Review Of "Constantine"


**spoilers beware**


And for good measure, check out the very cool website. Be sure to click on "Photos". But then, if you don't want this to ruin your enjoyment, you can always look at the pictures after you've caught the show.

Yes, readers. I spent the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year being blown away with maybe 15 other moviegoers in a huge cineplex. ( Turns out I'm not the only person who thinks visiting people is a colossal waste of time. )

To put it simply, Constantine is AWESOME.

However, you first have to get past the equally glaring fact that it's actually kinda HOKEY too.

The HOKEY-NESS stems from the liberties the writers take with major Christian themes. I'm Anglican, so I don't know about the Catholic belief in The Spear Of Destiny. But throw in Hell Bibles, extra Bible chapters, something named Mammon, and you basically have a foolproof recipe for B-grade camp.

Thankfully, there're 3 saving graces that prevent this debacle: Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, and director Francis Lawrence.

Reviews in the print media would've sufficiently brought you up to speed plot-wise ( if not, then just go to the website already ), so I'm gonna dwell more on the film itself: a visual spectacle of fiery landscapes, dark rainy depictions of Los Angeles, and nail-avulsing ( though few ) battles between good and evil. Maybe it's because I've never even heard of the Hellblazer comics, thus resulting in my finding everything novel and thrilling. But hey, that's what I paid good money for, and Constantine delivers it in great abundance.

From the vertiginous crossing of dimensions to the exorcism sequences, the movie is reminiscent of many famous predecessors, yet also manages to inject new ingredients that elevate these scenes way above the rehashed-and-cheesy standards of most horror flicks. The sweet Chinese girl scaling her bedroom walls and spouting foreign tongues is lifted straight from The Exorcist, but instead of the conventional priest wielding a crucifix and chanting Bible verses, we have John Constantine, dressed in a black suit, $200 white dress shirt, and loose black tie, flashing star-shaped talismans and stomping out cigarettes, before climbing over the demon and whispering in its ear, "This is Constantine. John Constantine. Asshole."

Casting Reeves in the lead is yet another inspiring choice in the previously straightlaced ( ie. boring ) land of Hollywood. Like Johnny Depp, Reeves started out as a poster boy, rising the ranks on the strength of his good looks and athleticism, before breaking out into less mainstream projects, then successfully turning those into box-office gold. From his early days in Bill & Ted adventures, to supporting roles in films as diverse as Parenthood and Much Ado About Nothing, he soon found himself carrying entire movies like Point Break ( one of my all-time favourites, never mind its inherent stupidity ), The Matrix trilogy ( of which only the first installment is worth anyone's time, IMHO ), Speed ( dumb, but only made believable through capable acting ) and The Devil's Advocate ( his best performance so far, in my book at least ).

As Constantine, his haunted, gaunt face already brings a deep sadness to the role, but awareness of Reeves' real-life tragedies will no doubt be additionally significant. After losing an unborn child and a subsequently depressed girlfriend, and in the midst of caring for a dying sister, the lines of pain and suffering are evident. And yet, despite being 40 years of age, Reeves has retained his boyishness, and is even more handsome today than he was a decade ago.

As John Constantine, vigilante exorcist with recurrent haemoptysis and a rebellious compulsion for smoking, he is so cool it's scary. Cool because he carries the role so effortlessly, making it a surefire cult legend with a heart-throb edge. Scary because like Neo in The Matrix, this hip but dark character may induce copycat behaviour the same way it supposedly did in the Columbine High School shootings.

Similarly, Weisz has blossomed following her Hollywood induction via the interminably dull Chain Reaction ( in which she also co-starred alongside Reeves ). Her transformation began in The Mummy, hit its peak in The Mummy Returns, and sailed even higher in About A Boy. Here, she exudes an understated yet undeniable sensuality, especially in 2 particular scenes where she and Reeves literally come into very close quarters. ( This on-off chemistry phenomenon seems to recur with Reeves -- note his 2 movies with Charlize Theron, where they sizzled [ The Devil's Advocate ] then fizzled [ Sweet November ] with equal aplomb. )

Then we come to Francis Lawrence, who fought hard to get Reeves as his leading man, disregarding rabid Constantine fans' howls of protest ( apparently, the character was modelled after Sting, aka My Man :)). Lawrence steers this movie with a strong hand, wisely toning down on the CGI effects, then letting the script, the actors and the sparse sets do all the work.

There're some truly creepy bits in this film. Especially the exorcism sequence. Brrrr.

With regards to the grand themes of God and Satan, good and evil, redemption and eternal damnation, I leave it to you to decide. Like I said before, some of the answers provided don't exactly sit well with me ( and perhaps fellow Christians alike ). But the questions asked ( e.g. Constantine's remark that "I didn't go to church. I didn't pray enough." as the reason he is burdened with such a curse ) certainly bear pondering.

I jokingly said to my mother ( who caught the show with me ) that people who've seen Constantine may be frightened into going to church or getting baptized. But then again, you also have to remember that it's a movie based on a comic book series.

Here's a nice quote in closing:

[ Constantine kneels over the possessed Chinese girl, who suddenly stops writhing and stares intently at him. ]

Girl: [ foreign tongue, likely rife with vulgarities ] sdnkofdoiugfoijgkwe...

Constantine: [ listens quietly, then smiles almost imperceptibly ] Sure. [ proceeds to brand her with his talisman ]


What a classic. :)