From the onset, I really didn’t know what I was going to get out of “Constantine.” After all, it starred one of Hollywood’s most recognizable non-actors in a role that was taken from a comic book called “Hellblazer.” Here we have an almost immediate two strikes against the film. The first… Keanu Reeves, to whom the word ‘wooden’ is as accurate a description of his acting abilities as it is a description of the makeup of your average tree. Then you have him playing a character that has an enormous cult following, that he doesn’t fit physically in any way, causing said cult following to bellow to the rooftops that the film is an abomination to the original material no matter how good or bad the end product might be.

That said, I was a fan of the “Hellblazer” comic series and admittedly agreed that Reeves was wrong for the role of John Constantine. After all in the comics, Constantine was a tall blonde haired Brit. Reeves is neither blond nor British in the film. But while folks opted to berate the studio for making such a big casting mistake, I chose to hold my tongue until I could see the film for myself and see if there was really anything to complain about.

Last week, I took a look at Warner Brother’s DVD release (set to come out this week), and found myself drawn into the world that the film version of “Constantine” created. Did I have any complaints? Sure. But I’ll get to those later. Most of the story and history was pure “Hellblazer.” Here, John Constantine was still a mortal who has the ability to see demons, and so is called in for all manner of exorcisms. His abilities were brought on through most of the same ways the original character’s were (only I won’t get into them here to keep the review spoiler free) and he uses them as such.

He is contacted by police officer Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz), whose twin sister has seemingly committed suicide. Only Angela doesn’t believe it, and while watching some videotaped surveillance of the event, witnesses her sister saying Constantine’s name. John knows something is up between the forces of good and evil and eventually opts to help her. That’s when things get hairy. Basically, we end up with a plot to birth the son of the Devil into the real world so he can create a Hell on Earth. This is s no-no in John’s book and he sets out to stop him.

From start to finish, “Constantine” is a fun movie to watch. It’s not really scary per se, though there are some interesting visions of Hell that might be a bit visceral for younger audiences. The only problem I had with these visions is that they (and the creatures that inhabit them) are pretty much entirely CGI generated. Nothing against CGI as technical tool to enhance special effects, but when they are used to completely create a creature or environment I feel like I’m watching a cartoon instead of a movie. It takes me out of the ‘reality’ of the film. Here is no different. The creatures are certainly menacing, but you never really get the feeling they truly exist.

To be honest, that is my strongest nitpick about the film. Beyond that, I enjoyed far more than I ever expected to. And while Keanu Reeves was entirely wrong for the role of John Constantine as he is written in the comics, he did work fairly well for the character as he was re-created for the film. The key to fully enjoying “Constantine”, at least by fans of the original material, is to completely disassociate the two. Sure it would have been nice if the powers that be had decided to film a more faithful adaptation, but if that was not to be, then go with what you can get. By not comparing it to the comics, there’s still a pretty good film to be found.

As far as the special features go, you have a couple of choices. Warner Brothers is releasing 3 version of the movie out onto the DVD market. First you have the 2 single disc versions, which will be available in Widescreen and Full Screen (like anybody actually watches Full Screen…), then there is a double disc set, which also includes a mini “Hellblazer” comic reprint.

The first disc of the set has a commentary by director Francis Lawrence, producer Akiva Goldsman, and screenwriters Kevin Brodbin and Frank Cappello who spend as much time joking around as they do delivering useful information. This does make for a fairly listenable commentary, though. There is also a music video of the song “Passive” by A Perfect Circle. These extras are also available on the single disc releases.

If you get the double disc set, the second disc offers up a lot of background material. There is a featurette that shows how the filmmakers translated the spirit of the comic book to the big screen. Though I don’t really agree that they really succeeded, it is still an interesting watch. Then you’ll find a three part featurette that focuses on the Lawrence’s approach to directing, gives us a closer look at some of the cool props designed for the film, and shows us how one of the movie’s best special effects scenes was shot. This particular scene involved a car hitting someone who cannot be killed, and it is the single coolest scene in the movie.

Then there is another four part featurette that delves into the CGI animation I spoke of earlier. While I’m not as awed at the final product in terms of it looking ‘real’, the work is still quite impressive technically. To go along with this, there is an additional feature that offers a storyboard to screen comparison. You’ll also find a rather odd feature where Phil Cousineau, author of “The Hero’s Journey”, compares the main character to mythologist Joseph Campbell’s traditional hero. Finally, you can check out several deleted scenes, most of which were actually kind of interesting, though I can see why they were cut.

When a film like “Constantine” delivers some truly impressive visuals and sound, the transfer to DVD can often make or break the experience of watching it. Fortunately, Warner Brothers does a great job with the transfer here. We recently got our first big screen TV, and already had a fairly good sound system and I have no complaints here. A good portion of the film is filled with dark sequences and I never had any problems seeing what was supposed to be seen. And as far as surround sound, the separation was nicely produced and encompassed the room as it should.

There were a lot of naysayers shooting down “Constantine” when it first came out, and I’m sure there will be just as many once it hits DVD. But aside from some of its inherent weaknesses, it turned out to be a thoroughly enjoyable film for me (who was a fan of the comics) and even more so for my wife (whose never seen a “Hellblazer” comic in her life).

Directed by: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Shi LaBeouf, Tilda Swinton, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Djimon Hounsou, Gavin Rossdale, Peter Stormare
Extras: Commentary by Director Francis Lawrence, Producer Akiva Goldsman, and Screenwriters Kevin Brodbin and Frank Cappello, A Perfect Circle music video: "Passive", Theatrical Trailers, 18 Minutes of Deleted Scenes, including Alternate Ending, Conjuring Constantine, The Production from Hell Documentary Gallery,
Imagining the Underworld Documentary Gallery, Foresight: the Power of Previsualization
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Warner Brothers
Release Date: 7/19/2005
Region 1
MPAA Rating: R (Mature Thematic Elements Including Substance Abuse / Recovery, Some Sexual Situations, Language and Brief Violence
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We'll give Constantine a B.