Will Keanu break his curse?

Rating: 8/10 (21 February 2005)

I went into watching this movie half expecting it to suck. One, because there was sooo much room for error; Two, because Keanu Reeves has a not-so-good reputation after all that Matrix stuff; and Three, because most of the critic reviews were not too good. But after watching the movie I was pleasantly surprised, I have to say.
There's a little bit of a slow start, but the movie picks up quickly and you start getting drawn in. Constantine is a refreshingly apathetic character, playing the antihero rather than the all-around good guy hero. He's amusingly smart ass, especially during a certain confrontation at the end. Each of the characters are serious enough about what they do, but have a comedic side to them, like most people do, giving them a more realistic quality in this clearly fantastical story.
The special effects were not over-the-top with cheesy glory, keeping the viewer more into the movie, rather than shocking them out of it with blatantly fake CGI effects. Props to the animation team! The movie is also peppered with great little easter egg type hidden things, such as changing messages. Certain parts of the story fit together like puzzle pieces, giving you a nice, well-rounded finish feeling by the end of the movie. Plus! Stick around after the credits finish, because there's another scene at the end, revisiting something that you might otherwise think was just dropped off.
Overall, the movie has a great balance of seriousness, action, comedy and story. Despite having a male lead and a female lead, the action drama doesn't fall into the classic, cliché romance that most other action movies turn into. I think it's definitely worth seeing, and I'd give it a B+. At least a B.