Dean Christakos« Which Villain Character Are You? | Main | Reflections on July 4th »
March 3, 2005
Constantine on Constantine
So, of course, I had to see the movie Constantine. How could I not? Having spent way too much time reading Sandman graphic novels in college and reading a number of Hellblazer comics, I was intrigued. Plus, it's not too often that someone releases a movie with my name on it, so clearly I had to go.
What I saw was a not-so-bad comic adaptation. Keanu Reeves gets a bad rap as an actor, but the truth is that when he's forced to play a dumbfounded character whose reaction to the chaos around him is one of total blankness, the result works out well. It's been a successful formula in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, The Devil's Advocate, and The Matrix. It works again in Constantine.
That said, the filmmakers couldn't resist the temptation to resort to a most un-comic-like shoot-'em-up festival with a "Holy Shotgun" (of Antioch?). Plus, both Sandman and Hellblazer comics knew well enough to portray Satan as attractive rather than the sleazy-looking Peter Stormare they used. I'd have preferred that they cast Tilda Swinton as Satan and found a substitute Gabriel.
That concludes the first entry in what will no doubt be an ongoing series of reviews of movies named after me.
Posted by Dean at March 3, 2005 10:34 AM