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SPOILERS
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I really, really liked it. And I'm of the opinion that it's as much an interpretation of Constantine as any of the many comic interpretations... the background world is different (no DC universe as far as I can tell, so they've come up with a basic set of rules to avoid having to drag in years of continuity/context - cf Constantine and Angela/Isobel being psychic, the whole 'halfbreed' misnomer, Papa Midnite being a neutral/heroic character rather than a sinister and corrupt voodoo houngan, etc etc), and Constantine is less of an out-and-out bastard, more an unscrupulous, slightly fucked-up misanthrope. Given that every writer who's touched Constantine has had a different perception of him, this isn't a particularly big problem for me.
Reeves isn't bad at all - obviously not the ideal choice for this kind of role, but he gives what is probably his most three-dimensional performance yet, which, although not saying much, at least means he puts something into it. Lawrence's direction is flashy, as befits a guy who came from music video - but when it's good, it's fucking incredible. Favourite bits:-
* The Devil walking slowly towards Gabriel who is moving in infinitesimal slow motion by comparison, the just-smashed glass hovering around him and being slowly bumped aside as he moves through it.
* The muck sliding off Satan's bare feet as he appears in mid air above Constantine, while the rest of his perfect white suit is spotless.
* Constantine getting Chas to place a relic in the water-system for the building, therefore automatically blessing the sprinkler system and converting it into a holy water sprinkler - very Ennis.
* The resulting shotgun massacre of the partially dissolving demons
* Angela playing back the CCTV footage of her sister's suicide, seeing Isobel whisper Constantine's name - but when she rewinds to play it again, this time she doesn't say a word
* Every single scene Tilda Swinton was in, especially the last couple
* Satan's last line to Gabriel as ze realises that ze no longer has God's protection - "Someone doesn't have your back anymore..." Nice.
* Stormare as Satan. Unlike Swinton, he wildly overacts, hamming like Hopkins' Lector on steroids - but it works perfectly for the kind of big, raw, nasty, broken-nosed bastard of a Satan that Constantine's facing. Alternately ferociously pantomime evil and high-camp scary/hilarious, he's completely off his rocker, and I loved it. The facial resemblance to Steve Dillon's First Of The Fallen was good synchronicity...
Chas as a kid didn't irritate half as much as I thought it would - he was less a sidekick, more an actual character in and of himself, and his death was completely in line with how Constantine's mates usually die - suddenly and nastily. The magic was conceived and realised very well, with some lovely touches. And Constantine still stings Satan, albeit in a completely different way... and still gives him the finger (the audience I watched it with gave this the biggest cheer of the night)... |
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