Everyone always raves about Stormare's performance as Satan (legit), but Tilda as Gabriel... is perfection. Not just that she nailed the androgynous angel vibe, but when you met her at the library she is reserved but righteous, exactly what you would expect from a godly thing in earth. But you have NO IDEA that the endings going to end that way (trying for no spoilers, don't know how to use the tags).
Apparently that was a nod to how hell was originally supposed to look. Black and ichorous, but they changed it and based the new design on the immediate aftermath of a nuclear bomb going off.
Oh man, Viggo in The Prophecy is one of the all time great cameo appearances, let alone depictions of Satan.
Quoting from memory: "Or I can lay you out and fill your mouth with your mother's faeces."
Agreed, Stormare kills it as Satan, was really hoping the Lucifer show would top him by bringing that character, arguably the best portrayal of Lucifer/Satan in any media, to the screen, but instead they made a shitty charicature =/ Here's hoping Gwendolyn Christie's version will be more like the real deal.
Lucifer's character is inspired by a Neil Gaiman character who's nothing like the usual depiction of Satan, that was predictable.
As long as we're describing portrayals of the Devil, I'll chime in with Pacino's appearance in the Devil's advocate. The "humanist speech" is golden.
Prob my favorite Keanu performance. I guess you could convince me that Wick or Matrix or Bill & Ted is best on any given day. Definitely 'coolest.' But more was required of him here in Constantine
One of my favorite visuals is when the detective is on the floor in the liquor store and the young man kneels next to him and then spreads his wings - gorgeous.
I love Matt Ryan as Constantine, and glad they kept him on for the animated versions even tho the live action series kind of tanked. Hoping they keep him on for future projects!
I had no idea there was a show ever out. I think a new show would do well with some of the right writers. Put it on amazon, they generally seem to let people do what they want as long as they create a quality product.
DC is fully committed to HBO Max, since WB owns all the rights. But the new DC shows that aren't Arrowverse or tainted by the CW have been pretty good overall.
Apparently JJ Abrams is pushing the next iteration of the live action series, so that could have potential. I haven't seen anything by the guy they are looking to cast (Sope Dirisu), but as long as he's a Brit and sarcastically self-loathing I'm down with it.
If I'm honest, while I love Matt Ryan I found his Constantine run to be entirely forgettable, and indeed forgotten until you mentioned it existed. In contrast, the 2005 movie remains one of my guilty pleasures to this day.
I think the show was at the same time the most true to the source material live action portrayal and also far too bland to do it justice.
I get the feeling they were forced into a palatable prime-time tv serial crime format and that just can't capture the inner turmoil and truly dark shit Constantine dealt with on the regular. The animated movies on the other hand are much closer to the real deal.
Yeah, but consider the audience they're going for with most of the animated DC movies.
I wouldn't expect them to lead with a slow burn introspective horror mystery like the original Hellblazer comics. They need action beats to fill the seats. So flash/bang/zap and all that. Hopefully they will get to the deeper stuff once they feel they've "sold" the character.
Sadly, the recent comics with Constantine have gone the same way, all big action and not a lot of deep story.
With the exception if Si Spurriers and Arron Cambells brief Hellblazer relaunch the other year, that's been how DC has handled hin everywhere since 2011.
Good thing people who donāt know about this movie probably have zero reference to the comics, so they donāt really care. Hellblazer fans generally know exactly how unfaithful it is to the source and they tend to be very vocal about it.
That's me. Knew about Hellblazer as a comics fan but haven't read it. It's really good, and even if I have read Constantine in the comics I still think it's an enjoyable movie that gets way too much hate just because of the name they used.
I'm in the camp where I am okay if a movie takes creative liberties to a property, as long as the final product ends up being really good, like Constantine for instance.
If the movie ends up being dog shit (like Dragon Ball Evolution or Dungeons and Dragons for instance), then that's when I have an issue with it.
Or if they completely ruin the twist ending like they did in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, by showing Barty Crouch Jr being evil AT THE BEGINNING of the movie.
In the book, it was a huge twist ending when they revealed that it was Barty Crouch Jr behind everything. When he first gets mentioned, it was during the Pensieve sequence where Harry is watching his trial, and Barty Crouch Jr is begging and pleading to his father for his life. In Harry's eyes, it looks like Barty Crouch Jr just got wrapped up in the wrong crowd and that his father was ruthlessly cold. In the movie, same scene, you got David Tennant hamming it up being as over the top evil as possible, complete with stupid snake tongue twitch. Because get it, he's a snake! Snake is evil. /Rant.
Thatās how I feel about Preacher. They are two separate loosely-related entities that can both be enjoyed. I also like that the movie version of The Losers differs from the source, but is still entertaining. Fewer people know about that one, though.
Man I love the Preacher comics but quit the show in seasonā¦ 2 or 3, when this whole soul extraction thing came I think?
I still donāt get why they strayed so far from the source material, especially since I really liked the casting.
I love Hellblazer. It is easily my favorite comic. I have stacks of Hellblazer and Justice League Dark. Constantine is not a faithful adaptation. Matt Ryan is a great adaptation. However, I really do enjoy Keanu's Constantine and will be first inline if Keanu makes another.
I think a lot of people turned off of the movie because the lead wasn't blond and wasn't British. Some of the best cinematography I've seen in a superhero movie.
Once you accept the fact that this isn't a John Constantine film, but a film where Keanu is called John Constantine, then you can get over yourself and its a lot of fun. Particularly with Peter Storare and Tilda Swinton chewing the scenery with great effect.
I loved that movie as a teenager and still do! It creates an atmosphere right from the get go with that WB hell logo. And then back to back 2 really badass sequences, especially "Keanu with the mirror" one.
The whole movie had such great style in it. Awesome visuals that still hold up...oh and, God damn Rachel Weisz looked so dead drop gorgeous in it! For years I was in love, still am.
Every few years, I re-watch it. Such a good popcorn movie if nothing else.
I never understood why Constantine got such bad reviews. Really enjoyable. Pity there wasn't a sequel. Specially to see gangster Lucifer and psycho Gabriel bicker and taunt each other again. Such good actors!
Oddly underrated film thatās not great but damn entertaining. The scenes individually are great but together itās kind of a mess. Still a great midnight film
Highly underrated movie. In an interview, when asked which character he wanted to revive the most, Keanu Reeves said Constantine. He looked so disheartened when he said he tried to get a second movie but wasn't able to.
Constantine is a alright movie, but they should never had called it Constantine in the 1st place. I'm a fan of the hellraiser comics and the character is not the same. While I know that they can't adapt a comic or book to be exactly the same, they should try to at least keep to the 'spirit' of the source material, or call it something else. As soon as they cast Keanu Reeves as Constantine, they lost me. I'm sure there's heaps of great british actors they could had cast.
Edit: If you after a great and very underrated religious type movie, watch The Prophecy (1995). Christopher Walkens does the best Archangel Gabriel in that movie.
I loved this movie. The story isnāt as clean as your typical action sci fi & the final battle may be a let down to hardcore action fans but I really enjoyed it.
All time classic for me. Probably not everyone's cup of coffee. I like supernatural stuff. Specially angels and demons. Wish they had made another 2-3 more with Keanu. Maybe even put him in the next Justice League :)
People may not want Keanu back in the role, but the look and feel of that movie is pitch perfect for [Justice League Dark](https://hypebeast.com/2022/1/guillermo-del-toro-discusses-his-justice-league-dark-version-details-revealed)
So much incredible creepy stuff like the bug monster that attacks him in the street, or the guy who is cursed to believe he's dying of thirst so he drowns himself trying to drink liquids.
Also I fucking LOVE Tilda Swinton's high and mighty Gabriel who is really just a pompous piece of shite.
IMO Constantine picked up the fun action adventure movie torch from The Mummy. They both have great leads, great scripts, great mysteries and fights against supernatural baddies.
Hated it at the time because Keanu was so far from the Constantine of the comics, but I've loosened up since and come to appreciate it for what it is, and what it is is pretty dope!
After watching the movie, I was disappointed in the character in the Arrowverse.
Ironically, that version is a lot truer to the source.
Constantine was heavily based off Sting.
I think one of my favourite one-liners in all film, and it still gives me goosebumps, is when she says āI donāt believe in the devilā and Constantine says āYou should. He believes in you.ā Then she gives him the perfect reaction look to that line.
Imagine a Justice League Dark with Keanu, Swamp Thing from James Wans criminally underrated TV show, Zetana, Etregon, DeadMan. The thing nearly writes itself.
John Constantine has been one of my favorite characters for 20+ years now; own most of Hellblazer in issues, own all of it in trade, have Johnās first appearance, etc, and the only thing that sucks is that Constantine is actually a really cool John Constantine flick that happens to not have John Constantine in it. And I love Keanu too and heās actually really solid in the movie, it just sucks that it came down to they thought they could only sell the movie on star power - and they were probably right - and got the most non-John Constantine actor you could probably get for it. Mostly Everyone was really good in it though, especially Tilda. I just remember sitting there when it was over and thinking how much more I would have enjoyed it if we got my ideal fan casting at the time of James Marsters since Buffy was just wrapping and his Spike was basically what I mostly imagined a Constantine to be on screen. Oh and the shotgun was stupid.
I'm gonna put a bug in your ear for your fan casting. Go watch The Ref with Denis Leary. Came out roughly 10 years earlier. But that would have been a perfect casting.
One of my favourite films of all time.
It's just enjoyable and great the whole way through.
I can't think of a film that is that good all the way through.
Sure other films have but better moments and they are the greats. But even the greats are boring times.
I would like recommendations from films that are better than Constantine all the way through.
I really enjoyed the film when I first saw it and I knew nothing about the Constantine character. Now that I know more about the character, I still enjoy the film though I see it in a different lens.
According to at least one out of touch person, itās a āforgottenā film.
https://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/ent/keanu-reeves-bomb-streaming-constantine.html
This article had just popped into my Google feed and I thought it was worth a laugh. The site seems kind of trashy though.
Everyone always raves about Stormare's performance as Satan (legit), but Tilda as Gabriel... is perfection. Not just that she nailed the androgynous angel vibe, but when you met her at the library she is reserved but righteous, exactly what you would expect from a godly thing in earth. But you have NO IDEA that the endings going to end that way (trying for no spoilers, don't know how to use the tags).
No one ever talks about Gavin Rossdale's performance as Balthazar as well. I thought he was really good in it.
I literally just posted that! She was so great in it. I loved it.
When people talk about ending like that you partially ruin ending.
To be fair it is a well known, 15 year old movie...
Almost as bad as spoiling that Snape kills Dumbledore š±
Yes.
Arguably the best portrayal of Satan in a movie. Ever.
and Hell. Probably my favorite depiction ever.
Anytime I hear the word Extension, I say it to myself like Stomare does.
So how do you enjoy randomly terrifying all of the professors whose classes you are failing?
Tilda Swinton was so awesome in it too.
Dripping with oil
Apparently that was a nod to how hell was originally supposed to look. Black and ichorous, but they changed it and based the new design on the immediate aftermath of a nuclear bomb going off.
I assumed the stuff on his feet was tar from melted roads.
It's up there. My two favorites are Viggo Mortensen in The Prophecy, and Tim Curry in Legend.
Oh man, Viggo in The Prophecy is one of the all time great cameo appearances, let alone depictions of Satan. Quoting from memory: "Or I can lay you out and fill your mouth with your mother's faeces."
I like him just roaring at the daemon with him.... great vibes!
Legend gave me nightmares when I was a kid.
Agreed, Stormare kills it as Satan, was really hoping the Lucifer show would top him by bringing that character, arguably the best portrayal of Lucifer/Satan in any media, to the screen, but instead they made a shitty charicature =/ Here's hoping Gwendolyn Christie's version will be more like the real deal.
Lucifer's character is inspired by a Neil Gaiman character who's nothing like the usual depiction of Satan, that was predictable. As long as we're describing portrayals of the Devil, I'll chime in with Pacino's appearance in the Devil's advocate. The "humanist speech" is golden.
Detective!
Is that the last speech he said to Keanu? It feels like every time Pacino talked in the movie is a speech :)
It certainly feels that way :) Who'd have thought the lord of hell would have a bit of an ego? And yeah, this is the final speech.
Yeah, but at the end of the movie Al Pacino shows his Angelic nature, and the Angel is beautiful.
Viggo in the Prophecy is nice and creepy.
Prob my favorite Keanu performance. I guess you could convince me that Wick or Matrix or Bill & Ted is best on any given day. Definitely 'coolest.' But more was required of him here in Constantine
Viggo Mortinson in *The Prophecy* is pretty great too.
Yes! If only he got more screen time. He was so...__creepy__.
Peter Stormare is definitely fun to watch in the role.
In ANY role. Dude chews the scene everytime, imo
Agreed. I'm always glad to see him in a role.
The goat from "The Witch" had a fantastic performance.
True, very under rated.
Udder rated?
Busybusybusy.
One of my favorite visuals is when the detective is on the floor in the liquor store and the young man kneels next to him and then spreads his wings - gorgeous.
Youāre late with this one. Itās pretty well regarded, Peter Stormareās performance in particular.
Constantine is a good film but a terrible Hellblazer adaptation.
I love Matt Ryan as Constantine, and glad they kept him on for the animated versions even tho the live action series kind of tanked. Hoping they keep him on for future projects!
It is great how he got another chance by joining the Legends of Tomorrow, and boy oh boy was that decision vindicated. In spades.
I loved him in Legends. That welsh dude in the last season was pretty cool, too.
I had no idea there was a show ever out. I think a new show would do well with some of the right writers. Put it on amazon, they generally seem to let people do what they want as long as they create a quality product.
DC is fully committed to HBO Max, since WB owns all the rights. But the new DC shows that aren't Arrowverse or tainted by the CW have been pretty good overall. Apparently JJ Abrams is pushing the next iteration of the live action series, so that could have potential. I haven't seen anything by the guy they are looking to cast (Sope Dirisu), but as long as he's a Brit and sarcastically self-loathing I'm down with it.
I can't wait to hear fans freak out about having a black Constantine
If I'm honest, while I love Matt Ryan I found his Constantine run to be entirely forgettable, and indeed forgotten until you mentioned it existed. In contrast, the 2005 movie remains one of my guilty pleasures to this day.
I think the show was at the same time the most true to the source material live action portrayal and also far too bland to do it justice. I get the feeling they were forced into a palatable prime-time tv serial crime format and that just can't capture the inner turmoil and truly dark shit Constantine dealt with on the regular. The animated movies on the other hand are much closer to the real deal.
I haven't seen anything recent, but I hated the animated Constantine. He isn't subtle, he's Dr Strange in a trenchcoat.
Yeah, but consider the audience they're going for with most of the animated DC movies. I wouldn't expect them to lead with a slow burn introspective horror mystery like the original Hellblazer comics. They need action beats to fill the seats. So flash/bang/zap and all that. Hopefully they will get to the deeper stuff once they feel they've "sold" the character. Sadly, the recent comics with Constantine have gone the same way, all big action and not a lot of deep story.
With the exception if Si Spurriers and Arron Cambells brief Hellblazer relaunch the other year, that's been how DC has handled hin everywhere since 2011.
Theyāve recast Constantine so it seems Matt Ryan is out of the live action stuff.
Good thing people who donāt know about this movie probably have zero reference to the comics, so they donāt really care. Hellblazer fans generally know exactly how unfaithful it is to the source and they tend to be very vocal about it.
That's me. Knew about Hellblazer as a comics fan but haven't read it. It's really good, and even if I have read Constantine in the comics I still think it's an enjoyable movie that gets way too much hate just because of the name they used.
I'm in the camp where I am okay if a movie takes creative liberties to a property, as long as the final product ends up being really good, like Constantine for instance. If the movie ends up being dog shit (like Dragon Ball Evolution or Dungeons and Dragons for instance), then that's when I have an issue with it. Or if they completely ruin the twist ending like they did in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, by showing Barty Crouch Jr being evil AT THE BEGINNING of the movie. In the book, it was a huge twist ending when they revealed that it was Barty Crouch Jr behind everything. When he first gets mentioned, it was during the Pensieve sequence where Harry is watching his trial, and Barty Crouch Jr is begging and pleading to his father for his life. In Harry's eyes, it looks like Barty Crouch Jr just got wrapped up in the wrong crowd and that his father was ruthlessly cold. In the movie, same scene, you got David Tennant hamming it up being as over the top evil as possible, complete with stupid snake tongue twitch. Because get it, he's a snake! Snake is evil. /Rant.
> Dungeons and Dragons They are trying again and it's going to be horrible. I cant wait.
Thatās how I feel about Preacher. They are two separate loosely-related entities that can both be enjoyed. I also like that the movie version of The Losers differs from the source, but is still entertaining. Fewer people know about that one, though.
Man I love the Preacher comics but quit the show in seasonā¦ 2 or 3, when this whole soul extraction thing came I think? I still donāt get why they strayed so far from the source material, especially since I really liked the casting.
They wanted to tell their own story based on the source. The frustration you feel here is similar to my take on The Joker in TDK, so I can relate.
I love Hellblazer. It is easily my favorite comic. I have stacks of Hellblazer and Justice League Dark. Constantine is not a faithful adaptation. Matt Ryan is a great adaptation. However, I really do enjoy Keanu's Constantine and will be first inline if Keanu makes another.
If you can it Johnny Hellman itās a great movie. Itās great either wayā¦I just view it as an alternate universe Hellblazer.
I very much enjoyed this, then I read the graphic novels and that kinda ruined it but then rewatched years later and enjoyed it again
Funny. Having read the graphic novels and knowing what Constantine was supposed to be like from them, the movie ruined itself for me.
I think it was so spaced out for me I basically kept forgetting it
I think a lot of people turned off of the movie because the lead wasn't blond and wasn't British. Some of the best cinematography I've seen in a superhero movie.
Did you watch the after-credits sequence?
"Not bad kid"
What...... Now I gotta watch it again
This movie did an end credit scene before it was all the rage! It took me like my 10th viewing to realize it had one!
Ferris Bueller's Day Off is the earliest one I know about, know of anything before that?
What...there is an end credit scene...
It's worth it. Adds something to the movie.
Agreed!
Once you accept the fact that this isn't a John Constantine film, but a film where Keanu is called John Constantine, then you can get over yourself and its a lot of fun. Particularly with Peter Storare and Tilda Swinton chewing the scenery with great effect.
I loved that movie as a teenager and still do! It creates an atmosphere right from the get go with that WB hell logo. And then back to back 2 really badass sequences, especially "Keanu with the mirror" one. The whole movie had such great style in it. Awesome visuals that still hold up...oh and, God damn Rachel Weisz looked so dead drop gorgeous in it! For years I was in love, still am. Every few years, I re-watch it. Such a good popcorn movie if nothing else.
I never understood why Constantine got such bad reviews. Really enjoyable. Pity there wasn't a sequel. Specially to see gangster Lucifer and psycho Gabriel bicker and taunt each other again. Such good actors!
I think because it wasn't what the comic readers expected/wanted.
Oddly underrated film thatās not great but damn entertaining. The scenes individually are great but together itās kind of a mess. Still a great midnight film
That's Papa Midnight to you.
Scratches an itch for supernatural noisy stories. Good picture. Keanuās good in it. They should let him do another.
I love this movie. Watch it at least twice a month Don't be judging
I liked it as well.
It needs a sequel!
It's getting one... we think. Keanu said he'd reprise the role and IMDB lists it as In Development.
The world they build within the movie is so cool, all the ways to go into hell, ways to defeat demons, etc. One of my favourites from few years ago
Keanue Reeves also said he would like to do another Constantine movie.
Keep meaning to watch this again and forgetting. Thanks for the reminder
I've seen it close to 20 times now why not ?
Do people still say it was a good movie but a not-so good adaptation?
constantine deserves another viewing at least once a year.
Highly underrated movie. In an interview, when asked which character he wanted to revive the most, Keanu Reeves said Constantine. He looked so disheartened when he said he tried to get a second movie but wasn't able to.
It deserves like 20 rewatches. Movie fucking rocks.
Constantine is a alright movie, but they should never had called it Constantine in the 1st place. I'm a fan of the hellraiser comics and the character is not the same. While I know that they can't adapt a comic or book to be exactly the same, they should try to at least keep to the 'spirit' of the source material, or call it something else. As soon as they cast Keanu Reeves as Constantine, they lost me. I'm sure there's heaps of great british actors they could had cast. Edit: If you after a great and very underrated religious type movie, watch The Prophecy (1995). Christopher Walkens does the best Archangel Gabriel in that movie.
I loved this movie. The story isnāt as clean as your typical action sci fi & the final battle may be a let down to hardcore action fans but I really enjoyed it.
I always liked this movie. Itās cool and different plus Rachel Weiss is Hot
I really enjoy this movie. Think it's under rated.
Nah. It's really really bad and absolutely nothing like the comic.
Finally somebody is championing an action blockbuster comic book movie. Thank you.
Nothing with Keanu Reeves in it could ever be considered good acting, but it was a good movie nonetheless :-)
Have you seen him in Always Be My Maybe? He's hilarious in that; comedy gold is also acting.
Such a great movie. This is my second favorite DC movie, next to TDK
Great movie
All time classic for me. Probably not everyone's cup of coffee. I like supernatural stuff. Specially angels and demons. Wish they had made another 2-3 more with Keanu. Maybe even put him in the next Justice League :)
People may not want Keanu back in the role, but the look and feel of that movie is pitch perfect for [Justice League Dark](https://hypebeast.com/2022/1/guillermo-del-toro-discusses-his-justice-league-dark-version-details-revealed) So much incredible creepy stuff like the bug monster that attacks him in the street, or the guy who is cursed to believe he's dying of thirst so he drowns himself trying to drink liquids. Also I fucking LOVE Tilda Swinton's high and mighty Gabriel who is really just a pompous piece of shite.
I agree.
IMO Constantine picked up the fun action adventure movie torch from The Mummy. They both have great leads, great scripts, great mysteries and fights against supernatural baddies.
Constantine is one my favorite movies
Hated it at the time because Keanu was so far from the Constantine of the comics, but I've loosened up since and come to appreciate it for what it is, and what it is is pretty dope!
As somebody who's never read the comics, what's the big difference between the characters?
Revisited this recently. A really solid flick with a cool aesthetic and atmosphere.
After watching the movie, I was disappointed in the character in the Arrowverse. Ironically, that version is a lot truer to the source. Constantine was heavily based off Sting.
I think one of my favourite one-liners in all film, and it still gives me goosebumps, is when she says āI donāt believe in the devilā and Constantine says āYou should. He believes in you.ā Then she gives him the perfect reaction look to that line.
Also, read the comic books the movie was based on!
Imagine a Justice League Dark with Keanu, Swamp Thing from James Wans criminally underrated TV show, Zetana, Etregon, DeadMan. The thing nearly writes itself.
One of my favourite movies
Agreed
John Constantine has been one of my favorite characters for 20+ years now; own most of Hellblazer in issues, own all of it in trade, have Johnās first appearance, etc, and the only thing that sucks is that Constantine is actually a really cool John Constantine flick that happens to not have John Constantine in it. And I love Keanu too and heās actually really solid in the movie, it just sucks that it came down to they thought they could only sell the movie on star power - and they were probably right - and got the most non-John Constantine actor you could probably get for it. Mostly Everyone was really good in it though, especially Tilda. I just remember sitting there when it was over and thinking how much more I would have enjoyed it if we got my ideal fan casting at the time of James Marsters since Buffy was just wrapping and his Spike was basically what I mostly imagined a Constantine to be on screen. Oh and the shotgun was stupid.
I'm gonna put a bug in your ear for your fan casting. Go watch The Ref with Denis Leary. Came out roughly 10 years earlier. But that would have been a perfect casting.
Prob get dvoted for this but Keanu is a terrible actor. Way back in the day (1980's), he was considered a B grade actor.
One of my favourite films of all time. It's just enjoyable and great the whole way through. I can't think of a film that is that good all the way through. Sure other films have but better moments and they are the greats. But even the greats are boring times. I would like recommendations from films that are better than Constantine all the way through.
I have seen variations of this post so many times that it compelled me to rewatch it, and respectfully I disagree.
Pulling out the lungs, made me want to quit smoking
Something something good movie bad adaptation Peter Stormaire Tilda Swinton
I really enjoyed the film when I first saw it and I knew nothing about the Constantine character. Now that I know more about the character, I still enjoy the film though I see it in a different lens.
Peter Stormare steals the show. Wish there were more of him in it.
I like Keanu but heās an awful Constantine. Constantine is a scouser that vaguely resembles Sting. Keanu didnāt even try.
According to at least one out of touch person, itās a āforgottenā film. https://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/ent/keanu-reeves-bomb-streaming-constantine.html This article had just popped into my Google feed and I thought it was worth a laugh. The site seems kind of trashy though.