The formula is similar to a classic werewolf story, and to a certain degree, "Blade." By day, Blaze is a stunt motorcycle rider whose job involves making death-defying motorcycle jumps at monster truck rallies. But at night, his head turns into a flaming skull and his Harley chopper turns into a bike from hell. As Ghost Rider, he goes into a rage whenever a crisis arises and inadvertently destroys entire city blocks just to rid the world of a single mugger. He eats jelly beans out of martini glasses and likes to listen to the Carpenters while dishing out Elvis hand gestures whenever possible.

His mission is to battle Mephistopheles' wayward son Blackheart (Wes Bentley, "American Beauty") and his crew - Gressil (Laurence Breuls), Wallow (Daniel Fredericksen) and Abigor (Mathew Wilkinson). At the same time, Blaze's life gets a tad more complicated when his old flame Roxanne (Eva Mendes) re-enters his life just he's gearing up to fight for his new existence.

In the hands of writer/director Mark Steven Johnson (Daredevil), Ghost Rider is fine, but lacks a consistent theme or reason to exist aside from the inane burning motorcycle business. It's Cage himself that is the film's pulse, and he indeed absorbs in the role. It's a shame there's little else that matches his wicked originality. Ghost Rider isn't Oscar material, but if you catch the spirit of it, it's a fun ride. Cage, a major comic book fan himself, single-handedly makes this film worth watching when it hits cable. - B.J.