Very cool movie...far, far, better than it is credited to be.

Rating: 9/10 (19 December 2010)

I am honestly surprised at how many negative reviews for Constantine I've read here, because it is a movie I happen to love. Constantine tells the story of John Constantine (Reeves), a contemporary exorcist/supernatural expert with his own personal demons, who helps a cop named Angie (Weisz) investigate her sister's death. It was an apparent suicide but Angie is convinced that her sister, Isabel, wouldn't do that...being that she was devoutly Catholic, and suicide is a top-ten no-go for Catholics. Constantine reluctantly helps her out, with a little help from his friends (Hounsou and LaBeouf), and some meddling from angel or demon "half-breeds" (Rossdale and Swinton). The result is something I'd like to call genius, although I guess there are many who would disagree.
The story uses some very, lets say "creative", twisting of Catholic doctrine to develop a spiritually tense world where everything is a battle for your soul. No, the theology is not all correct. But it still makes for a very thought-provoking and slightly unconventional look at faith. It isn't every day that you see a film in which the angel Gabriel looks someone in the eyes and says "you're f--ked." Needless to say, I was fascinated. The way in which spiritual elements and figures are represented here really impressed me. Let's take hell, for example. The imagery Constantine uses when portraying hell is completely remarkable. The effects in general were very well-done.
As for the characters, which looks to be a sore-spot for many who watched this movie, I didn't see anything wrong. Rachel Weisz was impressively real and believable, and her character gave you someone to really sympathize with. Djimon Hounsou and Shia LaBeouf are always very talented, and it's interesting to watch one of LaBeof's first "I'm-getting-away-from-Disney" roles. However, my favorite performances in Constantine are the ones that seem the least noted: Gavin Rossdale as the classy half-breed demon Balthazar and the incredible Tilda Swinton as a complicated half-breed angel Gabriel. Swinton, especially, really shines in her role, even though she isn't on-screen for very long. And what is with all the complaints about Keanu Reeves? His character wasn't lacking in complexity and I could actually watch him without imagining him saying "excellent!" (Although I can usually do that...I think he's much more talented in general than people give him credit for).
But don't let me tell you what to think. If you want an entertaining supernatural thriller with an ounce of spooks, cool effects, and a talented cast, check out Constantine. If you don't like it, its not like you'll be going to hell or anything for it.