Constantine (2005)

Constantine (2005)

7/10

Staring

Keanu Reeves

Rachel Weisz

Shia LaBeouf

Directed by Francis Lawrence

This is one of my favorite action horror films, after getting use 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 demeanour on the 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 heaven by all cause pushed him off the edge of sane behaviour 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 done by Kevin Brodbin and Frank Capello, taking stories from the Hellblazer comic book, and 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 and it was 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 eternal damned to go to hell. Constantine then goes on an exorcism rampage sending demons back to Hell so as to win enough favour to get to heaven.

His quest led him to meet a troubled police detective, whose sister just committed suicide; while they work together to unravel the truth behind it, the 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 of his damnation. John Constantine is British in the comic book, other than the American as he is portrayed in the film. His reason for damnation was also changed in the film, his ability to see half breeds for who they really are (which is not an ability he posses 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 the summoning of a demon that killed a young girl.

Received with mixed reviews, Constantine is not one that many will like, but there is something about the after taste this movie gives you, the idea that an ongoing action packed battle is going on here on earth for the winning of souls, was fun to think of.

The movie does have some inconsistency that looks too large that the makers actually missed it, they made God look a little weak, like things were going on and he just let it, also the devil being taken unawares by a coup, all this made it look like God and the Devil don’t have a hold on their minions.