Constantine -- Thoughts, Reviews and Spoilers [Archive]

mattbib

02-18-2005, 02:07 PM

I'm NOT familiar with the Constantine character in comics, other some occasional appearances in the Books of Magik titles, so I'm not going to judge this film's quality on comparisons to the comic or how good an adaptation it is.

I just got back from seeing the film and have to say I'm thoroughly impressed. I'm not a Keanu fan by any means, but I have to say he pulled off the character quite well in the film. It was faster-paced than I thought it would be, though it is pretty long. Some of the charactaers seem superfluous, for instance Shila LeBeouf as Chas, but he really adds some much needed humor as the POV character. And Rachel Weisz is always great, but does a convincing job here as a shadowy psychic detective. Also, Peter Stormare was possibly my favorite actir in the film, as Satan, though the charater seemed a little over the top. Also, Tilda Swinton as Gabriel was quite good...kind of flaky and surreal.

The visuals were good in the film as well...the portrayal of hell was very eerie and depressing, if not horrific.

Overall a good fantasy/suspense/drama. But if all you're intending to do is pick apart differences between the film and the comic you're probably better off waiting to rent it.

MrHymes01

02-18-2005, 02:10 PM

Okay... i just finshed seeing it...

VERY good adaptation!!!

As usual, they tool some [a lot] of liberties, but they truly did an EXCELLENT job with the story...

IF this does well, this bodes to be a VERY good series of flicks.... if they so choose to do so...

yeah... TWO THUMBS UP

Royal

02-18-2005, 02:25 PM

So I temporaraly forgot all I knew and went to see this thing.

My god, what a headache it was. Too much love with the CGI. It also covered up how paint by numbers the plot was. Things given importance was background in the second reel.

IamtheRock3

02-18-2005, 03:44 PM

Note some spoilers..sense I dont know how to do black text

thought it was kind of slow, I was expecting it to have a lot more action scenes from the preview. Basicly the shot gun scenes..I thought it have stuff like that through most of the movies. So going in thinking that I didn't get that much out of it. Like for instance the beginning when the car hit the guy I was like cool..this movie going to be CRAAAAAAAAAAZY. But nope. If I went in for what it was I may of liked it before. Plus I had a massive headace

Didnt care about the brit stuff sense I am not THAT huge a fan of the comic. So it was ok. when he gave satan the finger was funny. For the people who said their upset John want to be in heaven..think it more he DOESNT want to be in Hell. I mean he dislike both angels and demons but hey if has to choose...thier a lesser evil. Everything he did through most of the movie was for selfish reasons. So dont worry guys he still a doucebag.

Some of the lines of Johns was very cheesy..let didnt add the making fun of itself wink you need for super cheey lines constantine makes

Chuckg

02-18-2005, 04:34 PM

I thought the movie rocked on every level.

Chuckg

02-18-2005, 04:36 PM

I went into this movie only because a friend dragged me almost by force, and with every expectation of undergoing a horrible time.

Well, I was wrong.

This movie fucking rocked. No, they did change some of the backstory of John Constantine, and the nationality, and there's no accent. But the essence? Oh, the *essence* of John Constantine was right there, in almost every line.

The first hour spends almost no time making sense. Then the second hour puts together all of the scattered, apparently non-sensical pieces as actually being all part of a larger plan.

Oh, and "In Nomine" fans? There's lots of stuff in this movie just for you.

PS -- If you go to see it for no other reason, then go see it to watch the only man in the universe whose last dying act would be to flip Lucifer the rigid digit of scorn. :D

Glaucon

02-18-2005, 04:36 PM

The first thing us fans of John have to get over is the story not taking place in London, second him not being English, and finally, him not having blonde hair.
After finally coming to terms with this heresy, I have to say that I enjoyed it. I think Reeves did a fine job capturing John, and I am not a fan of Reeves.
I had a problem with the age of Chas, but it made sense for the story to have him younger than John.
The ending will probably have all fans up in arms but I suppose I can get over the gross misrepresentation of character.
I have to admit, I did enjoy it more than I would have thought. Easily one of the better DC movies.

lonewolf23k

02-18-2005, 04:46 PM

Wow.. There goes my paradigm shifting without a clutch.. Imagine Keanu Reeves being in another movie I might enjoy...

yeoman

02-18-2005, 04:54 PM

Wow.. There goes my paradigm shifting without a clutch.. Imagine Keanu Reeves being in another movie I might enjoy...

I don't know, "Much Ado About Nothing,"* "The Matrix," "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure," all fine films.

*Granted, it's not a huge part, and it's not like he does an excellent job, but he is in it.

lonewolf23k

02-18-2005, 04:59 PM

I don't know, "Much Ado About Nothing,"* "The Matrix," "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure," all fine films.

*Granted, it's not a huge part, and it's not like he does an excellent job, but he is in it.

Oh, agreed. Although I enjoy the entire Matrix trilogy*

*I know, I KNOW, that I'm pretty much the only fan of the sequals here. Let's not start whipping that dead horse again, please. :rolleyes:

yeoman

02-18-2005, 05:01 PM

Oh, agreed. Although I enjoy the entire Matrix trilogy*

*I know, I KNOW, that I'm pretty much the only fan of the sequals here. Let's not start whipping that dead horse again, please. :rolleyes:

Actually, I like the third one. Granted, I like it as a fairbly mindless action movie, but the fight at the docks and Superman vs. Zod... uh, I mean, Neo vs. Smith at the end were cool.

The second one was unmitigated ****.

ChaosBurnFlame

02-18-2005, 05:23 PM

Wow.. There goes my paradigm shifting without a clutch.. Imagine Keanu Reeves being in another movie I might enjoy...

There is but one word for your reaction:

"Whoa!"

Donald Stone

02-18-2005, 05:27 PM

, but the fight at the docks and Superman vs. Zod... uh, I mean, Neo vs. Smith at the end were cool.Hell, I'd almost support remaking Superman II if they could make the fights with ZOd and company look that good.

Almost.

Anyway, I was determined to avoid this movie but I've heard to many good things so now I have to go see it.

The MunchKING

02-18-2005, 05:30 PM

I don't know, "Much Ado About Nothing,"*

*Granted, it's not a huge part, and it's not like he does an excellent job, but he is in it.
He was in "Much ado about Nothing"?? Wow... Keanu's a Shake-SPEAReian ac-Tor...

mattbib

02-18-2005, 06:53 PM

Oh! Did anyone else notice that when Hennessy was looking at Isabel Dodson's corpse in the morgue that the number on her toe-tag was 616? Possibly a jab at Marvel?

the Monitor

02-18-2005, 07:07 PM

Oh! Did anyone else notice that when Hennessy was looking at Isabel Dodson's corpse in the morgue that the number on her toe-tag was 616? Possibly a jab at Marvel?

Haven't followed a Marvel book in years (other than reading the first Ultimates trade), but I've seen the regular Marvel Universe referred to as the 616 universe. What does that mean?

Royal

02-18-2005, 07:10 PM

Oh! Did anyone else notice that when Hennessy was looking at Isabel Dodson's corpse in the morgue that the number on her toe-tag was 616? Possibly a jab at Marvel?

Capullo's not that witty.

Jim Hall

02-18-2005, 07:22 PM

Oh! Did anyone else notice that when Hennessy was looking at Isabel Dodson's corpse in the morgue that the number on her toe-tag was 616? Possibly a jab at Marvel?

Nope, not a jab at Marvel, but a theological in-joke. You see, there is some controversy as to the actual number of the Beast named in Revelation. It has customarily been noted as 666, but some scholars think this is a mis-translation and the actual number is 616. It all has to do with the way letters served double duty as numbers before we adopted the arabic system.

I wonder if Alan Moore was taking at jab at Marvel Comics when he came up with the "616" classification.

Celisasu

02-18-2005, 07:46 PM

I've seen the last 20 minutes of the movie(where the flipping off Lucifer scene is). I got to love my job. So many movies ruined due to me seeing those last 20 minutes. ;)

Michael P

02-18-2005, 07:49 PM

He was in "Much ado about Nothing"?? Wow... Keanu's a Shake-SPEAReian ac-Tor...
He was the villain, actually. Utterly ludicrous performance, but it added a level of enjoyment to the film in an MST3K kind of way.

Captain Sarcasm

02-18-2005, 07:50 PM

He was in "Much ado about Nothing"?? Wow... Keanu's a Shake-SPEAReian ac-Tor...

Yeah, barely. He played Don John, the Evil Bastard.

Literally, his entire character is "I'm Evil," and "I'm an Illegitimate Son."

Draconomicon

02-18-2005, 07:52 PM

He was in "Much ado about Nothing"?? Wow... Keanu's a Shake-SPEAReian ac-Tor...
To say his performance was wooden would be an insult to wood.

Michael P

02-18-2005, 07:52 PM

Yeah, barely. He played Don John, the Evil Bastard.

Literally, his entire character is "I'm Evil," and "I'm an Illegitimate Son."
What's really funny is, his half-brother, the legitimate son, was played by Denzel Washington.

Radical

02-18-2005, 07:52 PM

Actually, I like the third one. Granted, I like it as a fairbly mindless action movie, but the fight at the docks and Superman vs. Zod... uh, I mean, Neo vs. Smith at the end were cool.

The whole trilogy seemed to me like a kung fu movie with science-fiction trappings, what with everyone going on about destiny and truth...

Captain Sarcasm

02-18-2005, 07:55 PM

What's really funny is, his half-brother, the legitimate son, was played by Denzel Washington.

...yeah...that actually makes the plot seem like it makes sense.

Man of Letters

02-18-2005, 08:51 PM

I'm absolutely in love with this movie.

At my movie theatre they post Roger Ebert's reviews of blockbuster movies on the counter. I tried really hard not too look, but I did and I saw he gave it 1 and a half stars. Now, I don't have much faith in Ebert anymore, but a shred of doubt always enters your mind when you see a movie score that low. But I'd wanted damned long for this movie and was seeing it regardless.

Honestly, for like the first fifteen minutes I thought Ebert was right. The story seemed broken and jumbled, like it wasn't going to have a clear sense of direction. And since I've seen other movies start that way, and eventually end that way (often bad), I started to question Constantine. But listen to me - don't doubt this movie. The story is absolutely amazing. It brilliantly pulls together subplots, character development, entertaining fights and special effects -- everything.

The movie also does a great job immersing you into Constantine's world. It feels real and alive. Or in other words, the believability factor is really high here. And I just love how the movie keeps bringing up new and interesting ideas for your mind to work with. It doesn't leave you feeling empty like you haven't seen or learned enough. You get so much content in that small two hours it's amazing.

Furthermore, the actors all did a great job as well. I thought Keanu delivered a couple flat lines, but not enough to distract me from the movie. His portrayal of Constantine was freakin' amazing though. He earned the title of hardass without over the top stupid stunts filled with crappy CG and bad, choppy cuts. Plus Constantine's demeanor is just intriguing. I got really interested in his character throughout the flick. He's deep and complex. Nicely done on Keanu's part. Furthermore, Keanu and Rachel Weisz play off each other well. A great screen pairing if you ask me.

Overall I got nothing but good things to say about Constantine. Granted there are a few bad spots, but that goes for every comic book movie I've seen. The story's deeper than just "heaven vs hell" or "good vs evil." ALL the characters are well acted and properly developed. And while the action is sparse, it's great to see characters win using their mind instead of just their physical might.

Constantine isn't perfect.... but it's definitely my favorite comic book movie ever. Gotta see it again tomorrow. I also fear I could never like the comic version of Constantine. I like Keanu's portrayal too much. :)

KenK

02-18-2005, 10:14 PM

I thought the movie moved just a bit too slow. I liked it for its moments, but it was hard to like it as a whole. I'll agree with those who thought the very ending was just a bit stupid. Think about it. . . .

SPOILERS. . . . .

I think fans and non-fans would have been more pleased to see him light up another cigarette, as opposed to implying that he's quit smoking, after Lucifer saved him from cancer. I did like the fact that he saved him, only to give him a second change to screw up and go to hell. Him smoking at the end would have been a nice "fuck you" to God for not stopping Lucifer from bringing him back to life. I did love how he punched out Gabriel! Hitting a defenseless woman, GOOD Constantine! I really liked Papa Midnight. Djhimon Honsou was great! The film definitely had its moments. Especially Gavin Rossdale. He was actually quite creepy as Baltsazar. And Peter Stormare as Lucifer, that's just fantastic.

Nikita

02-18-2005, 10:50 PM

I just got back from seeing it. VERY GOOD! I loved it. Keanu can walk a fine line sometimes if he goes over the top and overacts. He can ruin parts for himself and look silly if he tries too hard. But in this, movie, he stayed more toned down and that always works well for him. He was great. And Rachel Weis was excellent.

I've never read Hellblazer so I have no idea if this movie was a good adaptation or not, but everyone else on here seems to be giving it the thumbs up so it must not be too far off. And of course, the trailer for Batman Begins was before the movie so I'm excited about that. (Christian Bale rocks)

I will definitely be adding Constantine to my DVD wish list.

Nate Grey

02-18-2005, 10:50 PM

Loved this movie. Every bit of it. Can't wait for the sequel.

"That's called pain." Loved it!

Ramz

02-19-2005, 01:08 AM

Never read the comics, thought themovie was pretty good.

Popa midnight ruled all

Indigo Al

02-19-2005, 07:02 AM

What I love is how certain snarky reviewers are trying to compare it to truly murky and badly made theological thrillers like Bless the Child, Lost Souls or The Order. Constantine was 100% better than those films.

Asmith

02-19-2005, 07:29 AM

I'm NOT familiar with the Constantine character in comics...

...I'm not a Keanu fan by any means, but I have to say he pulled off the character quite well in the film.

I'm not sure how those two sentences from your original post make any sense in the same post?

If you're not familiar with the Constantine character then just how can you have an opinion on how well Keanu 'pulled off the character' in the film??

Metaphysician

02-19-2005, 08:13 AM

I saw part of Much Ado.

. . .if I were him, I wouldn't put that on his credentials. . .

Ramz

02-19-2005, 09:37 AM

Ok... is this thread about Constantine, or Keanu's movie back ground here??

Anyway, I enjoy Constantine, it was fun... sometimes Keanu spooooooke reeeeallly slooooow liiike for some reason, maybe thats how comic constantine gets down, I dont know, it was kinda weird though.

My favs were Chas and Popa Midnite.

*spoilers*

Too bad Chas dies in the end, I just kept enjoying him more and more.

srankmissingnin

02-19-2005, 10:41 AM

Keanu Reeves has the worst fake cough; that's my only complaint about the movie. He must have had a hell of a time pretending to be sick as a kick...

Royal

02-19-2005, 10:55 AM

Indigo Al

02-19-2005, 11:12 AM

But that's what it was boiled down too. It was End of Days with a more aware protagonist.

End of Days was god-awful, tacky and simplistic. Even given the few similar plot points, at least Constantine was filmed with better effects and loads of elegant style.

Sir Christopher

02-19-2005, 11:15 AM

Keanu had a good turn as a villainish character in "The Gift", where he played a kind of backcountry hick with a thing against the main character. It was good precisely because he *didn't* try to do anything special -- saving us some godawful attempt at a Southern drawl, I suspect -- but just exhuded pure cruelty in every scene.

Comments to come, as I plan on seeing this Wednesday or so.

Jared_Humpherys

02-19-2005, 11:23 AM

I'm going to go see it soon with my buds. Because if our snide remarks can make the second Resident Evil movie a fun experience, there's no way I won't get my money's worth out of the movie in at least SOME fashion...

Oh, and I'm certainly in the minority here, but I really liked Keanu's pissed-off monologue in "Johnny Mneumonic" :

"I WANT ROOMSERVICE!"

:D

Raining Cats&Dogs

02-19-2005, 11:54 AM

So...I guess I have to be the one to disagree with everyone here...hooray.

I saw this movie last night, and I thought it was terrible. The attempt to make Constantine a badass failed. The attempt to make him an annoying little bitch suceeded. There is not one memorable or quotable line in the entire film.

The special effects are just terrible. The CGI is about on par with the Mummy from 1997. In one scene, you'd swear the crazy lady from Army of Darkness was making a cameo.

However, I could forgive all of this if the movie was at least exciting. It's not. It will put you into a coma.

Later on in the movie, when the deaths start piling up, you won't even care because the characters aren't interesting enough.

A warning to those of you thinking about seeing this movie: Go rent Spawn. Go rent Hellboy. Both of those movies deal with smartass action heroes and the Occult ten times better then this garbage.

P.S.: Because I never like to have a totally negative review, I will list a few positives(and note that they will contain minor spoilers).
-
-
-
-
-
I liked the scene with the priest in the store desperately trying to open the bottles. Also, was I the only one who thought Balthazar's "true face" looked like Swamp Thing's?

yeoman

02-19-2005, 11:56 AM

The special effects are just terrible. The CGI is about on par with the Mummy from 1997.

Bad special effects... The Mummy... Not seeing a connection here.

Raining Cats&Dogs

02-19-2005, 12:01 PM

The Mummy had good special effects...for 1997.

Then came The Matrix. And Harry Potter. And Lord of the Rings. And Spiderman 2. And...

To cut to the point, Constantine looks hopelessly outdated. We are now past the point in technology where I have to constantly suspend my disbelief to believe that a character is fighting something real, something with substance.

Even though the Mummy and Spawn were incredible in their time, I thought a movie made eight years lat might surpass it.

I was wrong.

yeoman

02-19-2005, 12:09 PM

ChaosBurnFlame

02-19-2005, 12:11 PM

ESB is still a fun movie and I never saw any glaring CGI scenes....

ROTJ has the glaring big black matte line.

yeoman

02-19-2005, 12:15 PM

ESB is still a fun movie

When did I say it wasn't? Empire is one of my favorite movies.

and I never saw any glaring CGI scenes....

That would be becuase there was no CGI in 1980. If you wanna know what I'm talking about, well, look at the scenes when they're on the back of Tauntauns or when Luke goes down that hole after losing his hand.

These are great effects for the time, but now hopelessly outdated.

OverMaster

02-19-2005, 12:17 PM

A warning to those of you thinking about seeing this movie: Go rent Spawn. Go rent Hellboy. Both of those movies deal with smartass action heroes and the Occult ten times better then this garbage.

Hellboy being better, I can buy it, but Spawn? That movie stunk with a capital S... Constantine would have to be too bad to be worse than it.

... Anyway, I'll give you my actual Constantine opinion when I see it...

Raining Cats&Dogs

02-19-2005, 12:20 PM

Spawn was better then Constantine in just about every possible. A more entertaining main character, a better villian, better special effects,a more interesting interpretation of Hell, a actual final battle....

The only thing Constantine had on Spawn was a better sidekick, and that was because they got the character on layaway from I,Robot.

Ramz

02-19-2005, 12:25 PM

I dont think spawn had better special effects.

mattbib

02-19-2005, 01:34 PM

I'm not sure how those two sentences from your original post make any sense in the same post?

If you're not familiar with the Constantine character then just how can you have an opinion on how well Keanu 'pulled off the character' in the film??Keanu pulls of the Constantine character presented in the film, as opposed to pulling off a comic character with whom I'm unfamiliar.

Arune Singh

02-19-2005, 01:42 PM

Keanu pulls of the Constantine character presented in the film, as opposed to pulling off a comic character with whom I'm unfamiliar.

From the sounds of it- I'm seeing the film tonight- I will love it except for the last scene with the gum. That is the moment, from what I know, that makes this a very different Constantine.

IamtheRock3

02-19-2005, 02:33 PM

from the messageboards I seen in general consensus is this

Big fan of the comic- hate it

People who havent seen the comic- Love it

People who read the comic but not huge fans either way- Think it Ok or split

Donald Stone

02-19-2005, 05:33 PM

Well, just got back from seeing it and I have to echo Chuck's statement. It was good, even if they made some changes, and it was still John Constantine on the screen. My favorite part, which isn't a spoiler, Papa Midnite blesses Chaz, and he turns to bless John who looks at him and says, 'Oh please!' before walking off.

I'd say it was worth my $6.

Chou Blaster

02-19-2005, 05:37 PM

Dimnar

02-19-2005, 05:53 PM

I went in expecting the movie to totally suck but found it decent, so I suppose that is a positive. However, decent is not exactly a high achievement.

As always, Keanu Reeves stilted acting annoyed me, but I went in expecting that. Unforunately, I wasn't impressed by the female lead either.

The CGI I generally found fine however.

FunkyGreenJerusalem

02-19-2005, 07:46 PM

The Real Nemo

02-19-2005, 08:08 PM

Yeah, barely. He played Don John, the Evil Bastard.

Literally, his entire character is "I'm Evil," and "I'm an Illegitimate Son."
Yeah his performance may not have been very good, but considering the character I'd say it worked...

olympichero62

02-19-2005, 09:31 PM

Actually, I like the third one. Granted, I like it as a fairbly mindless action movie, but the fight at the docks and Superman vs. Zod... uh, I mean, Neo vs. Smith at the end were cool.

You mean Goku vs. Vegeta :cool:

BlaqueBolt

02-19-2005, 09:43 PM

just got back from the movie, i was dragged to it. I need to go into every movie with the worst expectations, like i did for constantine. Constantine was actually pretty good and the extremely low expectation made it that much better.

Grant

02-19-2005, 10:32 PM

I liked it. I never read Hellblazer but I know the character from Sandman and Swamp Thing. There's a few ties to the original character like the smoking, general apathy and snarky sense of humour. But yeah it's something different. But entertaining. SPOILERS I liked the part where Keanu coughs on Rachel Weisz. And flips off Satan. Those seemed pretty close to the Constantine I remember

And Gavin Rossdale is pretty good in it. Not as insane over the top awesome like Tilda Swinton and Peter Stormore but I wish they had more of him in the movie.

My advice is if you see the movie forgot about the comic character.

Vaders shoeshine boy

02-19-2005, 11:12 PM

Wow.. There goes my paradigm shifting without a clutch.. Imagine Keanu Reeves being in another movie I might enjoy...

At one time,it was hard for me to imagine David Hasselhoff in another series I might enjoy...

Dark Monarch

02-20-2005, 05:05 AM

I was very impressed with the movie on every level! Reeves was very good as John Constantine.

I do have a question!

Why did he not just repent and and ask for Gods forgiveness?

SteelTownr

02-20-2005, 06:16 AM

I've read a couple of issues of Hellblazer and have enjoyed it but not enough to really be called an expert on it and certainly not enough to take any offense with the Libertiies the movie took with the Comic Book Story.

That being said, I loved it!

I was on the fence about whether or not to see it, but it got a good review in the local paper and I was able to talk my Wife into it. She likes creepy movies ans wasn't disappointed with Constantine.

Mark B.

Chou Blaster

02-20-2005, 07:31 AM

I was very impressed with the movie on every level! Reeves was very good as John Constantine.

I do have a question!

Why did he not just repent and and ask for Gods forgiveness?

Because God in the DC universe (So that makes him Constantine's God) is quite frankly, a dick.

Dark Monarch

02-20-2005, 08:35 AM

Because God in the DC universe (So that makes him Constantine's God) is quite frankly, a dick.

But he said himself to be forgiven all one had to do was repent and ask for god's forgiveness!

Hell he made it clear that if Bathazar where to truly repent and ask god's forgiveness than he would be welcomed into heaven.

Chou Blaster

02-20-2005, 08:39 AM

But he said himself to be forgiven all one had to do was repent and ask for god's forgiveness!

Hell he made it clear that if Bathazar where to truly repent and ask god's forgiveness than he would be welcomed into heaven.

But it is GOd's plan to have said guy killed in first place, and to allow lucifer to do whatever the Hell he wants to do.

(Sand Man books covers this topic, well.)

SUPERECWFAN1

02-20-2005, 06:52 PM

After the failures of Catwoman and Electra , Constantine took In $ 30.5 Million this week to fall to Will Smith In a close race!

The movie seems destined to break even on Its 100 Million budget. Overseas It rocked 11 million as well. Closing In on a 42 Million dollar take total! Hell yes.

Indigo Al

02-20-2005, 07:33 PM

But is it better than the ninth Gate or more importantly, Angel Heart?

Definitely not better than Angel Heart, which is an incredible film on every level. Ninth Gate is probably only slightly better than Constantine, but only because those few bits of ridiculous camp in the movie drag it down from its potential.

bert

02-20-2005, 09:12 PM

Not a fan of the comic -- tho I've read a few here and there. . .

LOVED the film.

Thought it dragged just a wee bit (didnt' really need all that "psychic twins" stuff), but overall. . . very, very good.

Saw it w/ two (non comic reading) friends, got a thumbs up from 1, and a "hmmmm. . .I was confused" from the other.

Sucker was showing on 4 screens tho, and the theatre was so packed, that the Ushers had to come in and ask everyone to shift over and leave the empty seats for the ends of the aisles.

bert

Steve

02-20-2005, 09:18 PM

I hope some of you stayed after the credits as there was a scene.

At least that's what I got from other posters on another forum I visit.

Expletive Deleted

02-20-2005, 09:38 PM

But he said himself to be forgiven all one had to do was repent and ask for god's forgiveness!John doesn't repent, though. And he's certainly not going to ask God for forgiveness.

That's sort of the point.

Alex

02-20-2005, 10:35 PM

Love the comic, liked the movie.
Wasn't anywhere near as different from the comic as i was lead to beleive, and a lot of changes i thought made sense.
Such as...me bemoaning the relevation that john had a female cop sidekick...that wasn't really the case.

Tages

02-21-2005, 01:46 AM

Sorry, the movie lost all right to be taken seriously with me the moment the phrase "screech beetles" was spoken.

Fabian

02-21-2005, 02:26 AM

I enjoyed the movie too. Really the only things i could complain about is that he's not British and it takes place in LA

JadeDragon

02-21-2005, 06:43 AM

I hope some of you stayed after the credits as there was a scene.

At least that's what I got from other posters on another forum I visit.

NOOOOOO! Crap! I didnt stay through the credits on this one. Damnit! What was the scene?

I loved the movie, so did my girlfriend...and she's a big fan of Prophecy movies and Ann Rice stuff, never read a Constantine comic. Maybe I could get her to now.

My only weeny meeny minor complaint was I kinda expected EVIL to put up a better fight at the end there. Not much to them that a "special" bullet couldnt put down, which made them seem like pretty normal folks to beat down (visually anyways). I guess I was sorta expecting a big final view of HELL and a malebolgia style badass devil or End of Days demon to cap off the movie.

But the more I think about it, it's kinda cool that the devil looked pretty much like a normal bloke. Smarmy and bad, reflecting the worst of humanity, evil taking human shape. Some cool matrix-style filming added a lot to the cinematography.

Great movie all around...definitely a DVD for the collection.

~~~JadeDragon

Sam

02-21-2005, 08:09 AM

I liked this movie quite a bit, once I accepted that it wasn't really an adaptation of the comic. As an adaptation of HELLBLAZER, it was terrible, and lost virtually every important thematic point of the story, including DANGEROUS HABITS, which it was nominally based on.

But as an unrelated Supernatural Film Noir, it was quite a fun movie.

(I didn't even mind the gum, as it actually worked pretty well as a sight gag. And it's somewhat fitting for the tone of the movie to have John -- having been cured of terminal cancer and freed from Hell -- sourly lamenting the fact that God's plan for him means he can't smoke anymore.)

Sam

02-21-2005, 08:17 AM

Why did he not just repent and and ask for Gods forgiveness?

Because it would have just been a selfish attempt to get into Heaven. That's what Gabriel explained to him at the beginning. The reason his decades of fighting evil didn't free him from Hell is that the whole time his whole reason for doing good was simply an attempt to buy himself into Heaven, which isn't what they're looking for.

The Constantine of the comics has a somewhat different reason for not repenting -- as far as he's concerned, God's just as big a prick as Satan. At some point someone suggests repentance as a way to avoid Hell, and John says God would just look down and say, "Right, pull the other one."

It does say something about the difference in tone between the two movies to look at how John escapes Hell in the movie and the comic. In the movie, John finally performs a genuinely selfless act and they let him into Heaven after all. In the book, he just double-crosses and outfoxes the Devil and the other Kings of Hell such that they have no choice but to cure him and keep him cured, gives them all the finger, and lights up a cigarette.

Rabid Trekkie

02-21-2005, 08:52 AM

Maybe I shouldn't ask this question (caused a problem on another board I was looking at) but is this movie offensive to christians? I'm not talking those who are too sensitive and probably formed a protest over it, but just some average guy who is christian and likes a good movie.

The reason I ask is because when I see it, I'll probably be with my dad and I don't want to hear a whole long rant.

Indigo Al

02-21-2005, 09:27 AM

Sam

02-21-2005, 12:41 PM

Given that Hellblazer the comic is VERY offensive to Christians, I thought this movie wasn't for the most part. It had a very straightforward Catholic viewpoint.

Constantine's own views would probably offend some Christians, of course. But then, he's going to Hell for them, so...

hugh45

02-21-2005, 02:23 PM

Jared

02-24-2005, 11:21 AM

(Spoilage)

Thumbs up for The Devil's Matrix.
It's kinda like a cross between the Prophecy (without Christopher Walken), and Angel the series, and some of the previousy mentioned supernatural noir movies. The whole cast was good, from Keanu to the guy from Bush.

Prior to seeing the movie, I'd read a review that said it "rips off the plot of a Chris Walken movie." I just took that to mean that Gabriel would be a villain. But the ending itself was very similar to the Prophecy. Lucifer shows up, smacks down Gabriel, thus saving the day. Viggo Mortensen made a better devil though.

I never read Hellblazer, or anything else with Constantine in it, except for the school-shooting issue that I don't think was published. So going in I had no real care as to how true to the source material it was. Though I am torn as to whether it would have been better if he'd lit a cigarrate at the end. The fact that from the the camera's POV, it appeared as if he was lighting up, actually made it a better gag when you see it's just gum. Had there not been any visual cue beforehand, I think cigarrates would have been more appropriate. Maybe if there's a sequel, John falling off the wagon could be a humorous subplot.

Leslie Lee III

02-24-2005, 01:06 PM

I thought it was really good. Had some problems, John got a little too touchy feely cuddly towards the end, but this IS Hollywood. The action felt a little ackward at times, but this was definitely a successful and interesting directing debut. Good film, can't wait for the DVD and the sequal!

kalorama

03-04-2005, 12:18 PM

Why did he not just repent and and ask for Gods forgiveness?

In order for God to forgive your sins and allow you into Heaven, the repentance has to be genuine. I suspect that deep in his heart Constantine wasn't really sorry about committing suicide. He's only sorry about ending up in Hell. He clearly wanted to be dead. And given how crappy his life appears to have been since the suicide, I can't see him having changed that stance.

SUPERECWFAN1

03-04-2005, 12:21 PM

I went and saw It and ..wow. It was just something as a film you walk away with and think how good It was. The scenes ....the arguement Constantine has with Gabriel about being allowed In Heaven after all the good he has done.

Its no wonder this has made over 100 Million Dollars In 2 weeks. If a sequel happens you gotta believe the Devil's itchin for payback! Plus who would have Imagined , Keanu Reeves would pull this off so well ?

kalorama

03-04-2005, 12:39 PM

But is it better than the ninth Gate or more importantly, Angel Heart?

I hated Angel Heart and didn't hate Constantine. So ... yeah.

GremlinClr

03-04-2005, 01:24 PM

But is it better than the ninth Gate or more importantly, Angel Heart?

I thought the Ninth Gate was great. But everyone has different tastes so...

Arvandor

03-19-2005, 09:50 AM

Just saw this.

Very good. A LOT better than I expected it to be, especially since I'm not too fond of the comics.

But this was decent. It had just the right mix of action and atmosphere. The performances were solid all round. I especially liked Rachel Weiz's shift from skeptic to horrified believer.

Enjoyed it a lot.

Plus who would have Imagined , Keanu Reeves would pull this off so well ?

Who knows. Maybe one day, people will actually be able to look past his pretty boy looks, and accept that Keanu is actually a very good actor.

GremlinClr

03-19-2005, 02:14 PM

Who knows. Maybe one day, people will actually be able to look past his pretty boy looks, and accept that Keanu is actually a very good actor.

Now that's just crazy talk. :D

meethraa

03-19-2005, 02:32 PM

I'm no different than most people here, I guess. Love the comic, don't think the movie is anywhere near it, but it was a fine movie on it's own.
Some things came out a bit silly, like the action with the crucifix-gun, but others were way cooler than I'd expect from the hollywood version.

I still say Roger Dodger had a better John Constantine, but this one was not bad. Not bad at all.

cactusmaac

03-26-2005, 03:20 AM

Saw this yesterday and really enjoyed it.

I've got a passing familiarity with the comics character and have read a number of the Ennis issues but wouldn't really call myself a fan.

I thought it was a superior action horror movie, far less stupid and contrived than I expected it to be. Keanu did pretty well in conveying the cynical, hardboiled and selfish aspects of Constantine and the support from the rest of the cast was fine too except for Weisz whose accent was quite shaky at times.

I'd definitely rank it above the first two Blade movies and Hellboy (which was very good to begin with but seriously lost its' way in the third act) but below the Crow.

Not a classic that would rank alongside the best comics adaptations but nowhere near the turkey fans have been dismissing this as for months.

And I'm in favour of the gum vs the cigarette in the end. It shows a little character progression and an awareness from Constantine that in the end he's responsible for his own actions and he shouldn't waste the chance he's got.