Well worth viewing

Rating: 7/10 (26 February 2005)

Yes, yes...I know that there are a ton of people out there that will say that the film is not faithful to the original comic series. As is often the case with transferring printed works to screen, compromises must be made simply because they are of two different mediums. As a film, Constantine works. It has an engaging story, excellent visual effects, and fine performances from all the actors save the principal, Keanu Reeves. Unfortunately, Keanu should have never be given the lead in this film as, well there is no easy way to say this, he simply cannot act. If you can't make an audience believe you are coughing, then it's definitely time to go (back?) to acting class. Personally, I would have thought Clive Owen would have been a much better choice to play the lead, but such is life. It will be interesting to see what path the studio executives choose to take for the sequel, and of course there will be at least one sequel. Hopefully, they will take a lesson from the two pieces of tripe spawned from the Matrix and focus on story, character development and acting first. These elements, rather than star name branding, should ensure a successful movie franchise.