Eye For Film >> Movies >> Constantine (2005) Film Review
Constantine
Reviewed by: John Gallagher
Straight off the bat, let me just say that before going to see Francis Lawrence's film I had never read any of the comics and had little or no knowledge of what the story was about, but after two hours I now realise that John Constantine is a kick-ass devil-slaying slickster.
The movie is made in such a way that fan boys and newcomers alike can go to see it and be pleasantly surprised. I have to admit after Blade: Trinity and Hellboy, I was a bit worried about going to see another comic book adaptation, but this movie kept me interested.
Keanu Reeves plays cool-as-ice demon slayer John Constantine very well. He has a "gift" that allows him the pleasure of seeing other worldly monstrosities that us poor humans can't. His big problem is that he wants to be granted access into heaven and the only thing stopping him is the fact that what he does, he does out of selfishness.
I mean, come on! If you saw some ugly demonic nether beast coming towards you and he was between you and getting to the doughnut shop, wouldn't you put it out of its misery?
Enter the lovely police detective Angela (Rachel Weisz), who needs our brooding hero's help in the investigation into her twin sister's apparent suicide. Oh, and there's the little thing of the demons stopping him getting from A to B...
These two play well off each other and hold your attention for the length of the movie. If you get past the annoying Constantine-wannabe-taxi-driving sidekick and the use of only one cliched scare, this is really enjoyable. With great special effects, showing how the big man's world down below looks, I can't wait to see what happens when we next get to peer into Constantine's paranormal life.
Reviewed on: 30 Mar 2005