Comic Flix: Constantine (2005)

And now I get to exploit popular Television.  Shame?  What's that?  Today's Film is Constantine, the 2005 attempt to make a Franchise out of this DC/Vertigo Comic.  Given that it is 9 Years Later and and it is now a Show on NBC, you know how that worked.  This actually came out in the same Year that DC managed to successfully revive their biggest Franchise: Batman.  Of course, it is also a year before the follow-up to that Film- Superman Returns- underperformed at the Box Office.  Fun Fact: the Star of that Film was in Dylan Dog, which is based on a Comic from Italy with many similarities to this one.  Coincidence?  Yes, of course it is.  Where was I again?  Oh, right.  The Film tells the tale of John Constantine, a man who battles the Occult, but can't win a battle inside of him.  Can he save his Soul when all of Hell seems to be coming at him?  To find out (mostly), read on...

A mysterious Relic- the fabled Spear of Destiny- is found and possesses a man in Mexico...who is now invulnerable.

Who does a Spear-head coated in Jesus' blood seemingly turn you evil?  That's a good question, actually.

Constantine works to keep the balance of good and evil on Earth right.  He does so by doing things like exorcising this Demon in a mirror.    Mind the landing.

Constantine finds out that he's dying of Lung Cancer, while this lady learns that her twin Sister committed suicide at a Mental Hospital.  He ends up helping her solve the mystery- she thinks that her Sister was killed- since...

...a good chunk of Hell seems to be out for both of them.  He's attacked by...well, a Bug Golem, I guess and she's attacked by all sorts of demons.

He has to do some pretty drastic things- like crossing over into Limbo- to get the info he needs.

The woman finally reveals that she can see the same Spirits that Constantine can...and so could her Sister.  She's being targeted as part of some big, evil scheme involving the Spear.

Constantine has to beat the information out of Two-Face here (actually a Demon of sorts) with his holy brass knuckles.  They are no Crossbow that shoots Dynamite, but they are badass.

Can our heroine (who is too dumb to hold onto a 'Protect You From Evil' Amulet) survive or is the Earth doomed to fall?

Since not many of you saw this Film and might be realizing it exists now, I won't SPOIL any more of this.  Sorry, folks.  The End.

Well, at least I like it.  Let me address some of the complaints that have come out about this Film right off the bat (at the End?).  The Film is very dark and bleak.  Well, it is about Demons...but also gives us some hope overall.  Keanu Reeves doesn't look like the Comic Book Character.  Yes, that is true.  If you wanted accuracy, they could have hired Sting- who the Character's likeness is based on.  Would you have wanted that?  I'm not saying that you couldn't have hired a Brit and dyed his hair blond- I'm just saying that it isn't my biggest concern.  With that out of the way, here's what I liked: Constantine's Character Arc, the inventive CG Effects and the Film's overall 'vibe.'  The Film has some great visuals and ideas at its disposal.  They throw some nice twists and turns in the Story, keeping it moving briskly.  Ultimately, I think this one still holds up.  Bear in mind that I've seen this Film twice now- once in Theaters in 2005 and now just last week.  As a bonus, you can see Shia LeBouf before he made 3 Transformers Films and went insane (but got better?)...

Next up, a South Korean Horror Film about...what you expect.  Will this cliche-laden Thriller be more of the same or stand out?  Stay tuned...