Movie Review: Constantine
So here is another film I missed at release that was recommended to me by a fellow Catholic friend. Having been disappointed by recent forays into Christian movies, I set my expectations quite low for Constantine. This was partly due to my familiarity with the character and the brilliant Hellblazer comic series. I knew ahead of time that this 2005 Keanu Reeves vehicle differed greatly from its source material. Nevertheless Constantine the film, with sufficiently lowered expectations, is actually a pretty fun time.
Let’s start with the positives. Constantine is basically a supernatural noir adventure telling the tale of the eponymous demon-battling detective and a conspiracy to raise Hell on Earth. Films like this work when they squeeze the juice out of their concept and have a stylish execution. On the first point, in broad strokes, the movie is successful. The exorcism scene in the beginning, the neat little holy weapons, and the overall setup with half-breed demons and angels — it’s all pretty neat. They get a lot of details right too, such as a scene where a character goes to confession, the use of rosaries, and the Latin used in prayers.
The theology is thought-provoking thanks to some good lines and dilemmas. With respect to dialogue, I appreciated bits like, “I don’t believe in the Devil,” “You should. He believes in you,” and “God’s a kid with an ant farm.” A key plot point is that people who commit suicide are damned to go to Hell, which is the Church’s position however the film’s presentation is a bit simplified. I actually wish this point had been fleshed out better but it’s still interesting.
The execution and style are a mixed bag. The film has really strong supporting characters. Peter Stormare as Satan and Tilda Swinton as Gabriel both totally steal the show in spite of being in very few scenes. Keanu does his taciturn badass savior thing pretty well, and Rachel Weisz gives some depth to what could have been a pretty one-dimensional female lead role. Shia LaBeouf also turns in a decent alpha release of what became his Sam Witwicky character in Transformers.
Though Constantine starts pretty strong and has a fantastic ending, the film ultimately drops the ball in its middle portion. The pacing is uneven with the plot progressing in fits and starts. With comic book movies it is important to establish proper rules and constraints. Constantine fails here in several scenes. It feels like stuff happens just because. It’s not clear what the demons and angels are capable of, how powerful they are, or how John’s various spells and tricks actually work. It’s not clear how a guy dying of cancer can turn into John Wick/Neo during a late action scene where he’s surrounded by demons. Lacking this context the action scenes lose their tension.
I also was not very impressed with Francis Lawrence’s directing. The camera work was disorienting at times and overwrought. While I liked much of the costume and set design, the cinematography was not great with the visual approach sometimes getting in the way of the story’s good ideas. What’s more the soundtrack is lame. A better director and better music would have elevated even this fairly average screenplay to a proper cult classic film.
Constantine ultimately suffers both in its execution and content. With such a rich well of inspiration to draw from in the Hellblazer comic, it’s a shame the film opted for such a half-baked meandering narrative in spite of some strong moments. The distracting directing choices, forgettable soundtrack, and lukewarm world building also bring it down. It’s still pretty entertaining and has some great ideas behind it. Worth a watch if you are spiritually inclined or a Keanu fan.
Grade: B
