When fans think of the best pre-MCU Marvel movies, two trilogies likely come to mind. The original X-Men trilogy (the one that introduced the world to Hugh Jackman as Wolverine) is usually people’s go-to first pick. In second place sits Wesley Snipes’ Blade trilogy, which, even with Blade: Trinity being filled with many questionable decisions, is still a great franchise. But, within that pre-MCU era sits another criminally underrated Marvel movie that’s about to stream for free. Just a year before Robert Downey Jr. would play Tony Stark for the first time in Iron Man and birth the Marvel Cinematic Universe, fans got to see The Spirit of Vengeance on the big screen in Ghost Rider.
Ghost Rider, starring Nicolas Cage, will soon stream for free on Tubi. The underrated pre-MCU Marvel movie will stream for free on Tubi on December 1. Released in 2007, Ghost Rider is undeniably a Marvel cult-classic. Cage, who is a lifelong comic book fan, starred as Johnny Blaze, a stunt motorcyclist who makes a deal with the devil to save his father’s life. When the Devil cashes in on the bargain, Johnny gains spectral powers and is tasked with killing the Devil’s son, Blackheart. The official synopsis reads:
“Years ago, motorcycle stuntman Johnny Blaze sold his soul to save the life of a loved one. Now, he transforms into a fiery, avenging agent of justice at night wherever evil roams. As the only one who can walk in both worlds, Johnny is charged by Mephistopheles himself to destroy Blackheart, a demon that wants to overthrow Mephistopheles and create a worse hell than the one that currently exists.”
Alongside Nic Cage, the film featured a great supporting cast, including the talents of Eva Mendes, Sam Elliott, Donal Logue, Peter Fonda, and Wes Bentley as Blackheart. Mark Steven Johnson directed and wrote the movie, which was based on the Marvel Comics character created by Gary Friedrich, Roy Thomas, and Mike Ploog. Ghost Rider certainly isn’t anyone’s favorite Marvel movie. But the film has garnered a very strong cult following in recent years. But when Ghost Rider opened in theaters, it was a very different story.
‘Ghost Rider’ Was the Most Divisive Marvel Movie At the Time
That statement might seem shocking now, as it feels like many MCU projects are getting progressively worse (hopefully, Avengers: Doomsday can break that trend), but Ghost Rider was absolutely maligned when it opened in 2007. The film holds an abysmal 28% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In the years since, audiences have become kinder to the film, granting it a 48% user score. But even recent user reviews have lambasted the film with one-star ratings.
However, money talks in Hollywood. Despite the bad reviews, Ghost Rider grossed over $228 million worldwide. As a result, Ghost Rider 2: Spirit of Vengeance was quickly greenlit. If the original was divisive, the sequel was just plain bad. Both critics and audiences slammed the movie in 2012, and the sequel underperformed at the box office, grossing $132 million worldwide.
- Release Date
-
February 16, 2007
- Runtime
-
110 minutes