कोंस्टेनटाइन

Despite what people say this film is actually quite good. Sure it had some flaws and the story kind of dragged on but the effects were very good and the acting (which is pretty amazing) didn't suck. Keanu wasn't as bad as he usually is and Rachel Weisz does a very good job with what I think is a well written part. The must annoying actor in the film is in my opinion not Keanu but Tilda Swinton. The actor who I felt brought most passion and enthusiasm to his role was Peter Stormare who obviously enjoyed playing Satan and the scenes with him are admittedly some of the most interesting in the film and even though he is only on screen for something like 5 - 10 minutes he should almost be credited as a main character thats how good he is.

Now story wise the film had some issues but they weren't as serious as many people claim they are. As I stated previously the film does drag a little and it does take a long time for the film to actually reveal its point but its the little things that are really interesting. The exorcism scene is very well done and the effects are generally very well made. Effects doesn't make a film, however, and in spite of the issues the film actually succeeds in telling the story it wants to and the ending is indeed a climax.

I haven't read the comics so I didn't really have any expectations when I saw the film. I have heard that the avid fans of the comic books complained that Keanu Reeves doesn't fit the role. That might be true but to me he really didn't seem that bad. He still has a very clear well defined body language which I feel makes up for his monotonous voice (at least to some degree). I went in to the cinema and saw the film with an open mind which is what I advise future viewers to do and not rely too heavily on what the critics say.

All in all an excellent film

8/10

In my view an underrated and over-criticized movie - Constantine got nice visuals, an interesting story and some good acting. No masterpiece and not Mr. Reeves best movie but a solid piece of horror if you like to watch movies with demons and exorcism and some good ol' action. Thumbs up.

The movie deals about John Constantine (Keanu Reeves) , a tough detective in charge of exorcisms and throwing out supernatural beings and bizarre creatures toward hell , employing only as weapons a shot-cross and holy water . He has ability to go and back from inferno . He is helped by a sympathetic apprentice (Shia LaBeouf). Constantine teams up with a gorgeous policewoman called Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz) to resolve the rare suicide of her twin sister (also interpreted by the same). They try to investigate the deeds at whatever risk . In the beginning , skeptical Angela doubts on the mysterious events are happening but she is caught up by ominous demon . Both protagonists will confront against forces of evil , the devil , Balthazar and underlings (Peter Stormare , Gavin Rassdale) . It's a horrible struggle between Angels- Gabriel (Tilda Swinton)- and demons developed in contemporary city Los Angeles .

From the start to the finish the action-packed and suspense is unstopped . The movie is spectacular and exciting and the supernatural plot is narrated in stimulating and moving manner . The film is plenty of tension , thriller , terror , grisly murders and is developed in fast moving and for that reason results to be entertaining . Picture has a plethora of special effects created by computer generator describing catastrophic series of of otherworldly happenings and weird entities ; they are realized by the master Stan Winston for animatronics effects and for the make-up ; besides the visual effects are created by Phil Tippet (Starship Troopers and Jurassic Park) . Colorful and sensational cinematography by the French Philippe Rousselot . Exceptional as well as lively musical score by two excellent musicians : Klaus Badelt and Brian Tyler . Motion picture was well directed by Francis Lawrence . The flick will appeal to Keanu Reeves fans and fantastic thriller enthusiasts.

John Constantine (Keanu Reeves) can see things, you know. Demons, angels, stuff like that. Oddly enough, though, people believe he can - mostly because he moonlights as an exorcist, trapping demons - who shall not stay in his plane! - in mirrors and smashing them to teeny bits. World weary and constantly sucking on a coffin nail, Constantine is beleaguered and burned out, a noir detective for the afterlife, if you will. But he's alive; he's just cursed with the gift of seeing demons and angels. And he's a suicide, having been clinically dead for two minutes once upon a time, a time during which he literally saw Hell.

Cop Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz) just lost her sister, a patient who jumped off the top of a mental hospital; Angela thinks her sister also Saw Something, and so she goes to John for help. Did Isabel know something? Where is she now? Can Angela see, too? Well, she can, actually, because Isabel was her twin sister, and as we all know twins share everything. So, using Angela, Constantine learns that the Bad Guys (demons), who are supposed to stay in Hell, have been crossing over to the plane of the living, presumably to raise hell. But Constnatine knows there's something else afoot, something only witchcraft, voodoo, and other otherworldly things can uncover.

If there was ever a role that the adult Reeves was born to play (besides that of Neo), it's that of John Constantine. Constantine wanders hither and yon, doing good deeds and helping with crimes involving the occult, and so forth, all with a resigned and - pardon another pun - rather soulless attitude. Constantine knows he's doomed to a lifetime of doing this, partly because he tried to kill himself and partly because he has The Gift. It's this kind of dispassionate nihilism that plays perfectly to Reeves' own dull, emotionless acting range. He's perfect for the role, based on a comic book called Hellblazer.

Weisz is pretty good - believable, at least - as the clumsily named Angela, but the real standout among the supporting cast is Peter Stormare as Satan himself. Incredibly creepy; he looks like a kindergarten teacher but behaves like a pedophile. The hair on the back of your neck will rise when Stormare enters the picture about three-fourths through.

Two other things the movie has going for it are a rather simplistic plot and some fantastic special effects (for example, a demon made up of bugs). Movies based on comic books tend to overburden themselves and the viewer with far too many plot twists. It's not tough - you have a good guy, you have a bad guy, and the first must defeat the second. Throw in some ethical and moral conflicts, give the good guy a power of sorts, and you're off and running. Constantine does this pretty well.

The atmosphere of the film is riveting as well, with effects special and otherwise transporting the viewer to Right There, whether it's a voodoo bar, Hell, or the mean streets of the city.

If you watch the movie with the idea that it's a filmed comic book, you shouldn't be dissatisfied with the result. John Constantine lives in a world in which he sees unspeakable evil on a daily basis, and he himself has literally been to Hell and back on more than one occasion. His lot is to suffer for his sin; can he find redemption in a cutie named Angela?

I've seen Constantine three times and I enjoy it more each time I watch it! It is truly well-done and extremely entertaining, and I can guarantee that if you like horror, suspense and/or fantasy you will love this movie! Keanu Reeves plays a very cool Constantine, who is a modern-day exorcist but most certainly not to be confused with a priest, as he has his issues and a burden of sins from his past that he carries with him. Constantine is a very realistic and human hero who is devoid of superpowers but has all the cool gadgets and the kick-ass attitude needed to survive in a world slowly being invaded by demons and scheming angels. He meets Angela (Rachel Wiesz) after she loses her sister, Isabel to the forces of evil. She comes to Constantine in search of an answer on where Isabel has ended up following her apparent suicide. Constantine journeys to other realms/dimensions in an attempt to get those answers, even paying a couple of visits to hell. Needless to say, with such a plot the special effects, acting, sets, script and even wardrobe have to be carefully conceived and executed to make it believable, and they are... in spades.

Constantine achieves what all great movies always do: it takes you into another world that makes you forget everything about your own world the whole time you are watching it. And really, in the end, isn't that what great cinema is all about?