Settles For Far Less Than What It Was Capable Of

Rating: Null/10 (19 September 2019)

A fascinating fable of angels & demons with humans caught up in between, Frances Lawrence's directorial debut packs an interesting premise yet is unable to flap its wings due to issues of its own makings. Keanu Reeves' presence is no less than a divine intervention here coz without him, Constantine is very much a hopeless ride.
The story concerns a demonologist who has a reputation for dealing with the mystical and has been repenting for his past sins by sending demons back to hell, hoping his good deeds will finally grant him a place in heaven. But when he's approached by a police detective to investigate her twin sister's suicide case, he learns of a conspiracy that threatens all mankind.
Directed by Frances Lawrence, the first act is rather impressive & piques our interest with ease while paving the necessary groundwork. But it's unable to keep a firm grip on our attention for long as the plot only gets sillier & goofier with time and goes full bonkers in the finale. It is lacking in atmosphere, has no build-up whatsoever, and is missing the required seriousness.
It would've helped if the film had a dark, gothic vibe with skilfully executed moments of tension & suspense. What we get instead is a watered down version of a material with far greater potential. Keanu Reeves' charisma conjures more magic here than his performance but he does enough to keep us around till the end. Tilda Swinton is reliable as always while Rachel Weisz ably plays her role(s).
On an overall scale, Constantine has the beginnings of a cool, stylish & thrilling horror-fantasy but the story fails to capitalise on it. Somewhere along the line, the debutant filmmaker loses his grasp on the narrative, resulting in a finished product that settles for far less than what it was capable of. The cult following it has developed over the years may give the impression of it being an underrated gem. For me however, it was nothing but dull, bland & underwhelming.