Product: Constantine [Blu-ray] (2012)
Rating: 3.0
Constantine...whoa...
I've developed a soft spot over the last few years, and have dragged myself out to see all sorts of "comic book movies": Spiderman, Hulk, Daredevil, X-Men...and now Constantine. It's not that I'm a big Keanu fan (though I do think that folks were undeservably harsh on him in the Matrix sequels), or a Rachel Weisz fan (she's cute and all, but I've not seen her in much outside of this movie and the Mummy to judge her talent by), but I was interested in seeing a less "mainstream" comic book movie, shall we say? It's a comic book movie without the (anti)hero being a superhero.So, how was it? The pace was slow and sedate, for the most part, punctuated with scary/horror bits that keep things moving. It's almost as if I should be calling this a horror/drama. I'm not going to get into a discussion of the plot, so there won't be any spoilers here...let's just say that the premise is geared very much towards Catholics, more than anything else...no discussion of other religions, and all the Catholic religious trappings are on full display. The special effects are on the same level as the Mummy. Keanu gets to display a fuller range of human emotions than he did in the Matrix, and Rachel turns in a reasonable performance. Everyone else involved is turning in smaller, supporting role performances. Gavin Rossdale of the band Bush plays Balthazar, a demon type. The cinematography was OK, and the sound quality was good, though they did not use surround sound to its full potential I thought.Would I recommend it? Perhaps for rental. It's not that special....the pacing is just a little too slow in spots. It is an R-rated movie, so don't plan on seeing it on an airplane unless you're in business or first class on an intercontinental flight.