Everyone's a critic: 'Ghost Rider'

Three and a half stars (out of four)

I am usually not a big fan of the comic book movies. I was skeptical about seeing "Ghost Rider," especially with Nicolas Cage as the lead. I thought it would be just another cheesy movie that I would end up having to ask my children what it was all about. I have to say that I was wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. It turned out to be a sort of modern-day Western. I loved the special effects and I could follow the storyline. It was still a little cheesy in some parts, but that is what the comic book genre is all about. "Ghost Rider" ended up being entertaining and Cage did a pretty good job as the "ghost rider"; however, the shining performance in this movie came from Sam Elliott. When it comes to the role of a cowboy, there just isn't a finer one to be found.

-- Brena Euler

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Three stars (out of four)

Ghost Rider (Nicolas Cage) is the latest super hero from Marvel comic books to be made into a film for the big screen. If you understand the comic book format, you can see how it is applied to films like this one, "Spider-man," "X-Men" and "Hulk." While some audience members will think this film is corny, comic book fans will realize that the film plays out much in the same way a comic book does on paper. The editing, directing, dialogue, set design and most importantly the story were done in a way that parallels that of a comic book. The film was fun and Nicolas Cage was a much better Johnny Blaze (the Ghost Rider) than I was anticipating. While "Ghost Rider" was way more enjoyable than "Hulk," it was still not as good as "Spider-man." Still, worth the money. Go see it.

-- Josh LaMar

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Four stars (out of four)

This is yet another must-see for those comic book-hero lovers.

Johnny Blaze (Nicolas Cage) has sold his soul to the devil and years later the devil comes to collect. Johnny, a fearless motorcycle stunt man, must do the dirty deeds for the devil or lose Roxy (Eva Mendes), his estranged childhood sweetheart forever. Unsure of just what the ghost rider is capable of, Johnny meets up with Blade (Sam Elliot), the groundskeeper at a local cemetery. Blade seemingly knows everything about ghost rider and why it is time for him to pay up (Blade was a ghost rider 150 years ago). Blade tells Johnny what he has to do and they team up one last time, and like in all comic book-hero movies they beat the bad guys. The hero rides away with his sweetheart and all is well for now. This movie did leave room for a sequel to follow. Overall, it was an action-packed movie with awesome special effects.

-- Tiana Hughes