Constantine

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.

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?

Funny enough watching another really original film brought me here. I was telling someone about it and they said oh you have to watch Constantine, The prophecy, and Devil's Advocate.

Loved The Harbinger and now love all Four of these! This movie has a great ambience and darkness without being a pure jump scare movie. I love the overall mood.

I've seen enough devil movies to know that a lot of them are not very original but these 4 are.

Won't give spoilers, but love the endings to all of them. The Harbinger and The Prophecy have a native American element which I thought was cool, but these two Constantine and Devil's Advocate still have master storytelling and a much higher production value than The Harbinger. Devils Advocate is slightly ahead of Constantine for me. But Thumbs up on Constantine and fun watch!

A one of kind movie that sticks with you, it's unique and striking. The characters are so well cast and well acted, their chemistry drives this movie. The cinematography is perfectly dark and haunting and the effects/CGI still hold up. Constantine is just a cool dark movie that fits a niche religious/demonic genre.

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.