Hey folks, Harry here... I see this sucker tomorrow and I've got a basically positive feeling about this. The only hesitancy comes from the WB logo and the phrase... "comic book movie" - will this be their BLADE before their X-MEN? We'll see. And I'll see in less than 24... Here's hoping!
A quick note after seeing a sneak preview of Constantine tonight here in Rochester, NY.
Being a comic book geek of long standing, I was impressed that the filmmakers showed both craftsmanship and a respect for the source material. The simple premise is that John Constantine's life is like one horror movie after another; his burden is to spend his days kicking slimy evil asses back into the darkness, again and again, like a spiritual cop. After years of this, he has garnered a reputation both in heaven and hell, and the burden has taken its toll on him. Now, he has little time left to redeem his sins, and prevent Hell literally breaking loose on Earth.
The film advances slowly but not ponderously, building like a symphony, carefully playing out each scene; neither too fast nor too slow, delivering shot after exquisite shot of artistically crafted frames -- some funny, some illustrative, and many horrific. Constantine manages to have both action and special effects, without becoming pigeonholed as an action/sfx movie.
The John Constantine of the movie is somewhat more careworn and dour than the smirking, wisecracking asshole of the DC/Vertigo continuity, but Keanu Reeves and the writers managed to synthesize a new Constantine persona that does not dishonor the name. Rachel Weisz is decent, without having been given very much to work with; Tilda Swinton as an androgynous angel (of course) is a visual delight in every scene she appears in.
I can quibble with some details. Like many movies that choose to play in the Revelations sandbox, the internal mythology treats Roman Catholicism as, apparently, the only religion in the world -- ignoring the myriad other flavors of Christianity, not to mention those pesky non-Xtian religions. The moral lesson that Constantine needs to learn is Sunday School stuff -- obvious even to the crudest mind. Also, watch carefully about halfway through the movie for a gigantic, screaming clue that essentially gives away the surprise reveal of the climax.
Overall, a tasty urban fantasy / horror / action flick; and a good first foray for the Vertigo imprint onto the silver screen, that hopefully will pave the way for other properties that are long overdue.
Hunter Rose
here's Vincent Hanna, someone with zero knowledge of the book - but a wishy washy feeling on the whole thing. Actually - he pretty much likes it, but there's some intangible that doesn't work for him. Sounds like this could work...
Vincent Hanna here. I know you've already used a couple Constantine reviews, but I just saw it and thought you might want to use another. Thanks.
Knowing absolutely nothing about the Hellblazer comic book, I didn't know exactly what to expect with Constantine. The trailer made it look moderately intriguing and I'm fond of stories that have religious undertones and deal with faith, good and evil. So I took my seat, crossed my fingers, opened my bad of candy and hoped for the best.
Constantine begins in Mexico. Two men are digging, for what I'm not sure, and one of them steps through some boards buried under the dirt and stumbles upon some sort of a dagger. Immediately prior to this, we have been told that a specific sword holds the key to controlling mankind, and that it's been missing since WWII. It's not hard to put two and two together.
Then we are introduced to John Constantine. A priest (Pruitt Taylor Vince) calls him to save a young girl who is possessed by something. John performs an exorcism on her, which fails. Surprised, he asks for a mirror at least three feet tall. He chants and brings a "soldier demon" out of the girl. The demon is sucked into the mirror, which Constantine throws out the window, destroying it.
Since demons are not supposed to cross over, Constantine is puzzled by what has happened. As he investigates, the audience begins to learn a little bit about him. Born with the ability to see both angels and demons on Earth, he commits suicide as a teenager and is dead for two long minutes before being brought back to life.
Now attempting to save his damned soul and earn his way into heaven, Constantine uses his ability to fight the demons. As he explains to the twin sister (Rachel Weisz) of an apparent suicide victim (also Weisz), God and the devil, just for shits and giggles, have made a wager for the souls of human beings. The angels and demons, working on their behalf since they are forbidden direct contact with humans, are the intermediaries.
Angela, a police officer, does not believe that her sister, Isabel, would ever kill herself due to her unwavering belief in God. When she spots something odd on the surveillance footage from the psychiatric hospital where her sister was a patient, she enlists the help of Constantine. She has heard of the circles he travels in and hopes he can point her in the right direction. Upon leaving his apartment after wishing her luck, he spots a demon following her and soon discovers that Angela is somehow tied to the strange exorcism he performed earlier.
The problem with Constantine is that while it is always engaging, it never progresses into something more. It travels in a completely straight line. It starts off pretty good and ends up the exact same way. No momentum is built and the grand finale is anti-climactic. It fails to build into a satisfying whole and leaves one feeling a tad frustrated.
There is a lot to admire, though. For starters, Francis Lawrence makes an impressive debut behind the camera. I feel that far too many genre efforts have been over-directed lately, everything from Saw to Boogeyman. As if knowing full well that the story isn't up to snuff, the director (along with the editor and sound department) uses excessively flashy visuals in an effort to disguise or distract from a weak screenplay. They employ quick cuts and fancy angles and loud noises and whatever else they can conjure up, though it rarely, if ever, works.
Thankfully, Lawrence's direction is mostly restrained. He doesn't resort to camera tricks or pounding music or frenzied editing. He allows the story to breath and gradually reveal itself over the two-hour running time. It's a very respectable, admirable debut.
Reeves, a punching bag for so long, acquits himself nicely. Though the chain smoking Constantine is your standard anti-hero, cynical and brooding and stoic, Reeves underplays the role and is convincing from beginning to end. He doesn't have to clear a space on his mantel to make room for an Oscar or anything, but it's a good performance.
He is helped by an excellent supporting cast. In addition to Weisz, Tilda Swinton, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Djimon Hounsou, Peter Stormare and even Gavin Rossdale are a welcome presence. Only Shia LaBeouf disappoints as the nerdy wannabe sidekick character around only to offer comic relief, which doesn't really work.
The concept of a man desperately working to earn his way into heaven after committing a mortal sin is a fascinating one. And even though the religious mumbo jumbo occasionally gets a little corny, for the most part it's handled competently and never becomes tedious or convoluted.
Why, then, am I not more enthusiastic about Constantine? It isn't easy to explain. The movie is well made, entertaining and certainly worth seeing. I didn't even mind the abundant CGI (which I normally hate) because Lawrence used it to enhance the story rather than tell it for him. But once it has your attention, it seems content to hold it without ever really challenging it. It's not as dark or intense as you'd hope, and ultimately concludes in a fairly conventional manner. Close, but no cigar.
Vincent
Ok - here's the latest and it's the least favorable. Here ya go...
Hey Harry,
I just read a few rather positive reviews on the site and I’d thought I’d chime in before we talk this movie into the ground. I’ve never been more then a casual reader of the Hellblazer comic but I knew the basics of the character: John Constantine, clever, chain smoking asshole. Sounded cool.
I caught a preview screening tonight in Albuquerque. The film does some things right and sometimes wrong, adding up to a very mixed bag.
The Good:
The Visuals! The visuals in the film are very well done and very well used. Creepy moments hit the right tone of creepy, the gross bits are very gross, and the disturbing moments hit very hard home. Oh and hell rocks. Really. It’s a rather creative twist on hell, rather then being a lake of fire, is a windy wasteland reflection of our mortal world. I was very hesitant about the look of hell in the previews, but trust me those moments are the highlight of the film.
The base plot: Interesting ideas, but I’m willing to guess many of these are from the comic.
The Meh:
The Acting. Keanu tries. He really does. He just can’t seem to get the hang of this acting thing. Constantine is actually one of his better performances, but you can’t just help but feel it could have reeked just a bit more coolness played by someone else. Rachel Weiz is a doll, really, but she just isn’t given anything interesting to do here. Heck the kid from Even Stevens has a more interesting bit role (as little sense as his presence ever makes).
The Bad:
The Execution. The story simply doesn’t flow or make much sense. There is isn’t a great climax feel to the movie. Some plots just don’t add up at all, and even the big surprise falls flat. Characters die before you can even figure out who they are or what the hell they just did. There’s a good film somewhere in all this, it just doesn’t find its way out of this mess.
Overall I can’t full recommend the film other then for a visual treat, but there is a few nice bits overall, such that Constantine uses his wits quite often in this film as opposed to pure brute force. It’s a fairly decent flick but nothing special. But hey…it’s light years above Batman & Robin.
Guy X
