Although Constantine is loaded with great visual effects and a blend of crime noir/H. P. Lovecraft style, the film’s plot keeps it from ever rising above being just mediocre and at times down right boring.
The film, which comes in a 2-disc deluxe edition, stars Keanu Reeves as John Constantine – a man dying of cancer and trying to earn his way into heaven by dispatching angel/demon half-breeds.
Constantine is kind of like the Excorcist’s Father Mirrin mixed with Hellboy except he doesn’t have the priest robes or the cool red skin and horns.
The movie, is based on the DC/Vertigo comic series Hellblazer, but basically just uses the characters’ names and changes about everything else that makes the comic great.
It follows Constantine as he attempts to help a Los Angeles police detective, played by Rachel Weisz, whose twin sister has committed suicide.
Along the way, Constantine discovers that Satan’s son, working with an angel from Heaven, is attempting to cross into the world and destroy the balance that has existed between good and evil for centuries. Or at least, I think that is what the plot was about because it is extremely hard to follow from one scene to the next.
Reeves, for the most part, does a good job in the movie and captures the stoic and sarcastic attitude of the character - established in the comics. Unfortunately, his character is never really explained and Reeves fails to really make Constantine really that interesting to watch.
The same problem can be said for Rachel Weisz’s character. She comes off as a weak version of Scully from the X-Files and just blindly follows Reeves. When she discovers what is going on, the whole heaven and hell thing doesn’t seem that shocking to her, and her lack of reaction does little to build any tension in the film.
The saving grace of the movie is Djimon Hounsou’s Midnight and Tilda Swinton’s Gabriel. Both characters add to the movie’s darker tone and give it a little more taste of the comic.
Reeves in hell is visually great to watch
Swinton’s performance of the angel Gabriel reminds us that not all angels are necessary good little cherubs – similar to the concept explored in 1995’s The Prophecy.<!--page-->
Constantine's Main Menu
Hounsou’s performance brings a bit of darkness to the film, and the actor proves that he can help even the worse movie be entertaining at times.There are several things I did enjoy about Constantine, but they didn’t add up enough in the end. Visually, the film is great to watch and the trips Constantine takes to hell are really filmed well.
I also enjoyed the different artifacts that made up Constantine’s weapons arsenal – even if they did seem a little Van Helsing meets James Bond.
The second disc of the DVD set comes loaded with special features that make the movie worth buying.
The special features include 18 minutes of deleted scenes – including an alternate ending to the film; Conjuring Constantine; The Production from Hell Documentary; Director’s Confessionals; Collision with Evil; Holy Relics; Imaging the Underworld; Visualizing Vermin, Warrior Wings, Unholy Abduction; Constantine Cosmology; and Foresight: The Power of Previsualization.
The set also comes with a limited Constantine: Hellblazer mini-comic that features three stories, from comic greats like Garth Ennis and Brian Azzarello, and character bios.
Constantine's Special Features Menu
Conjuring Constantine is a good look at the Hellblazer comic and the Constantine character. It talks about how the character was introduced in the pages of Swamp Thing, but quickly got his own title based on his popularity. It also features interviews with Vertigo editors and film producers.
The other special features take a look at what went into bringing the comic to life on the screen, and what changes were needed to make it work as a movie - such as moving it to Los Angeles and changing Constantine’s trademark olive-brown trench coat to black.
Overall, Constantine is not a bad film. It wasn’t as good as I had hoped it would be, but it was not nearly as bad as it could have been. I enjoyed the movie (again thanks to the visuals), but had a hard time following the plot.<!--page-->
Hounsou’s Midnight is as cool as they come
The film doesn’t take much time to establish the characters' histories and instead expects you figure them out as the movie goes. This concept works for some films, but makes Constantine a bit of a drag at times and downright confusing in other places.I would recommend the movie to anyone wanting to watch a somewhat entertaining film with a stylized look to it, but not to anyone who is a diehard fan of the comic. It is suspenseful at times, but those times aren’t enough to keep hanging on to the edge of your seat until the credits roll.
Constantine is available now at Amazon and AmazonUK . Visit the film’s database for more information.
USA
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