Constantine (2005)
John Constantine has literally been to Hell and back. When he teams up with a policewoman to solve the mysterious suicide of her twin sister, their investigation takes them through the world of demons and angels that exists beneath the landscape of contemporary Los Angeles.
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A well-produced action/drama that keeps you guessing throughout. Not all will enjoy this type of movie, but I thought it was fantastic. A very refreshing break from Reeves' MATRIX movies, the film has great special effects, an engaging plot that keeps you wondering and interested throughout, with an edge-of-the-seat ending that satisfies. I don't give all of the movies with Keanu in them positive reviews (though many are), but this one is definitely worth your time!
I realise this film does have a cult following, and I myself actually enjoy watching this. That does not mean I love it and think it's the best thing since sliced bread...it isn't. Demon hunter John Constantine gets involved with Angela who believes her twin sister was murdered instead of committing suicide. The two undergo a personal journey together where reality may not be the only world that exists. It's pretty much any investigative crime thriller but the suspects are angels and demons. There is so much religious jargon that it rather hurts my brain. Spear of Destiny, Gabriel, Satan's Son...the list goes on. Even though I myself am not religious, I found myself intrigued by the plot and its religious context. Yes, some parts are fictionalised for dramatic purposes but I never became bored. The plot is completely overstuffed with wasted supporting characters, an antagonist with an ambiguous motive and a few plot conveniences. But in saying that, it's just entertaining and intriguing. Plenty of slow motion visual effects and a visceral stylised version of hell keeps this film feeling fresh, even when watching it today. The stand out though, is John Constantine himself. A jaded, experienced and tired individual that consistently questions his destiny. Keanu Reeves was the perfect choice to portray this character, his serious monotonous line execution was sublime. Rachel Weisz was slightly underwhelming but was functional. Everyone else? Wasted potential. Tilda Swinton, Peter Stormare, heck even Shia LaBeouf just needed more screen time. The film is solely focussed on Constantine. For 121 minutes, is there enough substance to the character? Yes and no. I found the scene editing to be slightly rushed. No real transitions for the most part, where some scenes just feel like they were stringed together with no real thought. A good adaptation for a comic, I just wished there was more substance and a more intelligent approach.
For some reason I when I finally went and watched this movie I thought of Amytiville Horror although I was nothing like that. I believe the rather tepid box office returns were due to the fact that Keanu Reeves was coming of the success of the blockbuster MATRIX series and that's what people were expecting. This is definitely a paranormal film but nothing along the lines of The Matrix. It is dark but that is the only comparison aside from Keanu Reeves appearance. The movie shifts between two worlds.This is also like Matrix but only Reeves has this gift of being able to travel between to two. The real world and what I came to understand as the spirit or underworld inhabited by some rather nasty beings and spirits, some of which could follow you into the real world. Reeves expertise is removing evil sprite from possessed people here in the real world. Great special effects and story-line. After watching it once I will watch it again.
...starring Keanu Reeves. The latter, the only aspect prompting me to go through this. Looking at the overall reception, it could've been at least decent. Instead, when the earlier stages, very dodgy in parts but still, seem to be putting some slabs together, you very quickly find out the dodgy was all there is and the film isn't going anywhere, and it's more cheesy lines about the rules of the film, unlikely weirdo characters popping up and doing their thing.This could be cut short by saying it actually had potential in its narrative and concept to be genuinely interesting, but instead went exactly the other way from that. Embarrassing feature for Reeves, the film-makers probably thought they'd ride the Matrix wave and setup something somewhat similar for/with him and, who knows, get a little lucky maybe ?...with this ?