Constantly fiendish

Rating: Null/10 (20 February 2005)

I'm not familiar with the Hellblazer comic series upon which this film is adapted. I'm reviewing this flick strictly on its own merits. I trust that most moviegoers who peruse this kind of reviews are merely interested in opinions about the quality and entertainment value of the opus, not whether or not the art bears total allegiance to the original material. So, is this movie good or bad ? Well, this flick is not the ne plus ultra of cinematic excellence, yet it is worth watching. Sorry for the ambivalent repartee, but the truth of the matter is that Constantine is neither a very good flick, nor is it a bad one. What works here is that you have a somewhat different genre in the realm of horror motion pictures. The plot is interesting, and relatively complex. You must bring your full armada of cerebral endowment to the movies with you, because if you don't understand the Kafkaesque sub-plot sequences, you will not enjoy this film. I watched the flick with a lady friend who at the end revealed to me that she didn't like it. When I asked her if she understood what was going on in the climax involving Constantine, Lucifer, the angel Gabriel, Satan's offspring, and Rachel Weisz' character, she responded that she was completely oblivious as to what was transpiring on the screen at that moment. Well, no wonder she didn't like this movie, because if you don't comprehend the climatic scene of a film, how can you like it ? If you don't understand the plot, you can still achieve a modicum of satisfaction with fiendishly impressive montages of Hell, and a pretty slick exorcism scene that dramatically improves on Linda Blair's The Exorcist ". The acting here by the main characters is good, but as with any Keanu Reeves' movie, it is overwhelmed by the paragonless special effect work which makes this flick worth watching.