Constantine Reviews

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this flick but I thought it was actually pretty cool. Indeed, Francis Lawrence managed to make with his directing debut, a visually really appealing fantastic thriller. Honestly, I have never read the comic book so I have no idea if it was faithful or not but, honestly, I couldn’t care less. As usual when Keanu Reeves gets the lead part, you have always some people complaining how wooden he is and how awful he was but I thought he did a decent job here. Furthermore even if the character of John Constantine is actually supposed to be from Liverpool, and is actually supposed to look like someone like Sting, eventually, in the movie, the character is actually from Los Angeles but the truth is that in the original script they actually retained his nationality but since they got no response from producers, they changed him to an American and the script quickly gained attention. Anyway, I thought it looked pretty awesome, there was a cool cast (Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf, Djimon Hounsou, Tilda Swinton) and the whole thing was usually pretty entertaining. I might be a little too picky but I was still missing something about the story in order to make it truly compelling though. That’s always the risk with such paranormal fantastic thriller, it can get pretty preposterous and, as a result, I tend to lose interest after a while. Still, all in all, I thought it was a very well made and entertaining flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

An ordinary man with an extraordinary gift must save the planet from evil in this action-packed fantasy. Unknown to most people, the world is crowded with spirits both good and evil who walk among us in human guise. One of the few who can see these spirits is John Constantine (Keanu Reeves), but the responsibility of his vision is more than he can stand, and he tries to kill himself. Saved from death, Constantine must now atone for his actions by acting as a guardian in the middle ground between Paradise and Hell. Constantine also makes the acquaintance of Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz), a police detective who becomes aware of his unusual gift while looking into the death of her sister; he leads her into the unknown world of the spirits and soon circumstances demand that they join forces in a desperate bid to save humanity from evil. Constantine also features Tilda Swinton, Peter Stormare, and Gavin Rossdale, the latter best known as the lead singer of the rock group Bush. Michelle Monaghan (Made of Honor) was originally in the film (cast as a half-breed demon) but director Francis Lawrence cut her scenes.

I got to see this a few months ago at a preview screening and it decent nothing great but a little disappointing.

Constantine tells the story of a urban sorcerer (Keanu Reeves) who helps a cop (Rachel Weisz) look into her sister's death which was cause by supernatural forces that is trying to steal souls and cause a war on earth. They both must stop an evil that not only threatens their safety but the fabric of the boarders of hell itself, which threatens to break wide open. It's a decent movie with some pretty good effects but it's hindered by a couple of glaring problems. One of them is in fact Keanu Reeves and if you call his range as an actor a series of glum expressions and moments of him staring into space for no reason at all, than you pretty much got him nailed. The character he plays is just as bewildering as Keanu Reeves himself and is in fact the most underdeveloped character in the entire film.

Which leads to the next glaring problem, which is the fact that you don't really give a crap about his character. His character is really an ******* that does not treat people well and abuses himself to the point of death. The funny part of all of this (and the part that make absolutely no sense once you really think about it) is that he wants redemption and is willing to put himself in jeopardy in order to secure a spot for him in heaven, despite the fact that he still does not treat himself or others well. Even with the knowledge that he's not good health does not make you care about him and that's a real testament on how much of an asshole the character is in this film. Now I can understand the reason why the people who made this film wanted to have a character like John Constantine in it. People always love the reluctant hero, who is sometimes very shady and is not always thinking of others best interest but himself. But when he's needed, he always does the right thing when it matters the most. You know whom I mean, the Han Solos or the Captain Jack Sparrows that make the movie much more interesting than it is. Now the big difference between those characters and the character of John Constantine is the fact that you do see their humanity despite how shady they seem and you still want to spend more time with them regardless of their faults. On top of that, you had actors who knew how to show you those things when they needed to be shown and give you a reason to believe in their characters despite of their short comings. Keanu Reeves on the other hand fails miserably in doing that because he does not have it in him to pull it off and the fact that the script itself does not show any humanity in the character is a big problem all in itself. Another problem this movie has is the fact that the story is really something we have all seen before on an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, with all the demons and half breeds that populate that show, but in a much bigger scale and with better special effects. The story is much more than an episode of that show but it still is in the same ballpark. There are some good things to say about the movie that does kind of outweigh the bad. Rachel Weisz's performance as the cop and her doom twin sister is much better than the film itself and much more realistic than the actual story. You really do root for her and hope she does overcomes the problems she's facing, which is a blessing when you think about it because of how much of a drag Keanu Reeve's character is to the film itself. The worlds of heaven and hell itself in also pretty interesting, giving you the impression of how close they are to themselves and of the actual world that we live in. There is a scene that has Constantine trying to get a demon out of a little girl that is a little scary and some of the demons do look creepy enough to give you a brief pause when you look at them, so it does have a good scare or two in the film but it's really an action flick with supernatural elements thrown in for effect.

The twist in the ending is pretty inventive but typical when it involves the lead character doing something noble for a change.

To put it all in perspective. It's decent for what it is but with Keanu playing a character as befuddled as he is as an actor, the movie is only held together by the great performance of Rachel Weisz and a few good scares that are few and far between.

CONSTANTINE - John Constantine é o detetive que une-se à policial Angela Dodson para resolver um caso misterioro: o suicídio das irmãs gêmeas de Dodson. Durante a investigaçãos, os dois são levados a um mundo de anjos e demônios. Baseado nos quadrinhos da DC Comics Hellblazer, de Kevin Brodbin, Mark Bomback e Frank Capello.

"This is Constantine. John Constantine. Asshole."

Another comic book to film adaptation. The best thing about this film? Keanu Reeves wasn't in dark sunglasses. :))) Keedin'. It would definitely have to be the kickass special effects. John Constantine (Reeves) is a "gifted" man who has been given the ability to distinguish demons from humans, and he has been using this power to exorcise half-breeds who violate the laws. After a nasty encounter with a demon who has possessed a young girl, he realizes that there is something sinister at work. In another part of the city, Detective Angela Dodson (Weisz) is coming to terms with the supposed suicide of her twin sister, Isabel (also played by Weisz). After seeing a surveillance video of her sister as she jumped off the roof of the mental institution she was staying in, she notices her sister mention the name "Constantine". Desperate to prove her sister's innocence and thus save her from a lifetime of torment in Hell, Angela visits Constantine and ends up being swept into a battle between good and evil, which includes the reincarnation of Satan's son into the world. Great story, but what really made this film work were the visual effects and special effects. I don't know if you actually stayed to watch until the very end of the credits, but an extra scene just hints of something a bit more... another Constantine movie, perhaps? Great film, you definitely won't go wrong with this one.

''I guess God has a plan for all of us.''

''God's a kid with an ant farm, lady. He's not planning anything.''

Based on the DC/Vertigo comic book Hellblazer and written by Kevin Brodbin, Mark Bomback and Frank Capello, Constantine tells the story of irreverent supernatural detective John Constantine , who has literally been to hell and back

Keanu Reeves: John Constantine

Constantine was the Roman emperor who recognized Christianity and made if possible for the Church to move from the underground into the public arena. He did it out of convenience, thinking that it would be easier to work with the Christian church than try to fight it. He lived most of his life as a ruthless leader who gave the orders to kill even members of his family. Constantine accomplished much good in his life, even though he had what most would say were impure motives.

But the Roman Constantine is not the same as the same-named title character of the new film, Constantine from DC-Vertigo Comics and Warner Brothers Pictures. Or is he? John Constantine, from the comic novels Hellblazer is doomed to hell when he dies. His situation may be hopeless, but he operates as if he could buy his way into heaven by doing enough good by removing enough evil from the world. He's a chain-smoking, hard-drinking, rude and uncaring man who is the hero of our film.
His motivation is mysteriously shrouded. He's constantly being told that what he's doing has no effect on him going to Heaven or not, but he does so anyway, as Gabriel so eloquently puts it, ''You're Fucked!'' .
It's not like we're talking about helping old ladies do their shopping, he's fighting demons and the forces of darkness, having to lay his hands on holy water and appropriate weapons in a holy war of havoc. This is dangerous work, Gods work that has already earned the residence and number of Hell's populace. Since that's where he's destined to go, why honk off the locals who are already going to torture you for eternity anyway?
We're to believe that he is developing certain feelings towards Angela through the movie. We know this because he kisses her once. And he considered asking her to get naked, sigh. That's it, that's the lengths of the character development in this direction, and I think its a bold move, to give him a sense of humour.
I always love the part also where he traps a spider under a glass, then blowing smoke into it's confines, wittingly says, ''Welcome to my life..., it's priceless and it never ceases to crack a smile on my wryly curving lips.
Also supporting him in his adventure, are powerful greats including my fave Rachel Weisz (Angela), Djimon Hounsou (Papa Midnite), Tilda Swinton (Gabriel), Peter Stormare (Satan), and even Shia LaBeouf (Constantine's sidekick Chaz), all delivering turn up performances that range from strong to excellent.

''Angels and Demons can't cross over onto our plane. So, instead we get what I call half-breeds. The influence peddlers. They can only whisper in our ears. But a single word can give you courage, or turn your favorite pleasure into your worst nightmare. Those with the demon's touch like those part angel, living alongside us. They call it the balance. I call it hypocritical bullshit.''

Constantine packs a punch at it's respective target audience.
Perhaps also a direct relation can be made to relapsed catholics and moderate Christians. I found the story fascinating and one of depth even though I know of more extreme constituencies that would readily claim to be offended by everything portrayed within the movie.
It speaks to the daily struggle that believers have to reconcile modern lifestyles with their fledgling faith and their own state of health and mind. Even though the believer's reality is cast in a more literal, exaggerated form, the main points are not lost in my opinion. Here are some of the important ones: No one great or small should claim to know the true will or pretend to understand God. If they cross that threshold where they truly believe they have a personal understanding of God and His wishes, they are rightly deemed to be quite mad and should be confined to a small padded room as soon as possible. No exceptions.
There is a purpose and direction in everyone's lives. Death is not necessarily the final goal or destination but one where the Journey ultimately is valued more that the end conclusion.
Attentions are still bestowed upon us all on an individual basis even while globular events both bad and good are occurring all the time. The individual pieces of the world mosaic are not overlooked or forgotten. An accounting will inevitably be made of each of us because that is the way of this world. If we allow the fear of personal failures to overwhelm our lives and let addictions however insidiously fixate us to the point of complete immobility, the cost may still be our very soul, in this case John's soul, who he fights to gain a place for his soul in the afterlife to come.
John, let's face it is a cynical exorcist who only does his job to reach heaven by banishing half-breed demons that walk the Earth back to the fiery chasms from whence they came. When he is summoned upon by a LAPD detective investigating the apparent suicide of her twin sister, the two stray between this world and the next, realizing the balance between good and evil is upset and in a kind of upheaval state.

As flimsy as that premise sounds, and with no apparent villain until the third final Act, Constantine still blasts across the screen, with Director Francis Lawrence unafraid to get his hands dirty, he unrelentingly puts the camera in the middle of the action. Some scenes are simply beautifully executed. The opening scene springs to mind, or the slow-motion sequence in the bathtub, challenging the realm of acceptability in what's essentially an action movie with supernatural overtones. Of course this means some things get murky or diluted, we could without a few needless special effects, for example, or lose a silly voice now and again.

''I used to pretend that I didn't - that I didn't see things.''

But let's just say John Constantine is one hell of an anti-hero. Exorcising demons is one thing, sticking your feet in cold water and staring at a cat to go to Hades for a casual acquaintance is something else entirely. Think what you like about Keanu Reeves' acting abilities, he's always there to make your time a cool slick one, and here he makes the unlikeable likeable, despite pronouncing every syllable he's given. His tone is offhand and bleakly hilarious (shades of Neo) and keeps us distanced enough to stay rapt for the duration. Rachel Weisz however is something of a revelation, her quiet, introspective role is the best in the film and she really keeps us anchored throughout.

The hard sell of switching former blond Liverpudlian John Constantine into a well-toned LA denizen is no sin, the vast backdrop adding much-needed depth to a thin story which needs to be layered with caricatured priests, sidekicks, and wacky side characters to maintain any form of lucidity. Still Constantine is very much a love/hate movie, and even those on the negative side of the camp cannot fault it for it's artistic vision and ideologies.

''This is Constantine. John Constantine. Asshole.''

I am overlooking the fact that Keanu Reeves is the star when I say this film is amazing. Visually stunning and well adapted to the graphic novel, Constantine is much better than expected. The appearance of Satan is far and away his best character cameo in movie history.