Disappointed, but it's still above average.

Rating: 7/10 (5 March 2005)

I was surprised, to say the least, that Reeves would choose to do another semi-religious picture straight after the Matrix, as the two parts (Anti-Hero, World under the world, etc. etc.) are almost the same. I was interested in the film from the start, the promising TV spots and trailers supported that. Well, finally got to see it today, and I have a mixed signal. It's disappointing, yes, but it also has a lot of high points. It's flawed, but complete. Interesting, but incredibly boring.
Alright, the premise of the film is all over the place. God and Satan have had a wager for the souls of mankind, a real time bet. There are rules. Neither angles or demons can directly make a human do something, but they are allowed to push them in one direction by merely speaking to them subconsciously, but ultimately, not make them do anything by force. Reeve's Character, John, has been seeing this battle since birth. He killed himself at a young age, was sent to Hell, but sent back, to be a medium between the two. He makes sure the demons who do to much on Earth stay in Hell. It's a pretty odd job, even a blessing to see these things, but John does it all for selfish reasons. After twenty years of all of this, he has never trusted in God, nor gave any real thanks to him. He knows all of it is true, but doesn't believe in it. He'll do this work, but he won't give his heart over to God. That's his downfall. In Constantine's world, taking one's life sends us to Hell no matter what, Christian or not. So, since John's already been to Hell for this sin, he's going to go back there. In his mind, perhaps, if he sends enough demons to Hell, he'll earn his way into God's kingdom. To the film's credit, it does show very clearly God's way of salvation. The gospel is presented (By Faith, not by works) as great, and the only way. Perhaps that's the only real quality of the film that seems to match up with the Bible. Don't take me wrong. I never expected this film to be accurate, and honestly, it's not trying to be. It's a spiritual thriller at heart, but it's covered in so much Holy Water and Jesus Bullets that it's hard to take any of it seriously. These aspects don't offend me of course, but from any perspective, it simply takes away from any emotional effect the film would have.
Well, the rules have been broken. Satan's demons are coming to Earth to destroy all of mankind. Not fun. So, now John must save the world...Did you really expect much more? The first half of the film is very well done. It has great atmosphere, and never really seems to come away from it. John's sarcastic and hateful, but likable. Even the spiritual aspects are presented in a good way, whether they're accurate or not. The film does start to slide though, as it tries to create so many subplots, to the point where the audience just stops caring. Oh, she's my twin...Oh, Satan's son is coming back...Oh, John's friend dies...I was not really interested in any of it. It seems like I'm simply listing the bad aspects of the film, but there are a lot of redeeming qualities. Like it or not, Reeves does a good job. Well, at least, the best he could. He's not really much of an actor, he has the same emotion and expression in every movie he does. Yet, he's right for the role. Sadly, Rachel Weisz brings all of her character down. Whatever was interesting about her on paper is now completely destroyed. Shia LaBeouf is the only really good aspect here, and a lot of me wishes he was in more of the film alongside John rather than Weisz. Oh well. Directing is rather well done, cinematography is a big highlight, as well as the special effects. Though it had it's flaws, the movie kept me interested to the point where I was wondering what would happen in the next few minutes. Well, after seeing White Noise, anything could keep my interest.
The ending was great, yet, Satan's appearance brought down a lot of it. Sure, you want to be ironic. Satan is really just a hick. That's wonderful. Just, make it to a point where I can see the irony, not just a stupid plot tool. This was the film's biggest weakness. Satan. He's not scary. He's not ironic. He's not funny...He's just...uninteresting. The film was good, though. I was entertained. Something I would pick up on DVD to give another go around. However, wait for DVD.