A film for those that loved The Prophecy...

Rating: 9/10 (23 February 2005)

I must begin by saying that I have not read the Hellblazer comics, nor did I know anything about Constantine before viewing this film. So, perhaps I went in blindly and that is why I enjoyed this movie so much. I will say that upon viewing this movie I am very interested in reading the Hellblazer comics and learning more about our unpopular hero, John Constantine, especially since he is mentioned in some of the Sandman series (which is one of my favorite Neil Gaiman stories). I think one of the reasons I thought that this movie was "utterly uber cool" was because it focused less on action, more on a defined story. When you see the previews for Constantine and you are a fan of The Matrix, you will be very disappointed. This is not so much an action film as it is a character study with themes of religion and compassion. While there are some powerful scenes of violence, the central focus is around Constantine and his plight to enter Heaven. He embodies the everyman's struggle to get into the pearly gates at the end of our great journey through life. Even though he has done so well fighting for Heaven, there are outside forces that fight against him. That is the central struggle of the film. It wasn't Constantine vs. the Devil as I think several of our fellow critics think. This was not The Matrix, but instead a film that stood sturdily by itself.
I am an enormous fan of the series The Prophecy. I thought that Christopher Walken brought a completely new spin on the angel character as well as screenwriter/director Gregory Widen expanded the playing field of Heaven and Hell and showed us a new creative story that seemed utterly real. This is the same as I felt with Constantine. Here we have a growing and constantly changing world, above and below us, that feeds on our souls. While they do not interfere directly, there are elements of our day to day life that will guide us on the path of destruction or salvation. It is the great gift of free will that gets us to our ultimate destination. That concept of free will is also detailed in this film. Christopher Walken grappled with it in The Prophecy films and the amazing Tilda Swinton dwelled heavily on it in this one. It was great to see the consistency of the Gabriel character. It is hard to explain, but this is the concept I loved the most. The idea that Heaven and Hell do really exist and it is ultimately our choice which one we will end up in. Also, director Francis Lawrence's vision of Hell was disturbingly original. I loved the concept that it is just like Earth, except more terrifying. The two times that we visited it in this film my jaw was on the floor. It was amazing just to see another viewpoint on an age-old concept.
I thought casting for this film, especially the high budget production that it was, was exceptional. Tilda Swinton nearly stole the entire film, if it hadn't been for Peter Stormare's turn as Satan. I was also very impressed with the acting ability of Gavin Rossdale. When I had first heard that he was going to be in this film, I had my doubt, but he pulled through and was a great choice for the sleazy demon named Balthazar. While I just didn't enjoy Shia LaBeouf's character portrayal in this film, it was the coupling of the other actors that kept me going. Keanu did exactly what I wanted him to. He played this really cool anti-hero that had been to Hell and back while not being afraid of what was to come. He embodied the struggles that Constantine had to deal with while also bringing out that sense of humanity that I don't know if other actors could have done. He also was able to capture some great chemistry with Rachel Weisz, who was a strange choice for a big budget film, but turned out for the best. If the story doesn't impress you as much as it did me, then at least you can be happy with the acting. I thought that it stood out as one of the better lineups in this year's cinema releases.
Finally, the last aspect that I enjoyed were the small details that if you were not paying attention you would miss. The cultural mix of fantasy and reality was perfection. The Nazi flag in the beginning coupling to the character of Papa Midnight (possibly Father Time) just seemed to click with me. I know this story arrived from a graphic novel, but I thought that director Francis Lawrence did his homework and should be very proud. The colors and tone of the entire film never became light nor was it ever positive. This is a dark work, and Lawrence showed it. The only down side to this entire movie was the Hollywood influence on the final cut. There were two scenes that I could just feel that big studio bosses forced Lawrence to make either to get a laugh or to have some sort of completion. Either way, the two scenes were pointless and really felt forced. You could tell that they just were not meshing well with the rest of the film.
Overall, I was impressed. I cannot wait to get my hands on some of the Hellblazer stories and read more about this hero from beyond. This film got me psyched about watching The Prophecy and see the war between Heaven and Earth fought again. I have to warn you through, this is not an action film. This is a character study of one John Constantine, which is more dramatic than action. A perfect blend of CGI and modern culture, Constantine is exactly what I needed to tie me over until Sin City.
Grade: ***** out of *****