Constantine Reviews

Grrr

This was so incredibly dire that it actually made me angry. Everything about it was poorly conceived and badly executed. What annoys me most is that, at some stage during the making of this film, the producer would undoubtely have realised that he was cobbling together one of the biggest stains ever to have been wiped on Hollywood's already dubious history, yet made the ill-advised decision to finish and release it anyway.

I can only imagine that the people who gave this tosh a positive review were paid to do so.

Not bad, but some wasted opportunities

First things first - the best thing about this film is the scenery & cinematography. That's not to say the rest of the film is bad, but it was beautifully shot. Particularly the hell scenes, but I spent as much time marvelling at the background as I did focusing on the leads.

So what about the rest of the film? A very interesting story. Constantine is a man destined for hell, and he knows this. No matter how much good he does, he cannot redeem his past mortal sin. Heaven doesn't want him. Cursed with the ability to see demons & angels in their human forms, he roams the earth, keeping balance between the two factions.

Sounds tempting? It should. This is a brilliant premise. One problem - your casting. Keanu Reeves just cannot act. And this is apparent here, especially when cast against the superb Rachel Weisz. He's wooden and spends a large amount of time looking confused. And sadly, he can't pull off the trick of making you forget that this is a film. I wasn't watching John Constantine, I was watching Keanu Reeves.

Despite this flaw though, this is a film worth watching. See it at least once, preferably at the cinema. And marvel at the backgrounds. Aaah...

[Highly rated reviewer]

Don't expect rocket science

This is a film that really surprised me considering i believe Mr. Reeves acts as well as a strip of mahogany and the plot had holes like a garden sieve! However...I thoroughly enjoyed this no-brainer and maybe because i wasn't expecting much i was pleasantly surprised. Not sure who the actress was who played the asexual angel, Gabriel but she was one of the highlights for me. Also all the supporting cast had been selected for their roles pretty much perectly i would have said. Sure you could have picked some more well known faces but i think it is now a little cliched to have a famous actor as the devil...this guy did just fine, i mean how exactly are you supposed to act as the ultimae force of evil in the universe, eh? A couple of cheesy moments but this is based on a comic book isn't it so what were other reviewers expecting? A top Saturday night film i would say.

Lots of effects but lacking in real substance

Disappointing. The story was very thin and although around biblical themes of hell with an appearence by a decidely feminine Angel Gabriel it was lacking in substance...no suspense either.

Some Great Ideas but Lacks Souls

Constantine, which is based on the Hellblazer series of graphic novels, tells the story of a man cursed from birth with the ability to see angels and demons that walk on earth. As a young man he finds it too much to bear and kills himself only to be saved. He is now destined for hell so he must spend his remaining days fighting the forces of evil and buying his way into heaven.

As you can see Constantine has a great premise and the options open to explore are huge. The film starts brilliantly and promises to be a dark edged fantasy thriller. However, the film soon runs out of steam and becomes increasingly confusing.

Reeves is too bland an actor to play a character riddled with cancer and a curse that will send him to hell. The set pieces within the film are amongst the best I have seen but the story itself is seriously lacking.

The likes of Hellboy played on the same ideas and did it a lot better as humour was injected. Fans of the comics will feel annoyed and general viewers will see it as too dark. However, if you like films such as Blade this may have something for you.

Could have been so much better with more time spent on the story and characters rather than set pieces.

(Based on Cinema Release)

A Matrix too far

Don't waste your time.

I liked the old site, where I could have just clicked on unwatchable, now I have to write a review of this pretentious rubbish to express my disappointment.

Apparently it is based on a Comic Book and as with most of these recent films, it is a waste of time for those who don't know the story and probably a disappointment for those who do.

If you listen to the director/producer's commentary you will understand just how far up their own bottoms they are.

I am sure the special effects team enjoyed making the film far more than I enjoyed watching it.

Oh, and where were the continuity team???

Very Entertaining

I really enjoyed this. I don't understand why people are being so negative about it! Okay K-Reeves always seems to act like Neo in these type of films but that's not such a bad thing. Reeves plays a damned demonbusting detective who is dying of lung cancer. He knows when he dies he will go to hell due to his past sins and is determined to rid earth of as many demons before his end. Angel Gabriel was fantastic! Worth a watch.

Geek chic

Constantine looks fantastic with flashy camera work conjuring up a gothic fantasy in black white and red of LA by night, rainy streets and the legions of hell.

Keanu Reeves and Rachel Weisz make very pretty leads and the plot provides plenty of opportunity for them to appear in wet shirts, although a bit more of a romantic subplot wouldn't have gone amiss.

The biggest problem is the slightly ludicrous plot about angels and demons; big on big ideas but the finale especially lacks tension and pace.

What's the point? Really?

Don’t get me wrong, this is quite a good film, however...what the hell was going on. I get the spear of destiny thing, and I am sure most of the viewers will too, as history, and even mythology has educated us with this item, BUT, there seemed to be no real structure to the film. Any connection, and reasoning was left in the dark, thus spoiling the plot line, that is if there was one to begin with.

The effects of 'Hell' were very good, not exactly the damnation that we all perceive, but thought provoking if nothing else. Tilda Swinton as Gabriel was a very poor performance, and I was not really convinced that she pulled this off at all. The idea of her playing this male angle was a fine idea, as angles are supposed to be farfetched, and even genderless, which she is, but a rather lack lustre performance from such a powerful biblical character.

I was glad to get to the end of the film in the hope that all the loose, or should I say scattered ends would finally be tied together in a nice little parcel, alas not this time, just an open box in a wind tunnel that mealy cast the ends to the four winds.

Would I watch again? No, unless I was paid to do so that is!

[Highly rated reviewer]

Set pieces take centre stage to overshadow good concept

An interesting comic book adaptation about the battle for earth between heaven and hell. A very interesting concept that does grab your interest both with the story and some excellent set pieces. Unfortunately the film is a bit slow at times, but my main gripe is that there appears to be so much more depth to the characters but that isn't really explored in the film. I think FG suggested that they could have lopped some of the film off and they could have done but the story is crying out for more exploration and I'm afraid this isn't a genre of films where two and a half hour films sit. Decent overall and worth a look but for a similar film that's better, check out The Boondock Saints.