This is one of
my favorite action-horror films. After getting used to seeing Keanu Reeves as
Neo in The
Matrix, I never expected to see him pull off another character that I
would love. The thing I seem to like about this movie is how Keanu Reeves
manages to keep his demeanor with a sad, weird, don’t-care attitude all
throughout the movie. The world coming to an end didn’t even seem to move him.
His selfish ambition to make it to heaven by any means pushed him to the edge
of sane behavior to a point where you start to wonder if this guy is real.
The film is
based on a comic book character, and the screenplay was written by Kevin
Brodbin and Frank Capello, taking stories from the Hellblazer comic book. The
main plot elements were taken from the "Dangerous Habits" story arc
and the "Original Sins" trade paperback.
John Constantine
is a character created by popular comic book writer/creator Alan Moore. The
character was given his own comic book title, Hellblazer, in 1988, published by
DC Comics under its Vertigo Comics imprint.
John Constantine
is a man with the ability to perceive and communicate with half-angels and
half-demons in their true form. After an attempted suicide gone wrong, John’s
soul is eternally damned to go to Hell. Constantine then goes on an exorcism
rampage, sending demons back to Hell in hopes of winning enough favor to get to
heaven.
His quest leads
him to meet a troubled police detective, whose sister just committed suicide.
While they work together to unravel the truth behind it, they stumble upon a
plot for world destruction.
Similarities and
differences can be found in the portrayal of the character, from his appearance
to the reason for his damnation. John Constantine is British in the comic book,
unlike the American version portrayed in the film. His reason for damnation was
also changed in the film. In the movie, his ability to see half-breeds for who
they really are (which is not an ability he possesses in the comic book) was
the reason he tried to kill himself, leading to his damnation. In the comic
book, the reason for his damnation was his involvement in summoning a demon
that killed a young girl.
Constantine was
received with mixed reviews. It’s not a movie that many will like, but there is
something about the aftertaste this movie leaves you with—the idea that an
ongoing, action-packed battle is going on here on Earth for the winning of
souls was fun to think about.
The movie does have some inconsistencies that are too large to ignore. For instance, they made God seem a little weak, as though things were happening and he just let it. Also, the Devil is taken unawares by a coup, making it seem like God and the Devil don’t have a hold on their minions.
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