Constantine

Name: Constantine
Genre: Thriller, Fantasy, Horror
Released: February 18, 2005
Duration: 121 min
Rating: 50
Cast: Djimon Hounsou, Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz

2005

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 41 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 685 Ratings

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8.4

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8.4	User Score Universal acclaim based on 685 Ratings

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Constantine

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Movie Details & Credits

Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: February 18, 2005 | R

Starring: Djimon Hounsou, Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz

Summary: Born with a gift he didn't want, the ability to clearly recognize the half-breed angels and demons that walk the earth in human skin, Constantine (Reeves) was driven to take his own life to escape the tormenting clarity of his vision. But he failed. Resuscitated against his will, he found himself cast back into the land of the living. Now,Born with a gift he didn't want, the ability to clearly recognize the half-breed angels and demons that walk the earth in human skin, Constantine (Reeves) was driven to take his own life to escape the tormenting clarity of his vision. But he failed. Resuscitated against his will, he found himself cast back into the land of the living. Now, marked as an attempted suicide with a temporary lease on life, he patrols the earthly border between heaven and hell, hoping in vain to earn his way to salvation by sending the devil's foot soldiers back to the depths. (Warner Bros.)… Expand

Director: Francis Lawrence

Genre(s): Thriller, Fantasy, Horror

Rating: R

Runtime: 121 min

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Critic Reviews

Michael Rechtshaffen

An engrossing mix of atmospheric gothic horror and smart sci-fi that's cemented by intriguing mythology, terrific visual effects, a dry sense of humor and an ideally cast Keanu Reeves. Read full review

Marc Savlov

Constantine will likely hold far more interest for devoted fans of the series, but it's not necessary to have read the books to appreciate the film's sumptuous visuals and art direction. Read full review

M. E. Russell

It all sort of plays out like "Law and Order: Spiritual Victims Unit," but the movie's stuffed (some might say overstuffed) with wonderfully staged moments and set pieces. Read full review

Andrea Gronvall

Philippe Rousselot's elegant cinematography lends some gravitas to music-video veteran Francis Lawrence's directorial debut. Read full review

Brian Lowry

This adaptation of the graphic novel "Hellblazer" blazes few new trails and bogs down in a confusing narrative muddle. Read full review

Desson Thomson

The relation between Constantine and its source material is, at best, superfluous. Read full review

Mick LaSalle

The movie isn't hellish, because there's always hope of leaving it. It's more like purgatory, two whole hours of it. Read full review

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User Reviews

Rhey

Nov 13, 2012

The best movie ever for me. People who don't like it, are some kind of anti-religious fanatic. Just read their comments and you'll see.
It's from the graphic nover masterpiece of Vertigo: Hellblazer by Alan Moore you ignorants.

17 of 18 users found this helpful171

RealGamerAvi529

Jan 16, 2020

Definitely a great movie. Keanu Reeves portrays a great character, doesn't matter if that is not exactly the same as the comics version. This deserves sequels with Keanu.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Aladdin718

Mar 22, 2022

Fantastic film. Great plot, writing, acting, cinematics, music, sound. It has some points that drag and a few points that I feel they could have spent some more time on, but oh man, what a great job. Can't wait to see Keanu revive this role and see more of the Constantine lore.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

marcmyworks

Aug 21, 2016

Though Constantine feels like at least four different movies rolled into one, it is visually stunning and easily one of the best DC movies ever released.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

FilipeNeto

Dec 19, 2020

Based on a comic book, the kind we only heard about after seeing the film, it brings us the story of John Constantine, an unusual hero who lives with one foot in our world and the other foot in Hell.

The script weaves a simple story: the fight between Good and Evil is turned into a kind ofBased on a comic book, the kind we only heard about after seeing the film, it brings us the story of John Constantine, an unusual hero who lives with one foot in our world and the other foot in Hell.

The script weaves a simple story: the fight between Good and Evil is turned into a kind of bet between God and the Devil, in which the souls of Humanity are played and in which they maintain a kind of "balance" in that neither is really beating the other. John Constantine, a man who attempted suicide and survived, unintentionally becomes one of the "referees" of that balance, going able to send back to Hell all the demons who came to our world in order to cause trouble. However, and precisely because he tried to kill himself, it is Hell that awaits Constantine when he dies, an idea that terrifies him and that he describes as "going to a prison where you sent most of the prisoners before". Thus, when he discovers that the Devil's son is trying to use a medium girl to reach our world and provoke the Armageddon, he realizes that if he is able to prevent it, he can acquire divine forgiveness and the desired passport to Paradise.

Personally, I like movies with themes like this. They're appealing, although the film quite subverts the religious and spiritual themes it addresses. Without really being a horror movie, it works well as a techno-thriller with a dark background and urban Gothic atmosphere, which is occasionally dotted with intense and disturbing scenes. Unfortunately, I felt that the film fell apart in the last third part and the ending turns out to be disappointing and much weaker than the rest. The film, in some specific moments, seems to make small nods to other cinema works such as "Exorcist", which we can see as homage or, on the other hand, as influences that it received. Perhaps the truth is more or less halfway between one thing and another.

After "Matrix" and "Devils Advocate", Keanu Reeves' choice for the protagonist seems quite natural. To some extent, he picked up and mixed elements and mannerisms that he used when he brought Neo and Kevin Lomax to life in the films I mentioned. But that was not a bad idea: Reeves shone in these works and manages to dominate this film very well and to live up to what is proposed by his character. Reeves gave Constantine a sullen, melancholy, pessimistic and misanthropic personality, which gradually humanizes as he helps and cares about Angela, a character effectively executed by Rachel Weisz, in one of the most interesting works of this actress, who became famous for her appearance in "The Mummy" trilogy and for her work in "Constant Gardener". Alongside these actors, we also have the good performances of Djimon Hounsou and Peter Stormare. Who really shouldn't keep good memories of the film is Shia LaBeouf, extremely boring and uninteresting, and Tilda Swinton, who transformed an archangel full of celestial authority into a kind of androgynous and morally twisted creature, unpleasant from all points of view.

Technically, the film bets heavily on CGI and visual effects, with very good results considering the time it was made and the available budget. The look of the demons in this film is something impressive, repulsive and grotesque, as also the way Hell is portrayed, in an eternal storm of fire and pain. Also notable for its realism and majesty is the brief glimpse of Paradise. Struggle or exorcism scenes have been thought out in detail and the effects collaborate widely. Cinematography is good and puts us in a nocturnal, dark and decadent neo-noir universe, where darkness combines well with a scenario full of cheap furniture, kitsch decoration and neon signs, and with urban sound effects like screams, ambulance sirens, car sounds. The soundtrack, signed by Brian Tyler and Klaus Badelt, is deep and excellent.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Tokyochuchu

Jul 2, 2012

Whilst never going to set the world alight, Constantine is a fun action / horror romp. Keanu Reeves is well cast and Rachael Weizse is unbelievably hot. The effects are descent... and Peter Stormare as The Devil? Who can say no to that?!

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Kora

May 4, 2011

While I am willing to concede that this movie might be slightly more enjoyable to those unfamiliar with the source material, 'Constantine' does little to make itself anything more than a dumb supernatural action flick. Whatsmore, it doesn't even succeed on that front. For those who areWhile I am willing to concede that this movie might be slightly more enjoyable to those unfamiliar with the source material, 'Constantine' does little to make itself anything more than a dumb supernatural action flick. Whatsmore, it doesn't even succeed on that front. For those who are unfamiliar, 'Constantine' is very loosely based upon the comic 'Hellblazer' which has been in print for more than 20 years. Both, focus upon the exploits of John Constantine, though the movie has taken a number of liberties with the character. Originally blonde, British, and combining occult knowledge with urban street-smarts, John Constantine is played by Keanu Reeves in one of his worst performances to date. I personally don't have anything against Mr. Reeves as an actor, but his attempts to portray Constantine (by the way, it's supposed to rhyme with Clementine. They pronounce it incorrectly throughout the entire film.) as a troubled man haunted by his past come off as wooden and unbelievable. The one good thing I can truly say about this film, is that it encouraged me to look into the comic. Upon doing so, I discovered that most of the scenes or set pieces, that I found interesting or unique in the film, were taken directly from the comic and that the rest of the plot of the film consisted of nonsensical mythos that doesn't fit into the logic of the comic or Catholicism in general. That's not to say that I found it confusing. It simply didn't make sense. For example, the movie talks about the Demon Mammon who apparently is Lucifer's son. However, in Christian mythology, Mammon is simply a high ranking Demon in Hell, much like Beelzebub. These kinds of inconsistencies make the mythos feel arbitrary at best.

Ultimately this film fails to establish itself as a good action movie, due to poor fight scenes, and excessive emphasis on an inherently flawed mythos. It feels more like a ripoff of its source material than it does an adaptation. I can't recommend it as an action film, as a thriller, or as a horror, so ultimately I've got to give this a 3 out of 10. It isn't completely devoid of enjoyable elements, but isn't nearly as good as it *should* be.… Expand

0 of 8 users found this helpful08

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54	#54 Most Discussed Movie of 2005
26	#26 Most Shared Movie of 2005