Product: Constantine [Blu-ray] (2012)
Rating: 4.0
Discover John Constantine - the Hellblazer...
When I saw that "Constantine" was coming to the big screen I wasn't all that excited at first. Mainly because I had never read the comic book 'Hellblazer', that inspired the film. Then I saw the preview and it looked like a very entertaining sci-fi/religious thrill ride in the vein of 'The Prophecy' series, "End of Days", and "Hellboy", plus Keanu looked pretty cool in one of his first post-'Matrix' action films."Constantine" is based on the popular Vertigo/DC Comic 'Hellblazer', which follows the demon hunting exploits of its hero John Constantine (Keanu Reeves). Constantine is a chain smoking, wise-cracking, selfish demon hunter, whose primary goal in life is to send as many of Hell's minions back to where they belong and hopefully work his way into Heaven. During his quest he is aided by Chaz (Shia Lebouf), Papa Midnight (Djimon Hounsou), and a seemingly duplictious angel named Gabriel (Tilda Swinton). When a cop (Rachel Weisz) discovers her twin sister has seemingly committed suicide, she enlists the aide of Constantine in discovering what exactly happened to her God-fearing sister to cause her to end her life. This mystery only deepens as Constantine discovers that demons are attempting to crossover into Earth's realm, and this cop, when coupled with the mythic Spear of Destiny, is the key.With terrific special effects, most notably the imaginative interpretation of Hell as being an alternate reality, so that it appears to be a constantly buring Los Angeles. Pitch-perfect performances by the cast, that bring depth and reality to their comic book counterparts, and fast-paced editing and directing from first time movie director Francis Lawrence, "Constantine" is sci-fi/religious thriller that is guaranteed to keep you entertained.Though, not entirely faithful to the comic book according to fan boys and the movies own making of featurette admits this, the film is an enjoyable comic book adaptation. The theology for the movie is steeped primarily in Catholicism, even then it's not an accurate depiction of the faith, definitely not a movie to base your religious beliefs on, but then again it never aspired for that purpose. As I said earlier, it appeared this one would be another one of the great sci-fi/religious thrillers, and I was right. If you enjoyed 'The Prophecy' series, "Hellboy", 'The Omen' franchise, or "End of Days", then this movie is for you.With the great success of "Constantine" hopefully Warner Brothers will realize the potential in this film for a franchise, especially since Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, and Djimon Hounsou have all expressed interest in returning, and treat audiences to more demon hunting with "Constantine 2"."Constantine" is rated R for violence and language.