Fun - Religion as Science Fiction

Rating: 9/10 (4 February 2006)

This is a really fun movie and I am amazed by the commentary I have read about it. I wonder if the writers have actually seen the movie or are really just interested in bashing Keanu Reeves. First of all, he is not a detective or a gumshoe, again, what movie were they watching? The movie is really a classic sci-fi story. You have 3 parallel universes occupying the same space, earth (where we are), heaven (where angels are and where good people go when they die), and hell (where demons are and where bad people go). There is a contest to see who can tip earth to their side, but they are only allowed influence by suggestion, not by direct action. Keanu is basically a referee. There are "half breeds," who can live on earth, but again, they are not allowed to interfere directly. If they do, the ref, Constantine, deports them in flashy cinematic fashion. Of course, this is a movie, so someone does interfere, and that is the conflict that drives the story. Keanu's performance is fine. He is an unhappy, alienated person with a really crappy job that no sane person would want, and which he has for reasons that you will discover by watching the movie. Of course, there is a girl, Rachel Weitsz, a cop, who gets drawn into the conflict and discovers the truth of the world. Their weird relationship, very underplayed, is quirky and interesting. Peter Stormare's turn as Lucifer is an absolute bizarre hoot. It occurs near the end and is integral to a great twist at the end. Again, the complaints about the end of the movie are lame and I doubt they watched the movie or conversely, had the brains to understand what was going on. Comparisons to the comic book are also nonsense. This is a movie. Movies are an art form with certain constraints. You can adapt material from other sources but you always get something different. The point here is that in this case, you have an entertaining movie, unless you happen to hate Keanu, in which case, your opinion is not really informative.