Martybear (Constantine)
Constantine
Directed by Francis Lawrence
Screenplay by Kevin Brodbin and Frank A. Cappelo
Based on a graphic novel by Jamie Delano and Garth Ennis
What would you do if you could see what human being’s aren’t meant to see? What would you do if nobody believed you? Who would you be if you, alone, decided to do something about it?
You’d be John Constantine.
You would have an enjoyable movie based on your deeds.
You would be played by a bad actor who makes lots of money and looks nothing like you. Ok, I’m not a fan of Keanu Reeves. I’ll be the first to admit it. I think he’s marginally talented at best, and his only marketable skills are 1) a decently pretty face, and 2) a mild resistance to aging. Try though he may have, he still couldn’t ruin this movie for me. And I really tried to hate him as Constantine from the moment I heard he was cast. Every single line that comes out of his mouth is as flat as a rediscovered bottle of last years cola, and I think I have figured out why.
Reeves body never seems to match his voice in any role he plays. There’s a stiffness to him, a way of moving that seems out-of-synch with his words. He seems rigid, mechanical, rehearsed. It’s a quality that doesn’t lend itself well to film. With John Constantine, on the other hand, he’s playing someone who’s just going through the motions. Constantine knows his destiny and is just playing along without passion or interest. In this capacity, Reeves stiffness works just fine. Matching an actor to a role, what a novel concept!
What one statistical inevitability giveth, another statistical inevitability taketh away. Rachel Weisz, playing the dual roles of Angela and Isabel Dodson who usually brings a classy sort of beauty into a film, just bogged the whole thing down. I don’t know if it was poor directing or what, but her American accent in Constantine (a movie about English characters in the first place!) is monotonous, and she seems to be having a lot of difficulty chewing out her lines. She seems just as flat as Reeves, but for her it doesn’t work.
So, getting to the film itself!
What we have here is basically a Christian morality play. We play up the virtue of misery and sacrifice, while noting that anyone with any degree of material wealth is corrupt and untrustworthy. People with passions greater than their love of the Lord will find themselves dead, killed by the very thing they so blasphemously dared to love. Of course, there’s always Jesus, who comes to us dressed like John Constantine, to redeem us of our evil ways by giving up his life for us.
That’s not what the movie is about, per se, but watch it closely and you’ll see that this message is hidden right beneath the surface in none-too-subtle a fashion. Even still, I won’t go so far as to pan it for being just another piece of Hollywood propaganda. There’s actually a plot.
It’s about the anti-christ.
…
Why don’t I hate this movie?!
It’s decent. It’s well done. The directing is a little corny, and the angels & demons content is a touch hackneyed. Nothing about it is particularly inspired or inspiring. On the bright side, the visuals are very interesting, the action and suspense keep a respectable pace going, and the score is really enjoyable. All things being equal, this is a movie you can watch and enjoy as long as your expectations aren’t too high.
Review by Martybear