By Michael Gleason
The world as we know it is a neutral plane in the ongoing war between heaven and hell, open to neither demons nor angels. The only way either side can affect our realm is through influence, and half-breeds (half-human, half -angel or devil) are the ones who market this commodity. It is when these half-breeds get out of line that antihero John Constantine is sent to deal with them.
Such is the picture painted by the latest Keanu Reeves vehicle, Constantine. Reeves plays the title character, a dying and surly supernatural answer-man who attempts to gain redemption by maintaining the balance between good and evil. The movie is the translation of the comic book, Hellblazer, and of course retains some of the conventions of that medium. Hence, those seeking the latest Oscar contender ought to look elsewhere. However, Constantine is a solid, if not spectacular movie and a good deal better than the sum of its parts.
The movie, contrary to the trend of comic-book conversions, proceeds at a brooding pace, which is well-suited to the subject matter, if not the audience’s patience. This movie is a long two hours. Indeed, the picture does tend to drag in certain spots, but the overall fabric of the movie is not unraveled by this minor flaw. This movie is not terrifically action-oriented; instead, it goes for a more subtle tone.
The acting in the film is rather a mixed bag. Keanu Reeves’ wooden delivery is truly the stuff of legend, and he reads through Constantine as if he were still Neo. However, his style does end up fitting in with the thrust of the movie, so he neither helps nor hurts this film. Rachel Weisz provides a competent performance throughout the movie; truly not her best acting job ever, but not bad nonetheless. Constantine, unfortunately, is given a kid sidekick (Shia LaBeouf), who thankfully doesn’t get in the way too often, but is a distraction every time he does. The kid is a sidekick cliché, with all the problems that title entails (does the world really need another wisecracking, impatient second fiddle?). Peter Stormare is unfortunately underused as Satan, but the scene he does take part in is the richer for having him.
The movie’s look is very well done. Hell is given life through computer graphics, and the demons are well-rendered. Constantine is given special weapons with which to combat the forces of hell, and these also look quite plausible. Director Francis Lawrence intersperses the movie with visually exciting shots.
The movie addresses such issues as redemption and faith comprehensively. These themes are more than simply feeble justifications for the action sequences. Instead, the themes are the driving force in this movie, making this movie an admirable departure from Reeves’ last work.
In short, this movie is a nice, entertaining movie that, while not exactly great, is still worth seeing in the vast desert of movie releases this February. The ultimate question is, of course, is it worth your $10? It is if your interest falls in this area, but this movie won’t win over any cross-genre fans. In the end, Constantine is probably the most fun a movie fan will have in hell this year.
Final Grade: C+