8) Ghost Rider
There are two types of people in this world. There are those who think Nicolas Cage is… how should we put this delicately… that Nicolas Cage is bat-shit crazy. Utterly insane. Beyond all help. Then there are those who know he’s mental, but actually prefer crazy Cage to the award winning actor we grew to love back in the 90’s. Choosing to star in the Wicker Man remake may have been the moment Cage should have been full on committed, but those who enjoy his bizarre screen persona must have also taken some delight in the scene where he urinated fire onscreen as Marvel’s Ghost Rider.
Supernatural characters can be tough to pull off at the best of times, and casting an actual mental patient in the role didn’t do the first two Ghost Rider movies any favours, but that wasn’t the only issue. If you’re going to commit 100% to the idea of a skeleton biker dealing out justice, then a PG-13 rating is not the way to go. In an attempt to keep these movies within the age rating limit, potential scares were toned down, allowing the terrible dialogue and ridiculous acting to come straight to the fore.
Some may think Ghost Rider has already blown his chance, but people doubted Guardians of the Galaxy would work and look what happened there. With an appropriate rating that exploits the horror behind his quest for vengeance, Marvel could have another surprise hit on their hands if they chose to put their own spin on a Ghost Rider movie. Audiences may eventually tire of generic superhero movies, so horror is certainly an avenue worth pursuing and now that Doctor Strange has been slated for release, the supernatural certainly has its place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
