When Marvel Comics released Blade in 1998, no one could have guessed that it would be the hit that it was or that it would spawn two sequels. Marvel went to the well for a lesser known character and brought horror and action instead of superheroes. And it worked. The funny thing about that is, in that time, Marvel has not published a successful Blade comic.
DC, in the meantime, had nothing to offer the box office. Just last year, DC flopped with the horrible adaptation of 'Catwoman' that offended both fans and non-fans. Now, DC seems to be borrowing a page from Marvel and dipping into that horror genre with a character that has a successful comic title, unlike Marvel's gamble with Blade.
Can Constantine, the non-superhero occult investigator, capture the attention and imagination of fans and non-fans?
Initially, the fans complained about changing the title from 'Hellblazer' to 'Constantine', but 'Spider-Man' didn't go with 'Amazing Spider-Man' or 'Spectacular Spider-Man'. It's just a title. More than the title, complaints were also made about making the Brit Constantine an American Keanu Reeves.
Constantine is an American film made for an American audience who wants to relate to the character. Seeing as how most can't relate directly to an occult investigator dealing in the black arts, then he's going to have to be American. It does not detract from the film. This is merely an interpretation after all.
The idea is that John Constantine is trying to find his way into heaven when he realizes that he's dying of cancer. Conveniently, factions of the Underworld are making a play to break the treaty between Heaven and Hell and take over Earth. All this can apparently be done easily enough with the help of a religious artifact, a powerful psychic and, of course, help from God.
Constantine discovers this plot through the course of what should be a routine exorcism. It would seem soldier demons are trying to break through a poor helpless teenage girl. This all leads Constantine to a cop (Rachel Weisz) whose sister may or may not have committed suicide, but definitely ended up in Hell.
The plot itself is weak and cliche, but in many instances its weaknesses aren't too far from its strengths. When it loses track of the plot, it makes up for it by giving us a glimpse of John Constantine and his world. The film gives us information about Constantine by introducing us to those that he deals with from day to day. None of this advances the plot, but it enriches the story. These are the moments that make it too long, but these are the moments that make it fun to watch.
I enjoyed the interactions between Constantine and Papa Midnite and certainly the interaction between Constantine and Lucifer (played fantastically by Peter Stormare), but these moments are breaks from the mundane plot device of a man having found the Spear of Destiny and using it to bring the forces of evil to Rachel Weisz's doorstep.
At times, I felt that Francis Lawrence's style was overdone, but other times where I felt that it created a mood that saved the film from its weaknesses. I wanted to believe that this world existed somewhere. I didn't want to fight demons in the street myself, but I'm glad Constantine is out there so I don't have to.
This film is entertaining. I left the theatre with a positive feeling, even though I knew that it wasn't art, but I could watch it again and I would even see a sequel. As a fan of ridiculous movies as well as a decent attempt at a comic adaptation, I'll give this baby 7 out of 10.
Warner Bros. may have finally left their disasters behind them and seem to be ready to take good solid attempts at taking their DC stable more seriously.
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