Visually outstanding, yet drab and underwhelming

Rating: 6/10 (1 March 2005)

At times dark and brooding, at times edgy and fun, and at times drab and floundering, "Constantine" is a decent outing, yet doesn't quite live up to its rollicking and intriguing premise. Keanu Reeves breezes through his role as an energetic, yet ailing, supernatural detective, who has ventured to the depths of hell (and even plunges into hell in consciousness) and decides to abet a confused, agnostic fellow detective (the gorgeous Rachel Weisz) in her sister's mysterious suicide. By the numbers action ensues, with the eerie visual effects confounding and the drab, cloyingly ponderous dialog compromising an otherwise arresting and exhilarating piece of entertainment. Instead, what with Reeves' typical wooden acting and some bedraggled, destitute dialog ("Welcome to my life"; "Not like in the movies, huh?"), "Constantine" is scarcely engaging, or much convincing, in the absence of its outstanding visuals, often coming across as a tedious visit to the "dark side" whose menacing premise can hardly be complimented by factors gone awry. Is it faithful to the comic book of its inspiration? I wouldn't know. Does this sound uncannily familiar: brazen, glum "hero" repels invisible evil threatening war upon mankind? Hint: "Whoa..." It's seldomly inventive, and the surprise twist is as befuddling and "so what" as Reeves' signature dismal performance. Hey, if you're into "Keanu condemnation", supernatural drivel, or fascinated by a lavishing Rachel Weisz, then you might thoroughly enjoy "Constantine" for what it's worth. For me, it's a bit ponderous and grim to be action dynamite, another squandered premise with hackneyed and lifeless execution. Nothing more than a bang-bang, snooze-snooze action/horror rehash, akin to a lame version of "The Matrix" meets "The Terminator" meets "The Punisher". **1/2 out of ****