The Unseen Movie Review

Constantine

This is certainly not a regular comic book superhero movie. How often have you seen Superman lurk around in the shadows, battling demons and angels and trying to con the devil himself? How often have you seen such a movie in which the superhero in question not only refrains from wearing a garish costume, but is also dying of lung cancer brought about from his addiction to cigarettes?

John Constantine is a kind of self-centred freelance occult investigator, following his instincts and putting his magical powers to good use while battling some fairly impressive special effects (provided courtesy of the guy behind the effects on the X-Men movies). Teaming up with Rachel Weisz’s police detective, investigating the apparent suicide of her sister, he uncovers something somewhat more sinister beneath the surface. Cue appearances from voodoo DJs, transgender angels and even Satan himself in a beautifully-shot and skilfully-directed piece of darkly noirish sci-fi.

For those who have read any of the superb comic book series, Hellblazer, on which this film is based, the casting of Keanu Reeves as Constantine initially seems a travesty. Constantine is a sorcerer versed in the dark arts, a devious and practically amoral character who antagonises the forces of good as much as those of evil in the twisted underbelly of society which he inhabits. All this more or less remains in the film adaptation. But – shock horror – in the comic, Constantine was blond and Liverpudlian, but in the film he’s got dark hair and is American! Oh no!

The comic’s fans do, however, have a point – albeit one which misses the fundamental difference between comics and film. Constantine’s adventures on the page were far more philosophically complex and psychologically dark than those on display here, certainly. And in the comics Constantine’s companion, Chas, is a middle aged cockney taxi driver, not a young black street kid.

But what this neglects to acknowledge is that the comic book character has been around for over twenty years, allowing for a huge amount of character development and a vast array of plots - whereas this film lasts but two hours. It would be impossible to distil twenty years worth of anything into just two hours without losing something, but in the filmmakers’ defence they have chosen to adapt some of the very best storylines of that twenty year run.

For those fans who can get over the idea that their hero is no longer blond or British, the essence of the comic remains. Keanu is, amazingly, a good Constantine. He maintains precisely the right level of dark, tortured brooding, contempt for the world that has given him such a raw deal, and yet simultaneously the sense of underlying decency which always appealed the most to fans of the comics. He is an ideal film antihero – one part Humphrey Bogart, one part Clint Eastwood – and although the film may not quite be enough to blow you away, the concepts are intriguing and it looks fantastic. And in any case, once you’ve seen it you can pop to your local bookstore and catch up on twenty years’ worth of Constantine’s more complex adventures.

posted by Nosemonkey @ 12:00 AM