My reviews of movies in reverse chronological order (i.e. most-recent-first) of date-of-review (which is not necessarily the same as the date-watched).
Title: Constantine
Review written: 21 February 2005
I cannot pinpoint when the recent spate of comic-book-turned-movie glut started, but the results of these efforts have been all over the map: from the reasonably executed Spider-Man to the ridiculous X-Men series all the way down into the fetid gutters of movie-crapola with Daredevil.
The newest of such adaptations to hit the screens these days is Constantine, riding the ever popular wave of Catholic-eschatological mythology. Since I have never read any of the comic books these movies are supposedly based-on, I am always free to savage or praise the films as standalone movie entities.
Constantine as a movie falls into the reasonable and watchable category. As long as one accepts the notion of the eternal battle between good and evil, demons and devils (more accurately, the Devil and his Spawn, and no, we are not talking about PoppyPubicHair and WarCriminal HilterBush), and human role-players caught in the middle of these cosmic battles-by-proxy, the movie provides a couple of hours of idle, fluffy, enjoyment.
Keanu Reeves continues his long tradition of the Whoa!-school of hamming, but, in this case, suitably toned down into a nihilistic cynicism that prevents the character from becoming too lovable or sappy. Rachel Weisz provides great screen candy (I heard on a DVD commentary somewhere that she has a no-nudity clause in her movie contracts, but apparently no no-cleavage clause---she is constantly wearing low-cut blouses with the top-2 buttons off, and obligingly bends and wriggles low to give us mere mortal males long and lingering visions of the valley between the holy mountains).
A good way to spend a few hours and a few bucks on a weekend night.
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Last updated: Tue Feb 22 00:56:25 PST 2005
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