Great review, makeshift! =D>

Exactly how I felt, except that I gave it an A.

I would have given it an A, but like I told Lecter - there should have been a stronger emotional punch and Keanu is still a terrible actor.

He's not the best actor, but I don't think he's a terrible one. He fit the role of Constantine.

The racial assumptions in the first scene irritated me. You see the poor hispanic guy holding something precious close to him, scared he might lose it. He, of course, works manually and wears shabby clothes. And then he gets hit by a car...There's even more. Taxi drivers, are, of course, fixated on the little things in life...

However, after that, once Keanu Reeves walks out of the yellow taxi cab and the apartment, Constantine only gets better. It's stylish. Because Constantine smokes, we're all supposed to. After all, Keanu's supposed to look good lighting up with a silver zippo. But, the style improves the direction. Some shots, like the shots through the window in the second scene with the demonic woman, are as fancy as shots found in Yimou's two movies in '04. It deserves a nomination for Best Art Direction. From the scene with the woman free-falling from the top of the church to almost every shot outside a building, Constantine's art direction, cinematography, and lighting are not likely to be topped by many films

Constantine has as good a flow as the original Matrix and the Die Hard movies. Although the action is rare, almost everything is compelling. After the great first scene, it slows down for around 20 minutes but eventually picks up. After that point, the audience, even when they have no clue what's going on, stays glued to the screen. Also, there are a few scenes with subtle bits of humor. They aren't laugh out loud funny, but witty little facial instances. Keanu Reeves does well with these.

I know some of you might claim that we can't feel for the characters. While that's true in parts, what action movies CAN you feel for? When I watched 24, I'd feel certain emotions when watching the main character's situation and his anxiety, but, in most action movies, whether The Matrix, Terminator 3, or Alien, the characters usually aren't that strong. Perhaps if John talked more and wasn't so reserved, it wouldn't even be as noticeable.

Overall. A great experience. It's nice to see Keanu in a role that he's not dreadful in. He's bad, but he's been worse in nearly everything else. I give Constantine an A, and, keep in mind, I am TRYING to be harsher and more cynical while grading movies. It deserves it, though. Constantine is different. It happens to be very unique in everything - its approach to city life, the church, and hell. While other films have fewer flaws, Constantine strikes a similar level as Garden State did. Flawed in parts, sappy in others, but overall, an outstanding film. Solid A

If torrino gives Constantine an A, I officially declare it the best movie of all time. :wink:

I didn't want to see it at first. Keanu Reeves' somber flatness bugs me. But I'm interested in seeing this heaven/hell nonsense, and some of it looks downright artsy.

I can wait, though.

In reading some of the comments, it seems lots of people really connected this to the Matrix.

No biggie but I really didn't get that.

For me, I had a closer deju feeling to a movie like Underworld.

i can't believe how great this sounds. i'm so excited, i came *this* close to running up the stairs and headbutting the crap out of a crappy framed painting we have on the landing, just out of sheer giddiness. *that's* how excited i am. when oh when is it coming out in england?

Ew, don't even compare it to Underworld. Underworld was more of a wreck than Alien vs. Predator. It did look nice, though.

Dkmuto, it is. See it. Even if you hate the acting, hate the plot, and hate the dialogue, it'll be hard not to appreciate the direction in regards to everything technical.

I agree Underworld was a disappointment.

All I meant was that, to me, Constatine had more of a Underworld than Matrix feeling.

And, on Constatine, I really liked it so no bad words from me.

hm. this is good.

It is very artsy. Francis Lawrence is one hell of a director.

Wasn't this his first feature, though?

You gotta be somewhat careful. He showed what he could do with a mediocre cast, but, whether he can pull it off every time is another story...

Also, torri...

Great review. I'm really glad you liked it. I welcome you to the cult of Constantine, a small but growing group of people willing to accept their comic book movies with slow burn, intricate plots, hardly any action, and stunning visuals.

Yeah, but the fact that it was his first feature says even more about him, I think. Normally your first feature is a muddled mess with hints of brilliance. This was non stop visual brilliance with an amazing touch for pacing on display.

Are a lot of people actually complaining about the lack of non-stop action? If I think about it now, I don't think I would have liked it as much with non-stop action. The movie was near perfect as is. Visually spectacular, and excellent plot. It had enough action.

Well, it's partly brilliant visually because of the budget. Outside of a superfluous use of slow-mo (in nearly everything), there wasn't tons of CGI. I'm sure a big portion of the budget went towards the other parts - scenery, lighting, and special effects (with the camera). I'd be suprised if Lawrence could do the same with a, say, $50m budget. They might've been able to find a better lead actor with less money, though...

When I consider direction, I mainly consider the flow of the movie and a director's ability to enhance the screenplay. Then I consider the technical aspects, as those can be largely attributed to the production crew. It's up to the director to take advantage of the technical fluff, though, and Lawrence did a good job with that...

Can you give a small recap of how his comic book series goes - is it ongoing or over.

Well, I guess that's where we differ. I've always thought the most important aspect of directing is the artistic, shot composition side, followed by the ability to make the film flow well. Either way, Lawrence passed with flying colors.

And that's why Michel Gondry got robbed of an Oscar nominee. Fuck Eastwood and Scorsese. Gondry deserves it. He made the characters interesting, enhanced the screenplay, stylized everything, and made the flow nearly impeccable. The artistic aspect is important, but, a good movie can't be made solely on fancy shots. *cough* Schumacher *cough* Phantom *cough* Bad Boys II *cough* Hero *cough*

I won't argue though. Constantine was very promising for Lawrence and it's not like I want MORE bad movies or MORE disappointments. Bring on a second feature!

I thought it was much like the Matrix

Is that good or bad? :wink:

its good. I liked it alittle corny but pretty good.

Im glad you liked constantine el :wink: it was a great film, Ive seen it twise, going to check it out again this wknd

http://www.horrorchannel.com/dread/modu ... e&sid=1032

Now how much cooler would this film have been with freakin' zombies, too?!

I can't believe they cut this out. I really hope it's on the DVD.