Confusing mess. See it for the theological questions it raises.

Rating: Null/10 (13 November 2005)

By the end of the movie, I was thoroughly confused and I don't want anyone to bother to unconfuse me, especially fans of the graphic novels it was based on. I have no problem with a movie that has twists, scenes and dialogues that you have to pay close attention to. I have no problem with a movie that makes you think but this one merely gave me a headache. And not to mention Mr. Reeves' acting that reminded me about what a critic said about another actor's performance: "So wooden, you can dust it off with Pledge." Most of his lines were delivered like he took a sip of water between words. He delivered his lines like the kid you have to suffer through in first grade when the teacher asks the class to each read a passage out loud. And isn't this the second movie that Shia LeBouf plays the wisecracking, annoying sidekick who wants a piece of the action? The only performances worth noting are Gabrielle/Gabriel played androgynous and Angela because she's performed well in better movies. The only time Reeves' deadpan delivery worked are for the few one-line zingers. Not to mention that is the second movie I've seen where I didn't agree with the MPAA rating. I usually don't watch R-rated horror/thriller movies because the violence is usually over-the-top. The House of Flying Daggers portrayed blood spurting, and people getting sliced and stabbed yet it got a PG-13 but the violence in this movie was no worse than "Something Wicked This Way Comes" or the first "Indiana Jones". And I'm kind of tired of the dark side character- Midnight- being cast as a dark actor- played by an African actor ala Judas in "Jesus Christ Superstar", Pam Grier in "Something Wicked..." and even Darth Vader wearing a dark outfit and voiced by black actor, James Earl Jones but the supposed Savior of the world is a white actor in Reeves' second role of the type after playing Neo (an amalgram of "One") in the Matrix (pretty much employing the same acting style).
I really watched this movie for the theological questions it raises. Where do suicide "victims" go after they die? Are demons and angels amongst us or are they safely in their domains letting only their half human spawn live amongst us? Have we misdiagnosed some mentally ill people who instead of being crazy are merely able to see the spirit world? Are some of the evil or helpful people in the world really half-demon or half-angels? Can you bargain for your soul's outcome? Are God and Satan like Yin and Yang, two equal superpowers? And does this movie answer those questions? No. It merely raises them. For a movie with a similar theme, albeit less gruesome, see, "What Dreams May Come." with Robin Williams and Annabella Sciorra in a role that finally does something with her fragility/vulnerability. What did intrigue me is that film is unabashedly dependent on Catholic beliefs and delves into areas of theology that Protestantism doesn't even address. Would love to ask the typical Baptist or COGIC preacher what he thinks about the above questions.