Action movies are rarely known for outstanding plot development, but any movie requires character growth and a natural story line to be believable.
Unfortunately, the movie "Constantine," directed by Francis Lawrence, lacked these necessary elements.
The big special effects of the action-packed thriller are realistically fantastical but not quite enough to distract the viewer from the contrived plot full of holes.
John Constantine (Keanu Reeves) is a cigarette-smoking exorcist who is dying of lung cancer. He was born with the gift to distinguish half-breeds - creatures who are half-demon or half-angel that walk among us, swaying behavior choices of humans.
But when Constantine finds unusual events, such as an exorcism of a "solider demon" or a flock of demons chasing a police officer named Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz), he pieces together the truth that he's in the midst of a battle between Heaven and hell. With the help of Angela, Constantine tries to save the world.
First off, the characters and plot seem forced. "Constantine" is just another movie where Reeves has been cast to save the world - a role that does not challenge his acting skills. The plot itself is unique, but requires the watcher to make leaps of faith in the story. And a number of mysteries are never explained. Constantine is able to pass between Earth and Hell and is able to use electrocution as a medium to see as a psychic. However, the movie never really explains why he can do these things or how they are actually possible.
The plot is based on a Catholic theme, which might offend some viewers. The movie claims God and the Devil made a bet over the number of souls they could get for their sides and that there is a different version of the Bible in Hell. Those open to challenging religious beliefs might like this attribute of the movie, but conservative Catholics might find some of these things blasphemous.
The movie is intense from the beginning to the end. The viewer doesn't get a chance to ease into the movie. The extreme mood begins during the initial minutes, with unexpected action.
Two men are scavenging through an empty lot when one of them finds a sacred spear. He takes the spear and begins to run away when suddenly a speeding car crashes into him, wrapping its body around the uninjured man. This type of action keeps the viewer locked into the story line and transitions throughout the movie effortlessly.
But to break up the intensity of the movie, weird interjections of humor were added into the story. Unfortunately, most of the jokes were cheesy and pulled away from the seriousness of the movie. They seemed out of place and failed to ease the building tension.
Yet without a doubt, the most original and creative part of the movie is its special effects. The style of the graphics is imaginative and well done. From holy water deteriorating people's faces to the floor buckling under the weight of Constantine's body, the special effects stood above all other aspects of the movie because they didn't appear to be computer-animated.
Overall, "Constantine" leaves audience members with a punch to the stomach, full of intensity but lacking logical thought process. The movie is underdeveloped, but the special effects are memorable.
