Ghost Rider

Starring Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider, Peter Fonda as Mephistopheles (the devil), Wes Bentley as Blackheart (the devil's son) and Eva Mendes as Roxanne Simpson (Johnny's girlfriend).

Most people would sell their soul to the devil for a few years of partying. Johnny Blaze sells his soul to save his father's life. This seems like a good idea until the devil figures out how to kill Johnny's father another way. "Farewell" says the devil. He'd be in touch.

After his father's death, Johnny makes a name for himself as the most daring stunt-biker ever. This is his way of making a living, while attempting to kill himself. See, the fact that he belongs to the devil doesn't motivate him very much to live life to the full.

Then the devil's son, Blackheart, starts getting out of hand. The most logical thing for the devil at this point is to call on the Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze) to kill his son. After a few run-ins with Blackheart's supernatural henchmen and (of course) after saving his girlfriend a couple of times, Ghost Rider eventually accomplishes this mission.

Most memorable quote from Ghost Rider: "My name is Leeeeeeeegion; for we are maaaaaaaaaaaany. " Blackheart quoted the demon possessed man Jesus encountered as recorded in Mark chapter 5. According to Mark, "This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones." (NIV) It makes sense that people feared this man. Thus, the makers of Ghost Rider made Blackheart look especially scary when he took on the souls of San Venganza.

The scary demon-possessed man reacts to Jesus thus: "When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at the top of his voice, 'What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won't torture me!' " This makes sense because all spiritual authority belongs to Jesus. Apparently, the demons are fearing the day when Jesus will kick them to the curb.

The Ghost Rider defeats Blackheart using his Penance Stare. The Penance Stare is Ghost Rider's tool for turning evildoers' deeds against them, making them feel the pain of every wrongdoing they have ever inflicted on others. This is an appropriate portrayal of sin. Sin is unfathomably horrific; it is eternally destructive. Since every person sins, therefore everyone carries around an incomprehensible rottenness, the seed of death. Sin must be a drastically terrible thing if the death of God's Son was needed to atone for it. But Jesus won. Indeed, the forces of evil cower at His feet (as the legion of demons mentioned in Mark chapter 5).

This makes me wonder, how we average people resist evil? Americans might vote for better candidates, that is, if the American political machine didn't grind them up first. We might rally together against the unjust wars that our government is waging... but these wars are decided by people who obtained their offices through a (supposedly) democratic system. We might purchase vehicles that use something besides petroleum, but petroleum companies are suffocating every feasible alternative before it becomes available to the general public.

Resistance to evil is good in itself. Resisting evil is especially good when it leads us to depend on Jesus Christ. Christ came to Earth to overwhelm evil for all who trust Him to do this. Evil falls down at His feet and begs Him for mercy... once we get to know Him this will not surprise us.

The answer to all evil in a nutshell: The Gospel.

2 comments:

Liz said...

I didn't wanna see this cuz it looked kinda "evil" - but your review has intrigued me. Maybe I'll give it a shot...

Anonymous said...

Sure the film had some weak villains,,, but I really loved Ghost Rider,,,
Nick Cage finally found a Superhero he could portray...

The Penace Stare, reminded me of the Life-Review we all have to go through after life...