"Constantine"

Rating: 6/10 (23 July 2005)

In the tradition of comic book-to-film translations, "Constantine" (no, not THAT Constantine) offers very little in the way of plot and just focuses squarely on special effects and such. Also in line with such tradition, it all but completely discards the source material, which in this case are the DC/Vertigo "Hellblazer" comics. Though I'm not big on the "Hellblazer" series, which have seen their most popular arcs through comic book artist Garth Ennis, I do realize that much is different from the source material, including the fact that morose hard-a** anti-hero John Constantine is British and most of the action of the comics takes place in Liverpool, England.
But I'm not here to make comparisons; I'm here to judge a movie. The best thing to be said about "Constantine" is that it keeps you watching, not just for the effects and strong visual delight but because it's fantasy - interesting fantasy.
In "Constantine," we learn that John Constantine (the effectively wooden Keanu Reeves), is dying of cancer, forbidden from entering Heaven as a result of an attempted suicide (he was clinically dead for two minutes), has a bad attitude, and can see demons yet no one else can. To think that a normal person could see demons you'd have no choice but to declare that person insane, right? Demons and angels, we learn, cannot enter into the human plane of existence but strange occurrences in Los Angeles force Constantine to search for answers after he's attacked in public view by a demon.
The plot to "Constantine" bears more than a passing resemblance to a past Reeves vehicle ("The Matrix," anyone?), in that as human beings, we are completely oblivious to the truth about our reality. As the film opens, two scavengers in Mexico discover the Spear of Destiny, the weapon rumored to have been used to kill Jesus Christ during the Crucifixion.
One of them high-tails it to Los Angeles where the main plot of the film is revealed. Isabel Dodson, the twin sister of Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz), commits suicide. Angela, the dogged detective she is, disbelieves the official story because she knows her sister was a devout Catholic and would never commit suicide, as such an act would require eternal damnation in Hell.
The special effects are nonstop, and there is one effective and horrific sequence where Constantine ventures to Hell, which is in all respects, a darker vision of Los Angeles except it's a place where demons and the damned roam. With the help of his legion of otherworldly allies, who include normal human Chas (Shia LaBeouf), a half-breed named Midnite (Djimon Hounsou), appropriately named Father Hennessey (Pruitt Taylor Vince) and the angel Gabriel (Tilda Swinton), Constantine and Angela race against time to stop a nefarious plot waged by the forces of Hell that could bring about the apocalypse.
The plot, if you want to call it that, is pretty non-existent and Reeves is pretty wooden as usual but let's face it, nobody in this cast is going to get Oscars come next spring. The film drags for about the first 20 minutes or so but becomes more engaging as it goes through its motions. Director Francis Lawrence (of music video infamy, which accounts for the dizzying camera-work) does his best, but somehow or another the film can't really seem to get it together when it comes to certain parts of the script.
For example, it's not really sure what it wants to be: a horror movie, fantasy, thriller, what? It's not really sure and I'm not really sure of what it wants to do. Such items shouldn't plague the viewer but it does, to me, play out a lot like a mish-mash of all three.
As the anti-hero chain smoker John Constantine, Reeves' wooden acting is effective (is there any other way to play such a character?) and as the film progresses you can tell he's really suffering inside, as he grows sicker and sicker from cancer. And we also believe his desperation as he tries to send half-breeds to Hell in order to get back on God's good side so he can enter Heaven when he dies. In his character, we also get our fair share of Pentagrams and demonic spells and chanting and such. The opening sequence alone brings back uncomfortable memories of "The Exorcist" (1973).
"Constantine" may win over die-hards of the "Hellblazer" and people may or may not get a kick out of Peter Stormare as an Armani-wearing Satan. Like Neo says, "Whoa."
6/10