Constantine

Constantine é um filme que pode não ser bem compreendido na primeira vez, mas que vai ser apreciado ainda mais na segunda. O filme atrai-nos para o seu próprio mundo, na fronteira entre a realidade e a ficção, associada a sérias questões religiosas da nossa vida quotidiana, e é distinto, inteligente e bem, com leveza aborda o tema bastante louco. A atração visual não desliza para ser feita sem sentido, os personagens são bem elaborados, os atores muito decentes. Não é bem para o espetador de mainstream, é mais uma curiosidade digna para os fãs interessados. Quase apetece dizer «underground de alto orçamento». (14/04/2005)

Cold-blooded Reeves as a savior, who perhaps surpasses even Nea with his charisma, as a hero who is not ashamed to flick his last cigarette in his own blood, and as a tough guy who sends all demons, including Satan, somewhere nice and fast with every gesture. And all the infernal supernaturalism in the inquisitive spirit of an authentic detective story, as no one has tried in the comic genre before. (30/04/2006)

Forget about Max von Sydow, here comes the coolest exorcist to ever grace the screen. The digital beasts bothered me the least of all (and they are not overabundant, as others have mentioned), on the contrary, I enjoyed the intriguing plot, the overflowing charisma of the great Reeves, the beauty of my sex idol Rachel Weisz, and several visually memorable scenes. And the last twenty minutes, with a clever and witty twist and the most stylish Lucifer in years (Stormare really is the devil), make Constantine a truly outstanding film. 4 1/2 *. Oh, and don't smoke or you'll go to hell. (27/06/2005)

Well, Constantine may be many things, but its hardly a second Matrix. Admittedly, both the visual styling and the intertwining alternative world motifs seem like a good foundation. But Lawrence's film does not have the figurative power of the Wachowski brothers' opus, and even the main idea is communicated too lazily, intermittently, as if trying to camouflage its simplicity. Yes, all those religious discussions are bearable and sometimes interesting, but it simply cannot match the postmodern straightforward power of The Matrix metaphor. But that's the only negative thing I'd point out about Constantine. Otherwise, it is a very entertaining and interesting film in all respects. I quite like the torn concept of Reeves, even though the dark side is hard to believe with his angelic face... But Constantine needed a star. The craftsmanship packaging, including the effects and visuals, is really good and corresponds pleasantly to the story. In the end the final gradation and a hint of twist outweighed my complete impression and the good side. A four-star spectacle with a hopeful, half-open ending. I'm just not sure a sequel would benefit Constantine. (02/10/2006)

A conman, a joker, a thief, a magician... Well, simply John Constantine. An Englishman from Liverpool, a blue-eyed, cynical, amoral, scruffy-faced blond who is forever shrouded in a cloud of cigarette smoke and, in a mysterious English fog, solves mysterious cases in which he relies on his wits rather than weapons to outsmart (or cheat) almost everyone, from ordinary mortals to the bigwigs of hell. None of the above, however, can be found in this movie adaptation, not even a hint of it. Not in terms of the look or behavior of the main hero, or the location, or the plot, or the action, or anything. And yet that doesn't mean Constantine is a bad movie; it’s not - it's just a bad adaptation. But damn it, of all the "CGI action comic book movies" it is, even years later, one of the best. Everything here is as it should be with a good popcorn movie; it just doesn't have anything of what a good adaptation of “Hellblazer" is supposed to contain. (01/06/2012)