Keanu's not so bad!

Rating: 8/10 (20 February 2005)

I saw this last night and had so-so expectations for it, though I'm a huge fan of the genre. Having just stumbled across some scathing reviews of it, particularly Paul Clinton's (CNN), I wanted to put in my two cents to the contrary.
But first, if you don't like Keanu, and I guess a lot of people (or at least reviewers) don't, then you might be disappointed. Personally, I think he does a good job at performing in exactly these kinds of roles. Whether you think his look is vacant, from lack of talent, or detached, as the character requires, is up to you ... I thought the result was a little unexpected and very fun.
I've never read Hellblazer and still saw a comic book feel throughout. I'm guessing that's what the director was going for. The supporting cast really contributed to this aspect and I thought they all did a great job.
Gripes: 1. the weapons were a bit gimmicky. Yeah, yeah, I know it's a comic book adaptation. 2. For a man in the final throes of emphysema he was able to fight and run around pretty well. 3. overuse of effects. For example, when the priest knocked over those bottles of liquor, they showed you liquor coming out, but it was CGI. Is it that hard to film a bottle with, you know, real liquid coming out? However, in general, it was a visually beautiful film with a fun story line and great characters. Don't let the critics put you off.