good cinema work, despite ridiculous premises

Rating: 7/10 (15 June 2005)

I know that some of my film lover friends will send me urgently to make a confession, but I will declare that I liked 'Constantine'... or at least I liked the visual part of it. I would recommend it, while warning you all that...

the subject is totally ridiculous - a kind of detective commits suicide when young, and then returns from death and in order to avoid going to hell and to get a ticket to heaven fights and exorcises daemons

all this comics joke seems to be taken seriously, there is a lot of loud sounding and empty content verbiage around, archangel Gabriel and the Devil himself pay a visit or two, plus a few characters wander around without any reason, but to die horrible deaths

and horrible they are - this is not a movie for the sensitive ones, some of the scenes are really gruesome

the lead actor is Keanu Reeves. Well,with Keanu, you either love him or you hate him, there is no middle of the road. I happen to be in the first category, but I am aware a great part of humanity did not see the light on this

and, at the same time...

comics is comics, and if you are really in for existential philosophy you should know that it's not in comics-inspired films that you will find it

you will enjoy some of the best graphics in recent cinema, equal only to the ones in 'Van Helsing', but with a soul (be it damned)

even if you do not like Reeves you cannot resist Rachel Weisz, the one who faced without a tremor Hoffman and Hackman in 'Runaway Jury' - she is an absolutely amazing screen presence

So, 'Constantine' is really worth seeing, unless you hate horror movies.