Don't Blame Keanu

Rating: 8/10 (17 February 2005)

I just saw the sneak preview for this movie last night at UCSD. The movie, in my opinion, is better than all the bad rap it's going to get. You KNOW it's going to get a lot of whiny critics poking at stuff they honestly can't expect a movie like this to have.
First, acting: Keanu does an OK job at being a chain-smoking SOB, and they probably could have cast someone better-- BUT he makes the character work. If you've read the comics your probably going to be disappointed, but if you just sit back and watch him do his weird little thing he actually isn't that bad. As expected Rachel Weiss's performance exceeds his in quality, but even her performance is dwarfed by the glorious Tilda Swinton who plays (I guess "the") angel Gabriel. Very cool role, VERY cool actress. Good times.
The atmosphere of the movie is... well, just about what you'd expect a movie about demons and exorcisms to be: dark, rainy, and dreary. Kind of odd considering they chose to set the movie in Los Angeles, which, while still a sh*t hole, is pretty damn sunny and dry. PROPS for their portrayal of hell, however, because I think they did a pretty damn good job with that. Probably should have showed more suffering and torment down there, but that's why I think someone needs to make a big-screen adaptation of "The Inferno."
Now for the plot. I actually had LOW expectations for the plot, but it wasn't as transparent as I thought. It kinda does a lot of things at once, so when they pull it all together your like "oh, okay, I could see that". Not exactly any surprises, but I wasn't bored. I'm sure they could have been more faithful to the comic, which relied a lot more on Constantine's wit than this one, but like I said before, they work with what they have. As far as endings go... well I've seen worse. I enjoyed the way they ended it and I also liked how the plot and resolution of the movie relied a lot on character interactions rather than random action scenes.
Speaking of action scenes... yea, they're cool. But you've seen a million like them before. Just enjoy what they give you and don't ask for more, this isn't Crouching Tiger or The Matrix (forgive me for using those two movies in the same sentence).
Other things: I actually enjoyed the movie's portrayal of both demons and angels, and found that the angles actually got the better end of the deal in this CG round compared to the hoaky-looking demons (flat heads? c'mon). True, the demons get more camera time, but you understand. Also, the movie didn't overuse it's characters and didn't beg for a sequel, though I'm sure someone at Warner Bros will mention it someday. Overall it was a lot of fun and probably worth the price of admission, but if your one of those whiny movie watchers who are never satisfied with a super-hyped action film, your not going to find this one any more attractive in the end.