It's The Matrix meets Dogma.
The official website: Constantine
IMDB Entry: IMDB on Constantine
Apple.com Trailer: Apple on Constantine
Yahoo! Movies: Constantine
IMDB Bits
Tagline: Hell wants him. Heaven won't take him. Earth needs him.Plot Outline: Based on the DC/Vertigo comic book Hellblazer and written by Kevin Brodbin, Mark Bomback and Frank Capello, Constantine tells the story of irreverent supernatural detective John Constantine (Keanu Reeves), who has literally been to hell and back.
Mark's Remarks
I was initially not very pleased with the theology of the film, and I felt that this film was a rather shortsighted and hastily constructed amalgamation of Dogma and the Matrix series. As Matt notes below, some of the special effects, and even some of the visuals (there is a scene of a prone Constantine being dragged in a rather Crucifix like position, just as in the Matrix: Revolutions) were straight out of the Matrix or Dogma. Heck, Constantine, when talking to his young sidekick Chaz Kramer invokes the example of "the cursing thin guy and the fat fellow", ie, Jay and Silent Bob. Also, the notion of this reality being like an illusion, of a war just on the other side of reality, comes straight from the Wachowski brothers. So, I had to sleep on it.
Having slept on this film, I have developed a different conclusion than my initial one. This film is an interesting allegory of the struggle of mankind vis-a-vis the struggle between God and good and Satan and evil. John Constantine, in many ways, represents many of us, who have done ill, but rather than accept the unconditional love of God the Father through the salvation given by faith thru grace in the blood of Christ; we try to earn our way into heaven. Constantine does it by trying to exorcise demons and send them back to Hell. Some of us do it by charitable endeavors, others by volunteer work, and still other methods. If we are not doing it out of a heart of charity, we are doing it for ourselves. We may be trying to gain attention, or in the case of Constantine, to buy our way into Heaven. Only when we realize that through faith and self-sacrifice and in modelling ourselves after Christ can we gain entrance to the Kingdom.
However, I do have some criticisms.
First, I have seen enough of Keanu and "bullet-time." While I agree that Keanu really was the only person to play this sacreligous fighter of evil, I think it tells of how typecast and tired his roles have become. And, I have had it with bullet-time. It was a neat special effect when it was introduced, but for the love of all things Holy!--enough already! [There were "bullet time" sequences in the film? I don't remember any. - MATT] Even the best effects can be overused.
Also, some of the theology I disagree with vehemently. For one, it was not the spear of the centurion (The Spear of Destiny--which, DC Comics, it seems, seems to be obsessed with, as this weapon has appeared in the All-Star Squadron, the Spectre, and other mainstream DC titles) that killed Christ. It was the sin of the world--the sin of every human from beginning to end of time. The Spearing was used to fulfill the prophecy in the Old Testament that no bone of the Messiah would be broken, as the usual method for speeding up crucifixion, was to break the legs of the crucified. This is one bone of contention I have with the movie.
Another issue I have is the notion of our world merely being a gaming table between God and Satan, that they are merely wagering for the heck of it, and we are just pawns. That is a rather pessimistic view. I believe in something else. Also, I believe that God is living and active in the world, not just a passive observer. I think that Christ still reaches out, that it is not just half-breeds like Gabriel and Balthazar who merely speak into our ears. That is another bone of contention.
However, as I thought, this story does have a positive message. Constantine, for all his MANY faults, is seeking redemption, although he doesn't seem to quite get what he should be doing. This story speaks to humans struggling to get redemption in a world closer to hell than heaven, and Constantine realizes the truth of Gabriel's message to him from earlier in the movie. For all his bravado, Constantine eventually gets it.
This movie is an interesting look into alternative theology and the special effects were well done, even if they did overuse bullet time yet again. While I disagree with some of the theological leaps and the overall outlook of Christianity and spirituality it espouses, I do think that the overall message and theme of the movie is a good one. This movie is a nice action movie, and even if you don't delve into the deep thoughts of theology it espouses, the action and the story are quite entertaining.
However, let me say this: I am not so sure about the Holy Brass Knucklestm or the Mighty Cross Gun.tm
I give this film 3 mushroom clouds out of five. The story was an amalgamation, even though there are some interesting elements. However, Faust meets Dogma meets Matrix is just a little too much....
Matt's Chat
I found Constantine to be a thought-provoking theological thrill ride. For a movie based on a comic book, I found the plot to be sufficiently engaging and the subject matter quite clever and imaginitive.Technically speaking, the film was a bit dark for my tastes, but consider the subject matter... Some of the special effects (the angels wings, for example) looked like they were right out of Dogma though and I would have thought we'd have progressed a bit since then.
The casting was superb. I mean who else are you going to get to play Keanu Reeves, but Keanu Reeves. Rachel Weisz was a great choice...certainly was easier on the eyes than Carrie-Anne Moss' Trinity. Gavin Rossdale from the rock group Bush as Balthazar was surprisingly good and a pleasant surprise. Another notable supporting role for Djimon Hounsou, whom I first noticed in Lara Croft: The Cradle of Life.
The music, by Klaus Badelt of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl fame, and Bryan Tyler, was suitable and sufficient for the flick, but not overpowering.
Overall, I give the film a three and half mushroom clouds out of five.
Doug's Dialogue
Wow. Keaneau Reeves as a chain smoking exorcist caught between heaven and hell and fighting the nether realms here on earth. What a story!
Unfortunately, this is the same Hollywood style story line that we have been seeing for years. Classic struggle of good vs. evil where the hero has a flawed character and is able to redeem himself in the end. Not an original idea. Been there and done that many times. The only thing that make this story not necessarily original, but at least unique is they manner in which they portray the struggle of good vs. evil. By using demons and angels, the writers and producers have a least been able to find a small niche that hasn't been overly trod on in order to tell their story.
Keaneau plays John Constantine, an exorcist that heaven doesn't want, hell can't have, and as a result he is left to struggle his way on earth. His character has many flaws, and as a result Constantine is left bitter and sarcastic towards life. In order to try and make some amends, he goes through life exorcising demons and sending them back to hell.
When the twin sister of a police detective (both played by Rachel Weisz) kills herself, Constantine find himself engulfed in a serious battle between the forces of heaven and hell. With the help of the police detective and some of his odd friends, he manages to foil the plot, save the day, and redeem himself. Not bad for a days work.
Keaneau does a great job playing Constantine. With his soft spoken manner and quiet demeanor, there is nobody else that I would rather have telling me that the world is about to end. Rachael does a good job with her part as well. I don't believe her as a police detective. Thankfully, the writers don't spend much time trying to convince us that she is. She is believable as a twin sister trying to come to grips with her sister's death. The supporting cast did well in their respective roles. I didn't like Peter Stormare as Satan. I am not sure how I would want Satan portrayed, but that definitely wasn't it.
As a Catholic, I am familiar with some of the stories that this movie is based on. This movie I felt did portray some of those stories very well. And while I dog this story for being something that we have seen over and over again, it is told very well. The special effects transitions were seamless, and I thought very believable in the context of the story. The special effects team is to be especially commended for their efforts to depict the demons and the shots of hell throughout the movie. Overall the special effects where excellent and that is one of the redeeming qualities of the film.
Where the film detracts (aside from the storyline) is in how much they borrowed from other films. There are way to many references and inferences to the Matrix trilogy. We have seen Keaneau play Neo and know that he can do it well. We don't need to see it in this film as well. While I will agree with Matt and Mark that there may have been some references from Dogma (Kevin Smith), I don't think that this film takes as much from Dogma as they would lead you to believe. Just my thought.
Overall a decent film. I would have originally given two mushroom clouds to this film, but the well told story and the special effects help to boost it and have me give this film three mushroom clouds out of five.
Obligatory Star Trek References
I found a couple, actually.April Grace, who plays Dr. Leslie Archer, was a transporter chief (Maggie Hubbell) on TNG (5 episodes: "Reunion", "Future Imperfect", "Data's Day", "Galaxy's Child", and "The Perfect Mate") and got promoted to Ensign on DS9 (the series premiere, "Emissary").
Larry Ceder who plays "Vermin Man" also played "Tessic" in the Enterprise episode "Marauders". He played "Tersa" in the Voyager episode "Alliances". And he played "Nydrom" in the DS9 episode "Armageddon Game". (Original Battlestar Galactica fans may want to know that he was "Cadet Shields" in the episode "Gun on Ice Planet Zero")
Composer Bryan Tyler wrote some music for 2 episodes of Enterprise (2003 season).
