Donal Logue has shot to the defense of the critically mauled 2007 comic-book adaptation Ghost Rider. Well, actually, he hasn’t really defended the attempted blockbuster. Instead, he has declared that anyone who tried to analyze the film needs to get their priorities straight.
Donal Logue, who has recently made a name for himself by starring as Harvey Bullock in the Batman prequel, Gotham, pretty much insinuated that Ghost Rider was a tepid comic-book adaptation by declaring "it was whatever it was." However rather than proceeding with any further criticism of the film, Donal Logue instead decided to tell Rolling Stone that it was just "goofy" and fans probably shouldn’t waste their time looking into it.
I was in Ghost Rider, which was, well it was whatever it as, but it was fun as shit. Someone was grilling me at ComicCon about not being true to the comic book. I was like, ‘Dude, it’s a skeleton on a motorcycle on fire, but the leather jacket doesn’t burn! What level of dissection do we have to get to?’ I mean, I understand being precious about shit, but come on. There’s some goofy shit in that thing you just gotta roll with."
I’m tempted to agree with Donal Logue’s assessment. The problems with Ghost Rider weren’t due to the fact that it wasn’t loyal to the comic book it was based on. It was due to the mundane direction, tepid acting and lifeless script. In the end though, despite these massive areas of weakness, it was still enjoyable. Yes it was also instantly forgettable too but seeing a flaming skull riding a motorcycle to stop a gothed up Rebel Wilson being mugged while a guitar rocks out in the background is always going to have something going for it. Don’t believe me? Then check out the clip below.
Would Ghost Rider have been improved if it had tried to stay true to the comic? We’ll never know. Those involved decided to go down the route that they did, and the fact that Ghost Rider ultimately made enough money to get an even worse sequel made in 2012 suggests that they could live with their choice. Unfortunately we have now reached an impasse where comic-book fans are never really going to be satisfied with any adaptation. And while I agree that movies have an obligation to abide by the source material, if a writer, director or producer decides to deviate from it the film should still be analysed on its own merit. Not held up to the standards of previous incarnations. That’s just futile. No doubt people will still carry on doing just that though. Just don’t expect Donal Logue to be listening.
