Just became one of my ten favorites

Rating: 9/10 (27 February 2005)

Shazam. Sometimes, a crew, cast, and director come together and just get it right.
I'll confess to having a bias towards occult and supernatural flicks; if the quality material is there, I'm all for it. I have never read a Hellblazer comic, but I certainly want to now.
The movie was great. If someone who's never read the comic it's based on can enjoy it as much as I have, then it definitely has something.
The reason it made my top ten? A few reasons, in no particular order: #1. A quality supernatural element. It took itself seriously, had good 'rules', and the look to it was original; a hard thing to accomplish these days. #2. Great script. There were one or two moments of lacking dialogue (Balthazar just wasn't threatening and this showed it off), but the rest of it really shined. #3. Special effects. They were terrific. The look was unique, and the tricks they pulled off haven't been done a dozen times over. #4. Great characters. Keanu Reeves as a bitter anti-hero. Rachel Weisz as a woman thrown into the supernatural with unbelieving eyes. Shia LaBeouf as the plucky apprentice looking to prove himself, with GREAT comic timing. Shia has a gift, and he got to show it off. Well done, Shia. Peter Sormare as the Devil himself, who couldn't have done a better job. #5. The details. Keep your eyes open when you see this flick. So much heart and work went into the small work of detail that I was beside myself, I enjoyed it so much.
Go see this movie. Go see it. Go. See. It. It won't win many Oscars, but it certainly won a place in my movie collection. Now to wait for the Director's Cut...