Constantine (DVD)

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Yes, Constantine is a pretty cynical fellow and has a smart-ass comeback for everything. Too bad he's nothing like the Constantine of the comic books, who is much more rugged looking, with light, sandy hair. This is yet another thing to incite the wrath of the books' most devoted followers. But as one who had never read the comic books, did I care?

Eventually, Constantine learns that in order for the penultimate demon, the Devil's son, to cross over into our plane, he would need God's help, which comprises the second half of the film, where elements of Kevin Smith's "Dogma" come into play and everything gets even sillier. By the end of the movie, it's impossible to follow any of the action or tell what's going on, but what, me worry? The special effects are all the show, and Reeves' wooden acting fits the absurdity of the situations perfectly.

I hope by now you're taking this review in the right spirit. Understand that the filmmakers themselves probably meant everything in their movie to be as dark and somber as possible. Sometimes, though, things just don't turn out the way you expect them to. "Constantine" does not work as a superhero comic-book flick any more than the original theatrical release of "Daredevil" worked. But "Constantine" has a lot more in it that can be viewed from a purely comical angle. Heck, even Keanu Reeves comes off as funny the way I see it. Pretty bizarre, huh?

Video:
This is one of the wider ratio films you'll come across on DVD, measuring its original theatrical-release dimensions of 2.40:1. The high bit rate, anamorphic transfer ensures sharp, bright, natural hues, if sometimes a bit oversaturated; fairly decent definition; and excellent black levels for maximum color contrasts. There is a touch of fine grain in some of the darker scenes, but it isn't much.

Audio:
The Dolby Digital 5.1 sound is the kind we expect to hear in a modern action movie, with all-encompassing sonics, an extended frequency response, deep bass, a clean midrange, strong dynamics, and wide stereo imaging. The "Dragon's Breath" flamethrower makes an especially hair-raising noise in the surrounds, as do various rain storms, thunderclaps, telephone rings, weird voices, and fires of Hell. Nothing to complain about in the audiovisual department.

Extras:
Warner Bros. have given the movie the double-disc treatment I'm sure in an effort to bolster sales. Disc one contains the feature film, with an audio commentary by director Francis Lawrence, producer Akiva Goldsman, and screenwriters Kevin Brodbin and Frank Cappello. They call their comments b.s., but, in fact, the fellows can be quite informative when they're not kidding around. Plus, there is a music video, "Passive," by A Perfect Circle; a widescreen teaser and a theatrical trailer; thirty-four scene selections, but no chapter insert; English and French spoken languages; and English, French, and Spanish subtitles.

Disc two contains WB's usual assortment of making-of material, this time divided into a number of various categories, entailing a good deal of unnecessary clicking around on the remote control. Why all this stuff, much of it repetitive, couldn't have been embraced in a single, longer documentary with chapter divisions I don't know. Maybe the WB powers that be wanted to impress the viewer with what appears to be a broad array of goodies. In any case, things begin with a fifteen-minute featurette called "Conjuring Constantine: From Comic Book to Movie," which tells how the filmmakers tried to translate the spirit of the comic-book character to the screen. Judging by the comic book that comes with the special-edition set, I'd say they didn't come particularly close.

Next is a section called "The Production from Hell," which includes three segments: "Director's Confessional," five minutes; "Collision with Evil," four minutes; and "Holy Relics," eight minutes. In the latter segment, director Francis Lawrence tells us he did not want the movie to feel like a comic book; he wanted it to seem more real. Sorry, Francis.

After that is a section called "Imagining the Underworld," which includes four segments: "Hellscape," eleven minutes; "Visualizing Vermin," nine minutes; "Warrior Wings," three minutes; and "Unholy Abduction," five minutes. Most of this material seemed redundant to me. A final segment, "Demon Face," is supposedly found as an Easter Egg.

Then, we have a feature titled "Constantine Cosmology," five minutes with Phil Cousineau, author of "The Hero's Journey," telling us how John Constantine fits the mold of mythologist Joseph Campbell's traditional hero. I'm not sure I bought much of it. And there's "Foresight: The Power of Pre-Visualization," a CGI storyboard-to-screen comparison, with optional commentary by director Lawrence. Finally, there are fourteen widescreen deleted scenes, including an alternate ending in a graveyard, again with optional director's commentary.

In addition to the two discs, the set includes a fifty-page "Hellblazer" comic book with a reprint of issue #41, "Dangerous Habits," and a "Hellblazer" short story. The slim-line keep case is enclosed in a cardboard slipcover, which also contains the comic book.

Parting Thoughts:
I have no doubt that if any of the other critics at DVD Town had reviewed "Constantine," they would have assigned it a 2/10 or 3/10 rating. And I would have had absolutely no reason to begrudge them their assessment. By every standard of good filmmaking, "Constantine" is something of a mess. Yet I did not find it one of those so-bad-it's-good affairs. I honestly enjoyed it both times I saw it, viewed from my admittedly distorted perspective as one who interpreted every scene in it as comedy.

I have no idea if the filmmakers intended their movie to be a comedy or not. Nor do I care. I can't second guess how others will react to something, so it's only my own point of view I can describe to readers. In the case of "Constantine," the movie tickled my funny bone. Yeah, I recognize that most other people won't see it that way, but I'll have to live with it.

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