Product: Constantine [Blu-ray] (2012)
Rating: 2.0
Constantine (2005)
Director: Francis LawrenceCast: Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeuof, Djimon Hounsou, Max Baker, Pruitt Taylor, Gavin Rossdale, Tilda Swinton, Peter Stormare.Running Time: 121 minutesRated R for ghastly violence, gore, and language.The success of the "Matrix" films shot "Speed" and "Point Break" action hunk Keanu Reeves into another stratosphere of stardom. His depiction as Neo Anderson in the celebrated trilogy showed more depth and ability than any other role that he had attempted in the past. "Constantine" does not showcase his talents much like the "Matrix trifecta, but manages to vividly extract every ounce of respectful acting that was once apart of him. Reeves plays John Constantine, a cross between Same Spade and Repairman Jack from the F. Paul Wilson novels. Constantine, a combination supernatural detective and exorcist who is on the verge of dying of lung cancer from smoking, and is a complete jerk to anyone he meets. He deals with all kinds of supernatural occurrences all around Los Angeles. He builds a kind of reputation that is only heard in whispers and rumors and he's quite known for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Enter Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz) who needs his help with the mysterious suicide of her twin sister who jump off the roof of the mental hospital she was staying in. She believes that there is more to it than it seems and wants Constantine to help her figure it out.Decent yet very incoherent adaptation of the "Hellblazer" comic lacks that book's sense of humor and complexity and goes for the gusto in stupidity with a very poor performance by Keanu Reeves, who manages to make his last two "Matrix" films look like masterpieces compared to his work here. Director Francis Lawrence tries hard but lacks focus in certain scenes and lacks a sense of continually with his work. He steals from the best but lacks the substance to pull it off. The only redeeming things this movie has to offer is the performance of Rachel Weisz, who manages to give a strong, complex and moving performance despite the fact that the movie is not worthy of it. Overall, "Constantine" had a good concept, but fails with its execution. To those who want intelligence in a movie, this film certainly strained a lot of the foundation from the comic book and crammed it with religious theories and random babble. Those who want mindless action and dazzling effects, "Constantine" succeeds by giving them just that. But in the end, there wasn't enough action to keep that segment of the audience's attention, and the depth the film supposedly had never really showed up.