Dear Nicholas Cage- Please Reconsider.

I will preface this lilting tirade of arrogance with this fact: I fundamentally do not like Ghost Rider. I believe that, as a character, he is simply an excuse by Marvel to jump on the growing popularity of the 'Easy Rider/Evel Knievel' fads of the late 60s, early 70s; His powers are lame, his look is stupid, and his appeal is, to me, questionable. Anyone who is a die-hard fan of Ghost Rider gets dubiosity points in my book without any questions asked.

That said, Nicholas Cage is set to ruin him irreparably.

This shouldn't bother me as much as it does, but for the facts that A.) He is a Marvel creation and B.) He, if used correctly, can be a good supporting character. He could serve as a servant to Mephisto and antagonize Dr, Strange; he could join the Avengers as a reserve member or, to take an opposite view, take on the mantle of one of the Masters of Evil. Giving him his own book, let alone his own feature film, is a worse idea than watching anything other than the special edition Director's Cut of Daredevil (of which a review is forthcoming, I promise). So why does the fact that Nicholas Cage is playing Johnny Blaze make me want to expose myself to a dangerous levels of gamma rays in hopes of one day turning into a creature capable of utterly destroying anyone who had anything to do with his casting? Well, namely it's because of the story itself.

You see, Johnny Blaze has more to him than most people know. His parents died at an early age, attaching himself to a foster family and involving himself in a relationship with his foster sister that bordered on incest due to his incredible repression of his original childhood memories. He sells his soul to a demon to save his foster father from dying of cancer, only to have his father die in a motorcycle stunt close afterwards. On top of all of that, Mephisto forces him to cruise around on a flaming motorcycle avenging innocents.

And Nicholas Cage is expected to cram ALL OF THAT in a two hour movie.

I mean, he's done some good work. Leaving Las Vegas, 8mm, even (a guilty pleasure of mine,) The Rock. But now he has to communicate a plethora of neuroses, emotions, and most importantly, a spirit of all consuming VENGANCE? Nic, you're money, but YOU CAN'T DO THIS.

Anyone, name me ONE FILM wherein Mr. Cage shows talent that could encapsulate an elemental force made up of rage and lust for revenge. You can't.

And a note to Marvel: ONLY LISCENCE CHARACTERS THAT CAN BE MADE INTO MOVIES EASILY.

Wait, I'll rephrase.

To Marvel: ONLY LISCENCE CHARACTERS THAT WILL BE GOOD MOVIES.

Huh. Anyone disagree? I'll gladly debate, and/or be proven wrong.

-Gregor