BACK COVER SYNOPSIS: As demon hunter John Constantine, The Matrix's Keanu Reeves fights a new otherworld foe in this eye-opening supernatural thriller based on characters from the DC Comics/Vertigo Hellblazer Graphic Novels and set in a City of the Angels where spirit-world bounds have broken... and all hell is breaking loose. Armed with a shotgun crafted from a crucifix and assisted by an intrepid cop (Rachel Weisz), he's a spiritual warrior gone to apocalyptic war. Be glad he's on your side.

FILM REVIEW: "Constantine" is a thoroughly enjoyable film. Surprisingly, it's has quite a subdued and quiet tone which one doesn't often find in a film adaptation of a comic book/graphic novel. I haven't read the original source material but from what I've heard Keanu Reeves looks and sounds nothing like the John Constantine fans have come to love from the comics and for this reason there has been a backlash to the film in the sense that there is a perception that the source material wasn't strictly adhered to. After watching the film, and the subsequent interviews with the filmmakers, it seems clear to me that they must have at least captured the spirit of the world and characters portrayed in the original Hellblazer comics and in this respect, the film succeeds amicably.

The title character, John Constantine, played with remarkably well by Keanu Reeves as the indifferent bad boy who likes to give the finger to the devil whenever he can, is what makes this film so special. He's the classic anti-hero. He doesn't help the innocent purely out of altruism; he's doing it to buy his way back in to heaven. Because of his special gift of being able to see angels and demons in the real world, Constantine attempted suicide when he was a kid and as such was sent straight to hell. However, the doctors just managed to revive him and as such he was pulled back in to the real world. Upon learning that even though he's alive, he's still going to hell because technically he's still considered a suicide, Constantine goes to work for God, deporting demons and angels who break the rules to hell, all the while hoping that this 'service' will get him back in to God's good books. It's a fresh take on a heroic character, particularly as he is portrayed by Keanu Reeves as a guy who really couldn't care less what's going on. One of the coolest aspects to this film is that all of this really scary stuff is going on but he just waltzes in just like it's another day at the office and takes care of business without giving it a second thought. One particularly good scene is when he performs an exorcism at the beginning of the film; when he extracts the demon from the girl, he gives the demon the finger before sending him on his way back to hell. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the story is that Constantine is actually dying from lung cancer due to his excessive smoking. As such, you don't even believe for a second he's in danger from all these fantastical elements. Rather, you're waiting to see if he's actually going to see it through to the end before the cancer kills him.

Rachel Weisz plays Angela, a tough cop who is shocked by the apparent suicide of her twin sister Isabel. She is outraged when the Church decrees her soul be banished from the kingdom of God for committing suicide. Ultimately her path crosses that of Constantine's and together they track down what really happened to Isabel, a journey which leads them to a plot to bring back Mamon, the son of the Devil so he can bring hell to Earth. Weisz plays the character with a sense of toughness and empathy, and serves as Constantine's conscience throughout the story. In many ways, if it weren't for her character, Constantine would have gone to hell.

One cannot comment on this film without mentioning the Devil, as portrayed in this film. He's a very different, slimey character this time around but he manages to instil that sense of fun and danger. Constantine is the only soul the Devil would actually come to Earth to collect himself. In an interesting twist, he seems to be at odds with his own son who wants to usurp his father's kingdom and have hell on Earth himself. But it's the Devil's interplay with Constantine that makes it all worthwhile. Even here, Constantine couldn't care less who he's talking to, and at the end of the day, Constantine gets the last laugh, all while giving him the finger.

The look of the film is quite rich and detailed and contributes much to the atmosphere of the film. Many of the images, even simple ones like Constantine sitting on his bed looking out the window look wonderfully comic-book like, rich in detail and colour. It's beautiful to watch and kudos to the filmmakers for creating such a rich tapestry of images. Even the CG elements are well integrated.

As I mentioned before, the only real downside may be that the film didn't strictly adhere to the physical look of the world depicting in the comics; if you watch the documentaries on this DVD, you'll see what I'm talking about. I guess if you're a comic fan you'll have issues with this but I don't really think it's a negative on the film. Overall, Constantine is an entertaining, cool and witty film with dark undertones that will keep you enthused throughout its running time.

TECHNICAL REVIEW: This disc has an excellent transfer. The filmmakers produced some wonderful images in this film and this is accurately reflected in the video transfer which is rich, crisp and vibrant to watch without any mpeg artefacts. The soundtrack is likewise impressive, particularly in the 'scare' moments where the sound dies down to a whisper only to erupt from all speakers when a demon pops up, ready to attack. Overall, this is an excellent transfer that does justice to the film.

EXTRAS REVIEW: We have a vast array of extras on this disc. There are several extended featurettes covering all aspects of production, including cast and crew interviews, which give you a strong insight in to the making of the production. These featurettes are of quite high quality because they go well beyond the promotional fluff you're more than likely to see; for example, quite a bit of time is spent analysing the comic origins of Constantine and how the filmmakers felt they needed to go with a different physical look to the character as long as they kept the spirit and tone of the comic alive. Things like this make for interesting viewing. There is 18 minutes worth of deleted scenes including an alternate ending, theatrical trailers a music video and a strong, informative audio commentary featuring the director, producer and screenwriters. A nice complement of extras to round out a solid film.

BOTTOM LINE: Worth having in the collection.