The Ghost Rider is one of the more aggressively Catholic superheros in the Marvel stable. Cut from the same vigilante cloth as The Punisher - leather, not spandex - he rides around on a flaming motorcycle dispensing rough justice to the scum of the streets. Though entertaining enough in comic form, he's basically silly on the big screen due to the unavoidable on-fire-ness of his head. To swing a role like that, you really need someone as nutsy as Nicolas Cage.

In truth, Cage is the only reason to bother with this otherwise thoroughly mediocre effort. As Johnny Blaze, Cage walks the barbed wire fence between over the top and down the other side with the elegance of a circus acrobat. Gleefully subverting the character's heavy metal stylings, Cage plays him as an avid Carpenters fan who prefers jelly beans to hard liquor. It's a shame that there is nothing in the script to match his playfulness. A straightforward origin story, Ghost Rider opens in flashback as young stunt motorcyclist Johnny signs a deal with the devil (played, in a neat bit of casting, by Peter Fonda). The film then dawdles somewhat as grown-up Cage comes to terms with his inflammable nature.

"SILLY ON THE BIG SCREEN"

By the time our hero has finally relaxed into his leathers, there's little time left to wrap up the main story, which is some forgettable stuff about the devil's progeny (a googly-eyed Wes Bentley) trying to take over the world. As Johnny's love interest, Eva Mendes manages to be both less interesting and less attractive than the actress who plays her in flashback, and it's left to treacle-tonsils Sam Elliott, as Johnny's mentor, to bring a little gravitas to the whole mess. The special effects are generally decent rather than inspired, though special mention should be given to sound: Ghost Rider's boney bonce catches light with a delightful "whump!" noise, just like a portable gas stove.

Ghost Rider is released in UK cinemas on Friday 2nd March 2007.