Constantine

3/06/05 - Review

Angels and Demons are among us and they walk the very same streets that we do.  Luckily for us there is John Constantine (Keanu Reaves), a man that was born with a gift that can see these “half breeds.”  His job as an exorcist sends back the souls of those half breeds that get out of line and upset the balance of good and evil.  Constantine has a temporary lease on life after trying to kill himself years earlier. He is destined for Hell but he hopes he can somehow buy his way into Heaven by deporting enough minions of the Devil.

Along comes Angela (Rachel Weisz), a detective who seeks the help of Constantine to help her unravel the mystery of her twin sister’s apparent suicide.  John brushes her off at first but then sees that there is more going on than meets the eye.  They discover that the Demons and Angels are planning something so grim that it could mean only the fate of the World as we know it.  But at least we got John Constantine, a man that has nothing to live for. 

What’s up with Keanu Reeves and Supernatural movies?  In the Devil’s Advocate, Reeves fights off the Devil to avoid Hell and in Constantine, he fights off the Devil and his minions to get into Heaven.  In both, Reeves also stars opposite a beautiful costar. Hmm, only in Hollywood. Actually there is a difference and it is that the 1997 film was better.

Cashing in on the success of the Matrix films, Constantine tries to make this an unofficial sequel.  Keanu Reeves again plays the “too cool for school” savior of mankind wearing his black clothes and walking around with that sense of smugness.  With its ultra cool visuals and camera shots, it certainly does have the sense of style which we have seen before in certain films starring Reeves.  I think it is time for Keanu to move away from those films. 

Constantine has a really interesting premise and a good story but it falls somewhat short on the presentation.  At times it is difficult to see what the movie is actually trying to represent as it seems to find its own identity. I think the film tried to do a little too much and became bogged down in slow, over dialogue scenes.  At times the film played so damn long I couldn’t believe there was still an hour left in it.  The visuals looking very good and I loved the camera shots that were used.  The movie actually had some good religious meaning and undertones but everything together as a whole just didn't cut it. 

Keanu Reeves fit the John Constantine role well but then again, we have grown accustomed to seeing him in roles like this.  That being roles that don’t require a lot of acting.  Rachel Weisz was good as the twin sister.  She looked beautiful and played a really good woman detective.  She fit the skeptical believer part nicely.  I really liked the part of the Devil played by Peter Stormare.  He kicked ass and he had a sense of eerie calmness that only the Devil could have.  I think he was very underused and if he had a few more scenes he would have been a great scene stealer from Keanu. 

In the end, Constantine is an average supernatural thriller that really doesn't thrill at all. It has some good characters and a interesting theme, but it is presented poorly.  Check out Devils Advocate if you want to see a better Keanu vs. the Devil movie. 

Grade

What do you think?