Product: Constantine [Blu-ray] (2012)
Rating: 5.0
Good god what a great movie
This movie is not some brainless action-shoot-em-up. It's a brilliantly executed comic book movie. From the very first exorcism when Keanu Reeves as Constantine sorting through an assortment of holy symbols up to the light as one would sort through a key chain this movie had me. These small, vital, and unexplained touches let the viewer understand that there's more--much more--behind the scenes than is explained. I love that. I love the lack of explanatory exposition, such a terrible plague in modern movies that cater to the lowest common denominator. This movie instead assumes that the viewer is reasonably educated and at least casually familiar with Catholic Christian history and various flavors of the occult.Admittedly, Keanu Reeves does have a bit of a struggle with certain dialogue. And the romance angle--though thankfully unconsumated--is not believable.But the visuals are awe-inspiring. The bar, the angels, the demons, the depiction of Hell... my god, this movie delivers the goods.Constantine delivers pure joy for gamer geeks, comic book guys, and anyone fascinated by a non-metaphorical interpretation of the Bible. If you're looking for brainless zombie slaughter look elsewhere.Reminds me of: Prophecy, The Matrix (as in faithfulness to source material and internal consistency, not as in "guns... lots of guns"), Star Wars (gives a sense of a rich milieu without overtly explaining).Better than: Blade, Alone in the Dark (much better)