Constantine: Hell is LA and other Cliches
Financially successful if creatively flawed, 2005’s Constantine is a mixed bag. On the one hand, it’s chock-full of Hollywood stereotypes and seems like it was developed by studio executives who never picked up the source material, the comic series Hellblazer. On the other hand, it made more money than other movies based on characters created by resident comic-book madman Alan Moore. At $230 million, Constantine had a higher gross than From Hell ($74.5 million), The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen ($179 million), V for Vendetta ($132 million), and Watchmen ($185 million). So…yay?
Constantine is set in a world where God and Lucifer are engaged in a proxy war over mankind. Angels and demons can influence mankind, but not interfere directly. When demons break this rule, it’s up to John Constantine (Keanu Reeves) to send them back to Hell. Constantine’s got a selfish reason for his job; as a teenager he tried to commit suicide and his soul is damned as a result, forcing him to try to buy his way back into God’s good graces. When he’s brought into a murder investigation by Angela (Rachel Weisz), Constantine discovers that not all is right with the world. The rules he used to know that bound angels and demons are breaking down, and only he can save the world.
Alan Moore properties are notoriously difficult to adapt to film, and Constantine was no exception. Moore’s stories feature deep, rich storylines and morally ambiguous characters, such as the bisexual anti-hero John Constantine. It was always likely that a movie version of the character would be somewhat watered down; however, the least the studio could have done would be to cast an actor that looks a little like his comic-book namesake. The likeness of comic-book Constantine was based on Sting and Keanu Reeves looks nothing like the former Police frontman. To his credit, Reeves does a decent job as the titular character; his pervasive pensiveness is a natural fit for a man dying of lung cancer and his standoffishness comes off as indifference toward humanity. And for as wrong as Reeves is for the part, things could have been worse. The original actor scheduled to play John Constantine was Nicholas Cage.
The rest of the cast is better, even Shia LaBeouf as Constantine’s sidekick. Tilda Swindon as Gabriel and Peter Stormare as Lucifer are dripping with evil. Storemare’s performance in particular is praised on listicles as one of the best depictions of the Devil ever done. Swindon’s androgynous Gabriel is no less menacing. In one of the few nods to the comic, Djimon Hounsou shines as Papa Midnite, the owner of a nightclub that’s neutral ground for both sides. Together, the cast manages to do the best with what they’re given.
My main issue with the film is that the actors are given so many silly Hollywood clichés. From setting the movie is Los Angeles to that annoying script trick of referring to everybody by name in every line of dialogue, the most distracting thing about Constantine is how much of a studio picture it is. The movie has been praised as a good film, just not a good Constantine film and I’m inclined to agree. Although the source material is watered down to the point of being drowned, the movie itself is enjoyable enough, with just enough depth to engage the audience without alienating them by hitting them over the head with the source lore.
NBC recently tried (and failed) to successfully reboot Constantine as a TV show. While I haven’t watched it, I find the character intriguing enough that I just might. Or, I could just go straight to the source material. It’s what Alan Moore would have wanted.
Constantine tl;drs
Quick summary: John Constantine spends his time returning demons to hell in an effort to buy his way into heaven. When a women throws herself off a building, her twin enlists Constantine’s help in solving the mystery, bringing Constantine further into the never-ending battle between heaven and hell.
Too many writers? Just two, which is fine, although they take many liberties with the source material.
Recommended if you like: So-so adaptations; Keanu Reeves acting pensive.
Better than I expected? The religious/occult angle seems very ambitious for a Hollywood screenplay.
Worse than I hoped? There’s a Hollywood sheen that doesn’t mesh well with the source material, from Keanu Reeves’s casting to the trope of endlessly mentioning the character names.
Should it be rebooted? NBC did last year…and it’s already been cancelled.
Verdict: Heart? Grit? Constantine needs more of both.
Related Reading: Wiki article
