ENTERTAINMENT - CINEMA - WHAT'S SHOWING

Constantine Movie Review:


Starring: Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Max Baker, Djimon Hounsou, Tilda Swinton
Directed by: Francis Lawrence
Produ2ced by: Lauren Shuler Donner, Lorenzo Di Bonaventura, Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Erwin Stoff, Akiva Goldsman

The definition of a mixed bag, Constantine has the potential to both grasp your attention and lull you to complacency. It's another comic book translation from a not-so-well-known source, and although the material has much promise, the presentation of it doesn't ring any new bells. Its story and look are inherently intriguing, but they don't seem to take it anywhere. Anchored by the central performance of Keanu Reeves -- whose good bit of natural onscreen charisma makes up for his limited acting talent -- the movie coasts when he coasts.

Reeves takes what is originally a British character -- John Constantine -- and turns him into, well, Keanu Reeves. So while the strengths of Reeves himself can do much to carry a film, the character itself isn't given much of a stage. For a comic book character to give up his/her persona to the familiarities of a famous actor will always affect the character's impact; after all, the appeal of any hero with his/her own comic depends on that character's fleshing out. For what it's worth, Reeves turns Constantine into another version of Neo from The Matrix. In this way, Constantine himself doesn't get to stand out, unlike the way, say, Ron Perlman made Hellboy stand out and Wesley Snipes gave Blade his edge.

Bringing up those two characters and their respective movies also places attention on Constantine's look and feel. It's as if the movie followed what has now become a standard "dark comic book" template for tales about dark heroes fighting mysterious forces. It's an amalgam of well-churned ingredients, a mix that includes The Matrix, Hellboy, Blade, Underworld, and perhaps even Men in Black (think bugs and big guns). Constantine uses some bold angles, nice shots, and suspense-building rhythms, but most of it just feels familiar. For better or for worse, its predecessors have conditioned us.

And perhaps all that would have been enough for the film to get by, but it also takes a few too many wrong turns, most noticeably in its overall tone. This is a story about fear-inspiring forces of heaven and hell, and, for the most part, its characters take what's going on very seriously. But then these little moments of comedy insert themselves, and, while the humor is always welcome, their timing tends to throw the mood off. Much of this is intentional, but some of it is not. The very first scene of the movie might just say it all -- in it, something very serious happens, but it's shown in such a way that your inclination, after initial shock, might be to chuckle. The filmmakers may be trying to ask the audience to take the story lightly, but given its subjects of Catholic sin, suicide, visiting hell, and eternal damnation, it might be undercutting its own effectiveness as a suspense machine.

Constantine reminds me of Forrest Gump's box of chocolates. Reach inside and get some fine performances, like from Djimon Hounsou, or cool characters, like Gavin Rossdale's Balthazar. On the next draw, you could get a distinct lack of memorable action scenes and a draggy middle section. Reach in again and find a very cool scene of a character getting sucked away through a building; and then next time you'll get a silly finale, which features a good performance for an unoriginal version of a well-known character, and an unlikely and thankless turn for another character played by an underappreciated actor. And while the box of chocolates may be full of surprises bad and good, in the end, it's only another box of chocolates.

Jeffrey Chen

So you feel like hell.

You look like hell.

You’re coughing up a lung from your six-pack a day smoking addiction.

So have you ever thought about saving the world?

Well these are some to the things plaguing Keanu Reeves, who plays would be occultist John Constantine in the new supernatural thriller “Constantine”.

The central focus of “Constantine” is a tormented policewoman named Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz) who recently lost her twin sister in a rather mysterious and freakish accident. Dodson finds herself turning to Constantine, a withdrawn and emotionally guarded man who seems to have an inside track on her sister’s apparent suicide. What Dodson doesn’t know is that their journey together will take them to hell itself to uncover what actually happened. No matter what the cost or the physical pain Dodson and Constantine will not rest until they can find each other’s internal peace.

Constantine happens to be based on the DC Comics series Hellblazer, which is a rather dark and twisted series that has captivated readers with its interesting and intelligent writing. The film capitalizes a lot on the rich tapestry laid out in the comic book series.

The comic book only seems to be the layout for the film though as it also borrows a lot from previous horror films like “End of Days” and “The Exorcist” series. Basically the premise of the film is kind of a cross between Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer and “The Exorcist”. The reason I mention Mike Hammer because it does have a lot of “noir” undertones which give the film more depth than it probably deserves.

I actually found myself liking Keanu Reeves a lot in this film as the tortured anti-hero. There is something to like about the guy who can’t even love himself but has to save the world. I also really enjoyed the supernatural underworld element in the film its sort of “Collateral” with a demonic twist or maybe a spookier, deadlier version of television series, “Angel”. There is a lot to like in this film and surprisingly it’s quite effective.

I also really enjoyed the performances of the film’s leading ladies Rachel Weisz and Tilda Swinton, who plays the angel Gabriel. These performances were quite effective and a surprise for a film of this caliber. I also was thoroughly impressed with the demonic portrayal but Peter Stormare whose portrayal of the “prince of darkness” is a sight to see.

I had a couple small problems with some of the plot elements and the film’s eventual resolution but for the most part I would have to say it is a pleasant surprise.

So Says the Soothsayer

Dean Kish

Adopted from "the zreview.co.uk"