Nic Cage has been burning to play Marvel’s Ghost Rider for years. And it’s no secret that his love of comic-books is matched only by his love of Elvis. So what we have here is Johnny Blaze: the Memphis-born cousin of Blade and Constantine.

Before Elvis Knievel enters the building, we meet Johnny as a 17-year-old hotshot (played by Cage look-nothing-alike Matt Long) who performs a motorbike stunt act with his father.

But it looks like becoming a one-man show when Blaze Sr is diagnosed with cancer. Then a mysterious stranger tells young Johnny that he can make Pa’s problem disappear... for a price.

Sure as hell, it’s the Devil (or Mephistopheles, depending on your literary bent). He’s played by Peter Fonda, whose character in biker classic Easy Rider was... Captain America. See what they did there?

The deal costs Johnny his soul, but at least dad is cured. Regrettably, the old man’s riding doesn’t improve and Johnny is left with nuthin’ but heartache. He hits the road, leaving behind his sweetheart Roxanne.

Years later, Johnny’s a superstar showman with Nic Cage looks and a thing for jellybeans and The Carpenters. And Roxanne is now a hot TV reporter (as in Eva Mendes-hot), appearing out of the blue to interview her ex before he jumps over six helicopters.

But Mephistopheles is back too, come to call in his debt. It seems that his son Blackheart (Bentley) intends to seize control of the evil family empire, assisted by three fallen angels composed of earth, wind and water.

One wonders why the underworld’s supreme being doesn’t just give these elemental upstarts a slap and send them to bed with no supper. but he’d rather fight them with fire... two-wheeled, skull-headed, heavy metal fire.

Whenever the sun goes down, Johnny turns into a flaming skeleton and burns up the streets astride his fiery chrome steed. To lift the curse he must kill Blackheart and the nephilim, which sounds like a goth band, and looks like one too - like My Chemical Romance before bath night.

Indeed, musical influences are everywhere in Ghost Rider.

The script is practically a version of the song ‘The Devil Rides Down To Georgia’ (with a chorus from Sam Elliott’s grizzled cowboy mentor), and the whole caboodle looks like a flickerbook made from every album cover ever produced by Iron Maiden, Meat Loaf and Motorhead.

In terms of chemistry, Roxanne and Johnny don’t hold a candle to Lois and Clark. This may be because Eva Mendes’ cleavage gets in the way… and her face glows more than Johnny’s when his head is on fire.

The effects range from endearingly cheesy to rather good (especially the hellish Harley and the climactic town of damned souls). But the action scenes need more meat on their bones – not one of Ghosty’s showdowns ever really ignites.

Those suspicions raised by DareDevil are true: writer-director Johnson is not the most inspired comic-book converter in town.

It will undoubtedly keep seats warm, but would anyone sell their soul to see the sequel?

Elliott Noble