Constantine (2005)

142 out of 152 people found the following review helpful:

Grrr

A Customer from London, 11th October, 2007

This was so incredibly dire that it actually made me angry. Everything about it was poorly conceived and badly executed. What annoys me most is that, at some stage during the making of this film, the producer would undoubtely have realised that he was cobbling together one of the biggest stains ever to have been wiped on Hollywood's already dubious history, yet made the ill-advised decision to finish and release it anyway. I can only imagine that the people who gave this tosh a positive review were paid to do so.

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60 out of 67 people found the following review helpful:

Don't expect rocket science

Benjani from , 26th March, 2005

This is a film that really surprised me considering i believe Mr. Reeves acts as well as a strip of mahogany and the plot had holes like a garden sieve! However...I thoroughly enjoyed this no-brainer and maybe because i wasn't expecting much i was pleasantly surprised. Not sure who the actress was who played the asexual angel, Gabriel but she was one of the highlights for me. Also all the supporting cast had been selected for their roles pretty much perectly i would have said. Sure you could have picked some more well known faces but i think it is now a little cliched to have a famous actor as the devil...this guy did just fine, i mean how exactly are you supposed to act as the ultimae force of evil in the universe, eh? A couple of cheesy moments but this is based on a comic book isn't it so what were other reviewers expecting? A top Saturday night film i would say.

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60 out of 68 people found the following review helpful:

Not bad, but some wasted opportunities

NickAxford from from Sheffield, 4th April, 2005

First things first - the best thing about this film is the scenery & cinematography. That's not to say the rest of the film is bad, but it was beautifully shot. Particularly the hell scenes, but I spent as much time marvelling at the background as I did focusing on the leads.

So what about the rest of the film? A very interesting story. Constantine is a man destined for hell, and he knows this. No matter how much good he does, he cannot redeem his past mortal sin. Heaven doesn't want him. Cursed with the ability to see demons & angels in their human forms, he roams the earth, keeping balance between the two factions.

Sounds tempting? It should. This is a brilliant premise. One problem - your casting. Keanu Reeves just cannot act. And this is apparent here, especially when cast against the superb Rachel Weisz. He's wooden and spends a large amount of time looking confused. And sadly, he can't pull off the trick of making you forget that this is a film. I wasn't watching John Constantine, I was watching Keanu Reeves.

Despite this flaw though, this is a film worth watching. See it at least once, preferably at the cinema. And marvel at the backgrounds. Aaah...

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58 out of 62 people found the following review helpful:

Lots of effects but lacking in real substance

ChristineD from Bucks, 5th December, 2005

Disappointing. The story was very thin and although around biblical themes of hell with an appearence by a decidely feminine Angel Gabriel it was lacking in substance...no suspense either.

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Visually, it's sound...

OftenWill from , 26th August, 2010

I can see why Constantine made an eye-catching trailer, but I can also see exactly why it seems to have been forgotten since. Starting with the postives though, from a visual perspective, this is a VERY nice looking film throughout which impressive special effects and action sequences are thrown in wherever possible.Similarly, the film being set in between Earth and Hell similarly gives Francis Lawrence and his team chance to exhibit stunning landscaping abilities; in short, combine the *look* of this film with a more cohesive plot and more talented cast, and I felt they could really have had a masterpiece on their hands. Yet, obviously, this they did not do - and a good film cannot live by effects alone, the acting was considerably less than equal to them. I rarely hear a good word about Keanu Reeves, who took the main role, and while he could have been a lot worse... he could also have been a lot better. None of the cast appeared to offer a great deal by way of personality - with the noteable exception of Peter Stormare whose portrayal of Lucifer had a sinister edge almost reminiscent of Heath Ledger to it... As for the plot itself, I'm going to steal the phrase 'clichéd and religiously formulaic' from the first review I click on... it wasn't without its promise, there were, as I've mentioned, some great scenes and nice ideas there, but all in all, the picture, however nice to look at, fails to gel. If you want a film with religious themes with a star-studded cast and no intention to take itself seriously - exchange this one for Dogma. You're unlikely to regret it. But if special effects alone are enough to keep your attention, Constantine might just be for you.

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Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear......

Dropshort from , 1st August, 2010

I'm sure that the story looked great on paper, and worked a treat in the comics, but that is where, on this showing, it should have stayed. Would critics have been so sharp had it not been for the Matrix, we will never know. Personally, I thought that Keanu Reeves was going through the motions, and it's hard to feel much sympathy (or anything else for that matter) for his character. If you want to remember Reeves as an actor of any standing, or unless you're a close family member, I'd give this one a miss.

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ENGLISH TALENT + US CASH MACHINE = 0

Englishteacherguy from , 25th July, 2010

I went to see this at the cinema, being a fan (but sadly not a fanBOY) of Alan Moore and John Constantine. I felt that the best bits had been cut out to make a more mainstream and less imaginative product. Watched it on TV again last night, and I still can't find much to like. Shia LeBouf seems to be a touchstone for bad, but profitable, movies. All the mystery and subtlty of the character has been dumped, along with his English identity. Very like the more recent Solomon Kane, acting, irony, atmosphere and suspense are largely dumped in favour of gunplay. The uninspired director follows the traditional gun lobbyist's approach, in which all heroes have to go armed - in this case, with a HOLY shotgun. You can imagine how this got added into the script. Fundamentalist propaganda? Shurely not.

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1 out of 1 people found the following review helpful:

More than a little disapointing.

H0LLIE from , 24th July, 2010

Being something of a fair weather fan of the Hellblazer comic books I will keep my comparisons to a minimum. But some comparisons must be made, for instance - Keanu Reeves as the blond and Brittish John Constantine. Here keeping his natural black hair and American accent, therefore pretty much creating a brand new character. Nor does he seem to have John's foul mouth and bad attitude, but that may simply be that Reeves is as flat a performer as they come and cannot adequately portray any attitude at all. His closest friend Chas (the always annoying Shia LaBouf) is here reincarnated as an assistant, but I must confess to a bit of a memory gap regarding the story lines these characters shared in the books and I will make no further comment about it. Rachel Weisz offers a dull performance and a bad American accent, it's strange that I should like her when using her native accent but otherwise I find her a bit irritating. The special effects are questionable at times and the general storyline isn't really very origional. But as a peice of throw away entertainment this has minimal value. If done correctly this could have been a great film, as it is it's a huge disapointment. I'm afraid I can not bring myself to recommend this to anyone.

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