Wow, I Actually Liked It

Rating: 8/10 (15 September 2005)

This movie was a great surprise. I can't stand Keanu (canoe) Reeves and figured it would be an overly CGI'd "soft" Hollywood horror movie. First off, it's beautiful to look at and flows visually very well. The director, Frances Lawrence also has been a pleasant surprise. Usually when you hear a music video director is doing his first feature you can't help feel fear as to how music video like the movie will turn out. For a movie about Heaven and Hell and fighting demons he shows tasteful restraint and always stays true to his darker characters and the somber atmosphere. I even liked Ted, Uh, I mean Keanu. His persona was perfect for this character and the whoa dude factor is non-existent in his delivery. I also liked that they don't explain every damn thing about how he does what he does. The dialog is also restrained and there's no overly played one-liners or catch phrases. Also the "annoying" sidekick disappears for most of the movie and when he reappears he's actually enjoyable as they allow him to be 3-dimensional. His outcome is also refreshing as most Hollywood movies wouldn't actually go where his character ends up. Overall I enjoyed this movie a lot and fans of Keanu will love it but for me who is the opposite I found it well done with every aspect of the look, the score and the characters. I hope there's a sequel with the same team.