Constantine (2005)

I've said it before, but there's more to comic books than superheroes. Basically every genre you could think of is represented, with some publishers having their own studios and imprints dedicated to telling tales with characters that are decidedly not superheroes. One of the most popular of these is Vertigo, a DC Comics imprint launched in 1993 that focuses primarily — but not exclusively — on horror and fantasy stories intended for mature readers. The Vertigo line has published some of the industry's most acclaimed works, books like Neil Gaiman's Sandman, Brian Azzarello's 100 Bullets, Garth Ennis's Preacher, and Brian K. Vaughan's Y: The Last Man.

But Vertigo's flagship book has always been Hellblazer. The comic's protagonist, a cynical expert in the occult named John Constantine, was the creation of legendary comic writer Alan Moore and artists Stephen Bissette and John Totleben. Debuting in the pages of Saga of the Swamp Thing #37 in 1985, Constantine served as Swamp Thing's advisor in all things supernatural. He proved popular enough that the Hellblazer book was created in 1988 solely to give him a starring role. The book migrated from the DC banner to Vertigo upon the imprint's creation, and has remained in publication ever since.

While neither Hellblazer nor its protagonist have ever reached the same level of mainstream notoriety attained by DC's pantheon of superheroes, Constantine was eventually picked to be translated into a movie in 2005. Titled Constantine (presumably to avoid any potential confusion with Clive Barker's Hellraiser horror franchise), the movie hit theaters to mixed reviews and modest yet respectable box office grosses. And while it isn't a great movie, it isn't a bad one either.

John Constantine (Keanu Reeves) doesn't exactly have an enviable existence. He's a self-loathing pessimist who, since childhood, has been able to see the true forms of the supernatural entities that invisibly walk among us. The stress caused by this ability was enough to drive him to attempt suicide during his teenage years, something that ensured his soul has a one-way ticket to Hell when he dies. And since he's recently been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer thanks to a lifetime of heavy smoking, it appears as if Constantine is headed there sooner rather than later. To try to sway things in his favor and earn his way into Heaven, he has made a career out of performing exorcisms and destroying demons.

Constantine's adventures eventually lead him to Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz), a detective with the Los Angeles Police Department who is investigating the mysterious death of her twin sister. Angela was told that her sister jumped from the roof of a building, but she believes that she was thrown by malevolent forces instead. The details surrounding her demise draw Constantine's attention, with all the clues leading him to believe that it may be tied to a rise in demonic activity that could cause a dark shift in the balance between Heaven and Hell.

Constantine has gotten a bit of a bad rap over the years, due primarily to its casting choices and how far it strays from its Hellblazer roots. And when you compare the movie to the source material, yeah, it's a real letdown. But when judging Constantine on its own merits, I didn't think it was that bad. It definitely has its flaws, and never really gets above just being an "okay" movie. But I honestly didn't think it's the hot mess it's been thought of as.

The movie was directed by Francis Lawrence, who would later go on to make I Am Legend, Water For Elephants, and the upcoming sequel to The Hunger Games. But back in 2005, he was just a music video director who was making his feature film debut. His work on Constantine is decent enough, nothing groundbreaking, but nothing terrible either. He does have some slick cinematography to work with, and if anything, his work is consistent and confident. And that can really go along way sometimes.

Where the movie begins to falter, however, is the screenplay credited to Kevin Brodbin and Frank Cappello. While it draws inspiration from two Hellblazer story arcs, it ends up going off on its own path with characters that barely resemble their comic counterparts. Not only does the plot feel like it's borrowed liberally from the movie The Prophecy, but long gone is the smooth-talking conman from the comics. He's not the lovable rogue fans of the comics have come to love, but another random action hero that are a dime a dozen in movies like this.

The script probably would have been a lot better had it not been a Hellblazer adaptation. Change the names of some of the characters, and you're on your way to an "occult detective" movie that wouldn't have been too bad. But Brodbin and Cappello don't really do anything to bring the movie up above mediocrity. You get the feeling they were hired to just write a movie, quality be damned. Had they turned in something stronger, Constantine would have been great. We don't get that, though, and it's a damn shame.

Even the acting is mostly subpar. There are some good performances from supporting cast members ― I particularly liked Djimon Hounsou and Peter Stormare in their small roles ― while other actors contribute just enough to keep from really sucking. But the real actors worth talking about are the two leads, Keanu Revees and Rachel Weisz. Weisz is particularly unimpressive, like she couldn't be bothered to try half the time. She's just barely a few steps up from Kristen Stewart in the Twilight movies in terms of how little she brings to the movie.

But on the other hand, I liked Reeves a lot. Say what you will about his ability, but I thought Reeves was a total badass in this particular movie. He is miscast, yes, especially since the original John Constantine is a Brit who looks like Sting. But considering how far off the mark the writers were, one could barely say that Reeves is playing the comic book character in the first place. I thought he did an admirable job with what he was given, though, and I'll commend him for it.

In retrospect, it feels like they were trying to make another Blade, only replacing vampires with demons. And it's basically two hours of wasted potential, a movie that has a few good moments and elements but shoots itself in the foot at every available opportunity. A Hellblazer movie could be a great flick, but Constantine is not it. It's a watchable movie that's enjoyable to a degree, but it's a real letdown if you know even a little about the title character. I will give it two and a half stars and even though it doesn't even come close to living up to its potential, it's still worth a watch. Just don't be surprised if you come away hoping there'd have been more to it.

Final Rating: **½