up from scratch. Unfortunately, "b" was chosen. I never once in the book thought "Eragon is an arrogant jerk", but I did constantly through this movie. Regardless of whether Eragon was responding to a king, his mentor or the dragon you could see him right on the edge of a temper tantrum if he didn't get his way. What a hero. Jeremy Irons provided some much needed expertise as Eragon's mentor, Brom.

A PG movie with most of that rating stemming from the frightening look of Durza and the Raz'ac (which were done completely wrong).

What a waste of a license. So many times during this movie my wife and I looked at each other with incredulous looks as major plot points and aspects of the story were completely ignored. This movie could have easily been another Lord of the Rings, but the fact that it threw away an excellent story for a hastily thrown together one makes is more of a Bloodrayne.

1.5 out of 5