Constantine [Blu-ray]
Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 10/14/2008 Run time: 121 minutesIn the grand scheme of theological thrillers, Constantine aspires for the greatness of The Exorcist but ranks more closely with The Order. Based on the popular Hellblazer comic book series, and directed with nary a shred of intelligence by music video veteran Francis Lawrence, it’s basically The Matrix with swarming demons instead of swarming machines. Keanu Reeves slightly modifies his Matrix persona as John Constantine, who roams the dark-spots of Los Angeles looking for good-evil, angel-devil half-breeds to ensure that “the balance” between God and Satan is properly maintained. An ancient artifact and the detective twin of a woman who committed evil-induced suicide (Rachel Weisz) factor into the plot, which is taken so seriously that you’ll want to stand up and cheer when Tilda Swinton swoops down as the cross-dressing angel Gabriel and turns this silliness into the camp-fest it really is. The digital effects are way cool (dig those hellspawn with the tops of their heads lopped off!), so if you don’t mind a juvenile lesson in pseudo-Catholic salvation, Constantine is just the movie for you! –Jeff Shannon
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Constantine
received in time to mail this off for the b-day gift it was intended for. came as discribed
5 Stars Great Expectations
After reading the reviews its become painfully clear that people who have given bad reviews expected too much from the movie. If your a fan of the comic book, then your probably not going to like the movie because rarely does movies based on comic characters live up to expectations. However I would ask that you watch the movie with no expectations. Its entertaining, and the actors have done a wonderful job. Special effects are also pretty good. The story line is pretty much easy to follow unless while the movie was playing you decided to not pay attention for some reason.
Keanu Reeves has played the role well.He comes of with a I dont care attitude which is probably what you would expect if the Devil wanted you, God locked you out of Heaven, every demon from hell to earth wanted your head and your terminally ill with not much time left.
Rachel Weiz has also done a good job with her role. Another reason why people may not like the movie is the fallen angel theme but this is not the first time that this has been done.
Overall its a great movie to watch, extremely enjoyable and all I would advice is to watch it without any preconceived notion of what to expect.
5 Stars Great Sci-Fi Flick
I really liked Keanu Reeves in this movie, he plays Sci-Fi movies really well. As for the movie itself, I like the story and the computer graphics used in this movie. I think this is a movie for Sci-Fi lovers!
1 Stars I’ll Be Trading This Into the Local DVD Store
I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen potential so utterly wasted as it is in “Constantine.” I mean, you’ve got a good supporting cast in Rachel Weisz and Shia LeBeouf, astounding special effects, and… it’s based on the friggin’ Hellblazer comics. Such a great opportunity to tell a dark, inventive, scary story about what it means to be a hero fighting for redemption. But, though things clearly started to go awry in the writing stages, the screenplay wasn’t utterly awful… it was just pretty bad. The execution turned the pretty bad screenplay into an utterly awful movie.
First, you’ve got Keanu Reeves as John Constantine. Which is pretty hard to get past in the first place. When you’ve got a character driven tale of redemption, you have to be able to buy into the character. And with Mr. Reeves sucking the life out of every line, it makes things a bit difficult. From stiff line reading to awkward glances to a whole film worth of unintentional comedy… Reeves ensured this film would tank.
But that wasn’t it. A lot of effort went into making this a bad film. From the convoluted plot, to the death scene of a character that was supposed to be sad but turned out hilarious (it’s really one of the silliest deaths you’ll ever see captured on film), to the bad, bad dialogue… there were just so many things that should have been done pretty much ANY other way. I’m not the number one fan of the “Hellblazer” series, but it’s a good book with a good book and a great character that is so visual you KNOW it would make a great movie. Well, with one Keanu Reeves as his right hand man, writer Frank Cappello and director Francis Lawrence defied logic and made all that raw potential into this stinker. While Lawrence would go on to direct the nearly flawless I Am Legend, Keanu Reeves… well… yeah.
If you come to this movie knowing it will be awful, you might not be let down. At least you’ll get some cool visuals, because the multiple trips to Hell are visually stunning. But worth the price of seeing a movie? No. Worth your time? No.
2/10
2 Stars Overburdened by Religious Overtones
While the film includes some interesting visuals, it is bogged down by rather heavy-handed Catholic theology. If you don’t subscribe to such beliefs, like me, you find yourself unable to care about the plot or see it as worth your effort to understand. All in all, I was rather bored by the end and found myself looking at the clock. It felt like I was watching the Catholic equivalent of the cheesy Protestant _Left Behind_ series.
Filed under: Blue Ray Movie Reviews