Product: Constantine [Blu-ray] (2012)
Rating: 4.0
"The horror, the horror"
Fighting Hell on Earth, John Constantine (Keanu Reeves) faces demons every day trying to keep the balance between Heaven and Hell in the City of Angels, Los Angeles. Constantine is damned for something mysterious in his past and he's trying to work it off hoping to buy his way into Heaven. God, though, isn't buying. When Constatine realizes that demons are not possessing humans but are trying to cross over he reluctantly teams with police detective Rachel Weisz in trying to discover who was behind the death of her sister. The two meet when Weisz seeks an audience with a priest who happens to be meeting with the Earthly form of the angel Gabriel (Tilda Swinton).Aimed at audiences with a combination of elements from "The Exorcist" and action adventure movies inspired by comic books, "Constantine" may not be true to its source (the comic book "Hellblazer") but the powerful visual effects combined with strong performances makes this film worthwhile. While I had my doubts about Reeves pulling off the role of Constantine, he proved to be outstanding in the role. Unlike, say, Neo from "The Matrix", Constantine comes across as a selfish, rude loner interested in using his gift to see the demons that walk around uninvited in our world but not totally accepting responsibility for the consquences of his action. Weisz pulls off her role as Detective Angela Dodson with just the right mix of street smarts and disbelief at what she sees when in the company of Constantine. Gavin Rossdale comes across as a bit of a cypher as Balthazar an Earthbound half breed demon working who is Constantine's opposite in this battle for humanity.While first time film director Francis Lawrence puts together fascinating images, he occasionally loses control of the narrative causing audiences to play catch up with the story. That's OK, thouh, as it keeps the audience from guessing every twist and turn of this unusual film. The screenplay by Kevin Brodbin(the fascinating but unseen thriller "Mindhunters") and Frank Cappello (cult classic "No Way Back") borrows enough from the source material to keep this original tale interesting for fans of the comic book source and those unfamiliar with it. Many fans of the comic will, no doubt, be upset with the liberties taken with the material but I'd sugget keeping an open mind and viewing this as you would any film taken from another source.The visually stunning sequences set in Hell along with those portraying Heaven with impressive CGI effects make this a memorable film. Although it isn't perfect, the film provides a solid two hours of entertainment with a number of fascinating ideas and questions raised about this world and the next. Exceptionally good supernatural thriller although it may be too visually dense to attract the audience it needs to succeed.