 |
Constantine [Blu-ray] by Francis Lawrence
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
DVD detailsActor: Djimon Hounsou, Keanu Reeves, Max Baker, Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf Director: Francis Lawrence Producer: Akiva Goldsman Producer: Benjamin Melniker Producer: Cherylanne Martin Writer: Frank A. Cappello Writer: Garth Ennis Writer: Jamie Delano Writer: Kevin Brodbin DVD: Region Code 1 Audio: English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); Danish (Subtitled); Dutch (Subtitled); Finnish (Subtitled); German (Subtitled); Italian (Subtitled); Japanese (Subtitled); Norwegian (Subtitled); Portuguese (Subtitled); Swedish (Subtitled); English (Original Language) Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen Picture Format: 2.40:1 Running Time: 121 minutes DVD Release Date: 2008-10-14 Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Reviews of Constantine [Blu-ray]DVD Review: I Smell Sulfur Summary: 3 StarsKeanu Reeves, you sure have a penchant for. . .interesting. . .roles. And playing a daemon-fighting supernatural pariah in the quirky film CONSTANTINE is definitely one of them. Wow. The machinations and grandstanding and political posturing between Good and Evil, Heaven and Hell, are every bit as diabolical as what goes on in Washington. Who would've thunk it?
Reeves chain smokes, and mumbles, and sleepwalks through this role as if he wished he were somewhere else, thus making the viewer equally ambivalent. Tilda Swinton as an androgynous Gabriel is quite the howler. And Shia LaBeouf, isn't your fifteen minutes just about up? Yet for everything that really annoyed me about CONSTANTINE, there were some definite pluses. Djimon Hounsou is always good, and Rachel Weisz plays an easy-on-the-eye victim of the forces of Hades. But I really liked Peter Stormare as a most lascivious Lucifer; Stormare comes along at the knick of time, and saves CONSTANTINE from falling apart. Yet I still don't know why I give this movie three stars. Guess the devil made me do it.
--D. Mikels, Author, The Reckoning
DVD Review: Engrossing story - Very interesting characters Summary: 5 StarsI love this movie and have watched it many times. The pace is perfect and the fantasy exploration of angels, demons and hell is a real trip. Great special effects.
DVD Review: A COOL COMIC BOOK FLICK 8.5 OUT OF 10 Summary: 4 StarsI generally hate comic book films because they suck miserably. Aside from this, The Dark Knight, Iron Man, and Hellboy, I pretty much hate everything else. I was disappointed that this film got mixed reviews from critics and moviegoers, but I enjoyed it for what it was and I believe it to be underappreciated.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT: The story is about John Constantine; a chain-smoking, pissed off exorcist who has been barred from the gates of Heaven, but must do God's work by deporting half-breed demons (Part human, part demon) who break the rules back to Hell, who gets caught up with a detective named Angela, who believes her sister Isabel didn't commit suicide and wants John to investigate as to why she killed herself. While this is going on, John finds out that full-fledged demons are entering the Earth when they are not permitted to and breaking the rules and now they're after him and Angela. While this is going on, a man armed with the Spear of Destiny (A spear that it Catholic beliefs killed Jesus when it pierced his side and not the crucifixion) is traveling to Los Angeles where most of the story takes place because he is possessed and as he goes along, kills animals and makes people become demon-possessed. Now John and Angela must find out what is going on both sides and why this is happening. Unfortunately, the story gets confusing and becomes difficult to follow; the lowest point of the film.
MUSIC: The musical score in this film is quite good and knows how to set the mood.
ACTING: Although some people complain about Keanu Reeves's (The Matrix trilogy, Speed) acting, I didn't think he was bad in this film or any other film he's been in. Rachel Weisz (The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, Enemy at the Gates) has generally always been a good actress and there's no exception here. The rest of the actors were pretty good as well; except Shia LaBeouf, his character; Chazz; was just annoying as hell. The actors overall did a good job, even if the story and some parts of their dialogue were somewhat muddled.
ACTION: This is where the film shines. The action scenes were generally pretty good, coupled with some of the best CGI effects you'll ever see in a film and this film gives one of the most interesting perspectives on what Hell looks like and it's quite creepy and frightening. This film has a number of clever weapon designs like the shotgun that fires ammo from golden shells made from melted crucifixes. The action scenes could be explosive and even has touches of gore. Nicely done.
OVERALL: This film might offend anyone who is overly religious and they will probably claim this film to be Satanic. Those who aren't so overly touchy about religion should not be offended. If you like action flicks with an interesting twist, Constantine is definitely worth a look even if the storyline stumbles. This is indeed one of the better comic book-based films around.
THE GOOD: Amazing CGI, cool actions, good acting, good music, and an interesting storyline.
THE BAD: Storyline is confusing, the film can run into some moments of boredom, and Shia LaBeouf.
DVD Review: decent blu-ray at a good Amazon price Summary: 3 Starsnot bad, with good HD audio. the picture quality is more than decent, but little of that 3D blu-ray pop throughout the disc; the opening sequence in Mexico looks great on my Panasonic 50" 1080p via a Panasonic BD10AK, but that's as good as it will get. there's a definite upgrade over the DVD in facial detail and the like, but at almost $30, it's best to get this either used or off of Amazon at a discount.
i've always been a fan of the Constantine movie, and this was several steps better than the DVD. i used the AVS blu-ray tier forum to help make my purchasing decision.
DVD Review: Great Sci-Fi Flick Summary: 5 StarsI really liked Keanu Reeves in this movie, he plays Sci-Fi movies really well. As for the movie itself, I like the story and the computer graphics used in this movie. I think this is a movie for Sci-Fi lovers!
Description of Constantine [Blu-ray]Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 10/14/2008 Run time: 121 minutes In the grand scheme of theological thrillers, Constantine aspires for the greatness of The Exorcist but ranks more closely with The Order. Based on the popular Hellblazer comic book series, and directed with nary a shred of intelligence by music video veteran Francis Lawrence, it's basically The Matrix with swarming demons instead of swarming machines. Keanu Reeves slightly modifies his Matrix persona as John Constantine, who roams the dark-spots of Los Angeles looking for good-evil, angel-devil half-breeds to ensure that "the balance" between God and Satan is properly maintained. An ancient artifact and the detective twin of a woman who committed evil-induced suicide (Rachel Weisz) factor into the plot, which is taken so seriously that you'll want to stand up and cheer when Tilda Swinton swoops down as the cross-dressing angel Gabriel and turns this silliness into the camp-fest it really is. The digital effects are way cool (dig those hellspawn with the tops of their heads lopped off!), so if you don't mind a juvenile lesson in pseudo-Catholic salvation, Constantine is just the movie for you! --Jeff Shannon
|
 |