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Constantine
R3 - Hong Kong - Warner Home Video Review written by and copyright: Noor Razzak (17th October 2005). |
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The Film
 Fans of comic book legend Alan Moore can’t be a very happy bunch, since for the most part his comic-to-film adaptations haven’t faired too well. From Hell (2001) and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003) have had their fair share of problems, Moore has since decided to reject any credit on adapted work from Hollywood, which is why you won’t see his name in any of the credits for Constantine a film based on the popular adult themed comic book Hellblazer the character John Constantine was created by Moore in the early 1980’s while he was writing The Thing for DC comics. The character was popular that he eventually earned his own series in 1987. Hellblazer became an integral title in DC comic’s fledgling mature label Vertigo Comics and has since become a cult hit. The film Constantine changes quite a few elements that were constant in the comic series but manages to retain the overall themes and most importantly the tone of the original stories and characters. Constantine tells the story of a demon hunter John Constantine (Keanu Reeves) who with the aid of intrepid detective Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz) attempt to solve the suicide of her twin sister Isabel. The mystery surrounding her death leads their investigation through the demon underworld and even to hell in search for answers. In the comic book Constantine hailed from Liverpool, a smart-ass sarcastic wise guy who has realised his own lung cancer will be the end of him, trying to atone for past sins (his previous suicide) he lives to take down the demons and evils that attempt to break through to the real world. Throughout this he finds a cohort in Chas (portrayed in the film as a teenage sidekick by Shia LaBeouf), in the film Constantine is American, from Los Angeles and played byKeanu Reeves. Not exactly what I had in mind, but in this film it works. The reasoning is partly the writing and keeping faithful to the tone of the comic book, Reeves is very much John Constantine in his mannerisms, his dialogue, and most importantly the coat and cigarette lighter. The dry wit, the uncaring sarcasm is all there. Aside from other changes in characters and the creation of new ones for the film this is a solid adaptation. The characters are very well written and develop at a manageable pace throughout the film, screenwriters Kevin Brodbin and Frank Cappello have done an excellent job. The writers have chosen not to explain a lot in terms of Constantine’s past with the exception of a short scene in the middle of the film where Angela and John have a chat at an all night take out cart. This creates a mysterious intrigue that was evident in the comics. The supporting players are one of the most memorable aspects of the film from Father Hennessey (Pruitt Taylor Vince) to Papa Midnite (Djimon Hounsou) lending their talent to create interesting people that populate Constantine’s world. Even Tilda Swinton‘s role as the androgynous Gabriel was creepy and unsettling. Hoever. no matter how well developed the writing was, it was not enough to save the car wreck that was Chas (Shia LaBeouf), perhaps the most annoying character in the film, this was a part that could have easily been left out as this sidekick role seemed a little out of place, while comic relief is not new to film or even dark fantasy films this character seemed more awkwardly placed than anything else. Throughout the film this character proved rather useless and his eventual usefulness at the end of the film felt contrived and frankly was lazy on the part of the writers. So the sidekick sucked but the other characters were great, on another note this film would not have worked without the special effects. The effects in Constantine are amazing. The images of hell as a constant nuclear blast are haunting and real, the use of practical effects, miniatures and computer generate effects helped in creating the unique vision of hell, the demons and angels created by Stan Winston Studios, who also created animatronics demons and also the make-up effects for the film. Director Francis Lawrence has managed to keep the tone of comics within this film, capturing moments that are uniquely Vertigo, Reeves does a fine job as the title character and the film includes some eye-popping effects and sequences. The film isn’t perfect, parts do drag a little, Chas would be better left on the cutting room floor and minor changes from the comic may provide for small annoyances but overall it’s an entertaining flick, rent it, buy it, whatever you decide it won’t entirely suck as I originally thought it would.
Video
Presented in the film’s original theatrical ratio of 2.40:1 this anamorphic transfer is just splendid. The image is sharp and beautiful to look at, colors are rendered perfectly, skin tones are spot on, blacks are bold and shadow detail is immaculate. There appear to be no flaws that I could detect with this transfer, another A+ effort from Warner Brothers.
Audio
This disc includes two soundtracks, the first an English Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track and the other a Thai Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track. For the purposes of this review I chose to view the film with its English soundtrack. The sound is quite clear and distortion free, however I felt that the dialogue was mixed at a lower level I found myself occasionally increasing and lowering the sound. Aside from this the depth of the soundtrack was impressive, directional surrounds impact from all sides, especially throughout the action scenes. The track dynamically immerses you in the world of John Constantine. Additionally the music is well mixed throughout the 5.1 sound space, this is a fine track however not entirely perfect. It would be also be nice in the future to hear this film in DTS. The film also includes optional subtitles in English, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Thai for the Hearing Impaired, Bahasa Malaysian and Bahasa Indonesian.
Extras
DISC ONE: The first extra we have here is the feature-length audio commentary by director Francis Lawrence, producer Akiva Goldsman, and screenwriters Kevin Brodbin and Frank Cappello. The participants spend most of their time discussing the plot points, story and characters more than anything else, they occasionally touch on production issues but touch on that briefly. It’s an interesting commentary, however I would have liked it if they covered more topics such as the casting, stunts, visual effects than just narrative related ones. Next up we have a music video for the song Passive by metal band A Perfect Circle. The clip runs for 4 minutes 15 seconds, the video is the same released to music television channels to help promote the film and the band’s album eMotive. Rounding out the extras on the first disc are the film’s original teaser trailer that runs for 54 seconds and also the theatrical trailer, which runs for 2 minutes 22 seconds. DISC TWO: The second disc is where the bulk of the extras are kept, the first one up is a featurette entitled Conjuring Constantine which runs for 15 minutes 42 seconds. This piece covers quite a lot of material from the character’s comic book origins begin the creation of comic book legend Alan Moore. The featurette also looks at the appeal of the character, the launch of Constantine’s first solo comic book Hellblazer that helped shape DC comic’s mature label Vertigo. The clip also touches on the leap from comic to script to screen, which includes how the project was introduced to the producers by the writers, what elements were taken from the comic and what was dropped because it didn’t necessarily work on film, the process of finding the right director for the job, the casting of Keanu Reeves, an American actor as apposed to staying true to the comic book (Constantine is portrayed as a blonde haired Brit). Another aspect of interest is the challenge in portraying Satan in a way not previously seen. Overall this is basically an EPK piece but actually covers a lot of material. The nest 3 featurettes are part of a sub-menu under the heading The production from Hell once you are into the sub-menu the first featurette you’ll come across is entitled Director’s Confessional which runs for 5 minutes 35 seconds. This clip we get director Francis Lawrence discuss the difference between shooting a music video and a feature film. The endurance required for a feature film is rather great, considering the film’s shooting schedule was 100 days. The planning required to undertake a film like this is challenging because you have to deal with complicated stunt and visual effects elements. Lawrence also talks about the editing decisions made on this film and having an assembly editor on set while shooting so he can see if the sequence will work at the end of the day. The next featurette we have is entitled Collision with Evil and runs for 4 minutes 38 seconds. Here we get a look at why the opening of the film takes place in Mexico rather than Turkey as originally scripted. We also get a closer look at how they achieved the car crashing into the Mexican scavenger. The third featurette in this section is entitled Holy Relic and runs for 8 minutes 21 seconds. This clip focuses on the artifacts and props that had to be made for this film. Prop master Kirk Corwin takes us through the process of what a prop master does and the pieces that were made for this film. The next section of the extras is entitled Imagining the Underworld once you enter into this sub-menu you’ll find 4 more featurettes. The first of which is entitled Hellscape this clip runs for 11 minutes 58 seconds and focuses on the visual style and overall look of hell as portrayed in the film. According to the featurette the director was looking to create a different type of hell than what has been previously portrayed on film. The hell in Constantine looks like a freeway that has been hit by a constant nuclear heat wave. The featurette also uncovers how this environment had been created with the combined use of intricate sets and visual effects that created the wind, fire and particle elements to help sell the shot, as well as the creation of the creatures that inhabit hell. Next up is the Visualizing Vermin featurette that runs for 9 minutes 36 seconds, The clip goes into detail regarding the fight Constantine has with the demon on the streets of L.A. and how the scene was originally planned as having only 8 effects shot but was later expanded for the film, further re-shoots of the scene were required to make it what it finally appears as. The featurette also sheds light on the complexity of creating a creature that’s made up of various vermin that include snakes, spiders, rats, insects, worms etc that all have to behave how they normally behave but also help add shape and a performance to the demon. Following that is the Warrior Wings featurette that runs for 3 minutes 18 seconds. This clip covers the CGI wings that were created for the angels in this film, especially those of Gabriel. The challenge for the VFX team was creating realistic textures for the feathers so that they would look as photorealistic as possible. The final featurette in this sub-menu is Unholy Abduction which runs for 5 minutes 46 seconds and takes a look at the abduction of Rachel Weisz‘s character Angela as she is being sucked through a building. Originally the scene worked around a car chase but was later re-worked to having her sucked out of a building. The featurette takes us through the process and techniques employed to achieve the shots required for that scene. Once you’ve seen all the featurettes within those sub-menus back on the main page is the Constantine Cosmology featurette that runs for 5 minutes 21 seconds. This clip takes a look at classic mythological heroes and compares them to the character of Constantine. This is a fascinating analysis of the film’s mythological background, how Constantine is a hero who is stuck and that has to move on. The crisis situation in which, he is presented with is what sets him off on his character’s arc throughout the film. The clip also briefly touches on the other character’s significance and what they represent in the context of the story. Next up is the Foresight: The Power of Pre-Visualization featurette that runs for 13 minutes 55 seconds, this featurette includes pre-visualization clips compared to their final film versions to 12 different scenes. These Pre-visualization clips also include optional commentary by director Francis Lawrence. The scenes included in this feature are: - The Exorcism from the beginning of the film. This pre-vis includes shots not used in the final version. - The Rooftop Jump The scene where Angela’s sister Isabel jumps from the hospital roof. - Demon Fight Constantine’s fight with the vermin demon. - Hennessey Death The scene in the convenience store. - Hell Freeway Constantine visits hell to see if Isabel is there. - Out Building Angela’s abduction through the building walls. - Angela in Hell as she is about to be attacked by the son of Satan. - Gabriel Blast Blasts Constantine into the next room. - Hydrotherapy: Gabriel’s Death and Cancer Cure the title says it all. - Swing This abandoned scene shows both Angela and Isabel as children swinging towards the sky, Isabel let’s go and floats to heaven, this scene was never filmed as it was deemed too cheesy. - Seplative Ending this is also an abandoned scene where Angela is used as bait by Constantine to kill one last demon. - Chas Returns the final pre-vis scene which, was also abandoned and never filmed shows Chas returning as an angel. Once you’ve seen all there is in the pre-vis feature next up are a series of 14 deleted scenes that all include optional commentary by director Francis Lawrence, you can choose to view the scenes separately or with a ‘play all’ function. The deleted scenes include: - Chas Bowls that runs for 1 minute 15 seconds, Chas tries to question Constantine as to when he’ll move on from being just a sidekick. This scene was cut but the dialogue was re-used in another scene that was in the final cut of the film. - Surveillance Video which runs for 41 seconds, is an extension to a scene already in the film, here Angela reviews the video of her sister’s suicide. We get an early glimpse of her psychic abilities. - Border Patrol runs for 40 seconds, here the Mexican scavenger as seen in the beginning who finds the spear of destiny is confronted by US Border Patrol officers, the power of the spear causes the officers to kill themselves. - Hennessey’s Apartment runs for 33 seconds, features a glimpse into Hennessy’s life, his entire apartment is covered in tin foil. - Demonic Tryst runs for 1 minute 30 seconds, in this scene Constantine seeks comfort in a half-breed demon Ellie (played by Michelle Monaghan). In this scene Constantine reveals to her that he has lung cancer. - Original Vermin Attack runs for 1 minute 43 seconds and is a shorter less-impacting version of the fight. It was re-shot so that the Vermin demon would pose as more of a challenge to Constantine as the battle draws out into the traffic. - Background Check here Angela looks over John Constantine’s records, reading over his arrest reports and cases that involved him. This is an extension to a scene that already exists in the film. - Password runs for 10 seconds and is a brief moment where Chas attempts to get into Club Midnight. The dialogue was later reused in another scene in the final film. - Demonic Escort runs for 1 minute 48 seconds, In the final film john walks through midnight’s club and sees a bunch of demons, in this scene extension he spots Ellie and essentially has the same conversation he had with her in the demonic Tryst scene. This scene was re-shot when that previous scene with Ellie was dropped, however this one didn’t work either and was subsequently deleted. - Constantine’s Past runs for 1 minute 44 seconds, this is a longer version of the scene were Angela and Constantine have a late night snack, John tells her about his childhood and how he’s been able to see demons all his life and about the time he died. - Light Command runs for 1 minute 42 seconds, this extended scene where Angela and Constantine find Beeman (Max Baker dead and covered in flies. This extended scene shows Constantine trying to bring Beeman back from the dead. - Last Chance runs for 1 minute 38 seconds, in this scene Ellie is seen again in the hospital raid sequence, this scene was cut when all her other scenes where dropped. - Demon’s Pardon runs for 1 minute 6 seconds, at the end of the shootout John discovers Ellie hiding under a table, but instead of shooting her he let’s her go. - Alternate Cemetary Ending runs for 1 minute 25 seconds, in this scene Constantine visits Chas’ grave and leaves him a gift, we see Chas as an angel as he flies to heaven. Rounding out the disc’s extras are some DVD-ROM content, when you pop this disc into your computer you’ll have access to the Constantine web-site. There are also a series of 3 Easter eggs that I’ve found on the second disc, below is a look at each of them: - The first egg can be found by highlighting The Production from Hell on the main menu, press right on your remote to highlight a symbol. Press enter to view a clip that features a pre-vis tone poem that runs for 1 minute 18 seconds with commentary by one of the writers Frank Cappello. - The second egg can be found by entering into The Production from Hell sub-menu, scroll down and highlight the main menu button, click left to highlight a crucifix, press enter to view a clip about the stunt work and preparation that went into choreographing the gun fight hospital raid sequence and getting it all in one go. The clip runs for 2 minutes 2 seconds. - The last and final egg can be found by entering into the Imagining the Underworld sub-menu, highlight Hellscape and press right to highlight another symbol, press enter to view the clip. In this clip you’ll see Gavin Rossdale talking about his experience in playing the character Balthazar.
Overall
Although it’s not 100% faithful to the comic book Constantine is a very entertaining action horror. Lawrence has managed to capture the overall tone of the comics, and thrown in some fantastic effects sequences. Constantine was a much better film than I was expecting. The Warner Brothers DVD presents the film with some solid image transfer and a half decent sound track, however it could use some improvement. The two-disc set is jam-packed with extras that will keep you informed and entertained.
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