A Religious Matrix without the Philosophical Depth

Rating: 6/10 (12 April 2006)

I thought the movie Constantime was an epic about the original Emporer Constantine who Christianized Europe in 325 AD. Imagine my surprise and embarrassment to find out that it was about a tragic hero who shares the same name as The Emporer but in this case, John Constantine is a cynical, jaded detective/hero who goes around saving souls from going to hell and sending those who have managed to escape hell back where they belong. He's already tried to reject God's plan as a Saviour figure to no avail. He's got a street smart attitude when it comes to chapter and verse but gets the job done without all the "holier than thous". Despite his jaded nature, he does, somewhere deep down inside him accept God's will for him on Earth. This quality, plus the fact that I like looking at Keanu Reeves gave me a reason to care about his character. When tormented Angela (Weitz) comes to ask him to help her figure out her twin sister's strange and mysterious "suicide" the film takes off although it runs through a number of heavily Catholic mis-informed scenes and settings. I thought it would end in a cheezy romance scene but I was wrong. It wasn't, however, a great ending either. I don't want to spoil anything here... if you want a spoiler read on down. What happens in between is just a hodge podge of special effects a la The Matrix while Angela and John do God's will.
The cinematography was decent...even the Matrix scenes are done well and don't look like a cheap rip off or a satire. Perhaps this is because Keanu Reeves is an expert at this by now... he can pull it off. His acting was mediocre at best but he did manage to make John Constantine interesting and kind of a kick a$$ Christian Neo. Weitz' performance was subtlety entrancing...I think she held most of the film together because we actually care about this innocent victim. The secondary characters are infinitely more interesting but they always are aren't they?...Chaz, Gabriel, Lu, etc. The film is kinda predictable but the diolague is so smart in the scenes where John is kicking the demon's butts to the curb. I couldn't resist laughing out loud at the dark humor inherent in his words as he goes about kicking demon A$$.
One word of caution: you have to be ready to completely suspend your sense of disbelief. If you start looking for answers to all the Catholic dogma that is being tossed around through the movie or try and point out discrepancies, you will be disappointed. Catholic traditions and dogma re: hell/evil are manipulated with impunity.
If you're into symbology and cool gadgets and the age old theme of Good vs. Evil with a religious feel then this movie might be for you. (There's a ton of sweet props too: The Sword of Destiny, Gabriel's psych ward hospital ID tags worn as bracelets, John's Zippo, etc.)
The film allows for lapses in Catholic dogma to get the story out there, reel us in and hold us till the end. I don't think ANY of the religious issues should be taken to heart too seriously; even The Catholic Church concedes to mistakes on their part and I am not talking about the pedophile priest scandals. I am talking about how The Church held The Vatican II Council in the late 1960's... the second only to The Niacine Council held by The Emporer Constantine in 325 AD (or thereabouts)when the "rules of The Catholic Church" were solidified into a unified whole..Catholic dogma. At the second council, The Church did away with limbo. Also, they apparently were wrong about people being able to buy their way out of purgatory. Anyone could ask the church to pray for souls in purgatory so they would "do their time" and get to Heaven faster...for a fee. It seems that They admitted that they got that wrong too.
I guess if The Church could take liberties regarding "rules and dogma" when it suits their needs, so can the movie Constantine. At least Constantine is a work of fiction whereas The Catholic Church has real and true followers who lead their lives according to The Church's principles.
Now /that's/ a real horror show.
~ScriptyChick
Afterthought: If you are interested in Catholic Themes, I suggest you looking into Dante's Commedia (The Entire Work, not just The Inferno) and Milton's Paradise Lost. And then there's the age old best selling classic: The King James Bible. Don't leave home without it.