Good to Be Bad: Ghost Rider and Hollywood's Confusing Sense of Spirituality
George Meluch
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A spoiler article for the movie Ghost Rider, staring Nicholas Cage.
Let's start by saying that it's only a comic book movie, and that it is fun.
Amidst the stunning explosions and gratifying victories of the skeleton headed fire wielding hero, we find ourselves exposed to a misadventurous love story, an inspirational tale of morality, redemption and triumph over adversity, and a unique characterization of Satan and Hell. 
It's not unusual for the Devil to appear on our silver screens these days. Old Scratch, as the tales of our recent centuries knew him, is of course one of the most interesting characters a writer can place amongst his cast. Neither is it unusual for the American people as a society to be interested and entertained by mythological and religious tales. All cultures are entertained by their mythologies, for instance, in India, some of their most popular television and movie productions are about deities such as Krishna and his love Radha.
Ghost Rider is however, possibly the most confusing retelling of Judeo-Christian Hell mythology. The film, based on the Marvel Comics character, is a story about fighting evil, but not necessarily about being good. Like it's chain of media predecessors, Hellboy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Constantine, and others, Ghost Rider is less concerned with aligning it's supernatural understructure with any one religious view or established image, and more interested in creating usable characters and unexpected plot devices.
It is not strange that we reinvent our particular views on mythology; it is the nature of all stories to change as they are retold. It is however, strange that we don't believe our own mythos, consuming it as a light fantasy. The demon-fighting theme is also not a peculiar fixation of our culture, being shared by Japanese and Islamic mythology among others. Our modern writers have however, surpassed all other societies in our creative flexibility when it comes to religious fables.
Let's start by saying that it's only a comic book movie, and that it is fun.
Amidst the stunning explosions and gratifying victories of the skeleton headed fire wielding hero, we find ourselves exposed to a misadventurous love story, an inspirational tale of morality, redemption and triumph over adversity, and a unique characterization of Satan and Hell.
It's not unusual for the Devil to appear on our silver screens these days. Old Scratch, as the tales of our recent centuries knew him, is of course one of the most interesting characters a writer can place amongst his cast. Neither is it unusual for the American people as a society to be interested and entertained by mythological and religious tales. All cultures are entertained by their mythologies, for instance, in India, some of their most popular television and movie productions are about deities such as Krishna and his love Radha.
Ghost Rider is however, possibly the most confusing retelling of Judeo-Christian Hell mythology. The film, based on the Marvel Comics character, is a story about fighting evil, but not necessarily about being good. Like it's chain of media predecessors, Hellboy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Constantine, and others, Ghost Rider is less concerned with aligning it's supernatural understructure with any one religious view or established image, and more interested in creating usable characters and unexpected plot devices.
It is not strange that we reinvent our particular views on mythology; it is the nature of all stories to change as they are retold. It is however, strange that we don't believe our own mythos, consuming it as a light fantasy. The demon-fighting theme is also not a peculiar fixation of our culture, being shared by Japanese and Islamic mythology among others. Our modern writers have however, surpassed all other societies in our creative flexibility when it comes to religious fables.