Based on the DC/Vertigo comic book Hellblazer where our main character was the British, blonde-haired, chain-smoking John Constantine who died and wasn't able to get into Heaven or Hell instead being made living a life of fighting various demons. However in this big-budget adaptation Constantine is still a chain smoker, but he's quite American and he's played by the black-haired Keanu Reeves.

Constantine certainly starts off well with two scenes that convince you that it might actually be a quite enjoyable ride. At first we're in Mexico where a local man unearths the Spear Of Destiny (is it a bad thing to know of this relic mostly from playing the old Wolfenstein game on my PC?) and is instantly possessed which makes him pretty much invincible - proof of which we're given when he's plowed by a car only to walk away unharmed.

From there we're off to a slums in Los Angeles where Constantine has been called in to try and exorcise a demon from a young Mexican girl. It shows us the powers our main hero has, manages to be pretty exciting, and it's method of dispatching the creature using a mirror is pretty inventive.

Right after that occurs he's approached by police detective Rachel Weisz (1999's The Mummy) who wants to hire him in order to look into the mysterious apparent suicide death of her sister. Of course, things turn out to not be such an "open and closed" case as Constantine finds himself going to Hell and back in order to try and find the truth. Along the way he finds her sister is part of a bigger conspiracy that ties in to the aforementioned spear, the angel Gabriel, and various other demonic types.

With too much focus on the special effects and action sequences, and not enough on the characters, Constantine is a heavy-handed, loud, and often confusing flick. The script by Kevin Broobin and Frank Cappello piles on tons of cryptic babbling and angst but never really explains enough for the viewer to feel a part of the "World" the movie creates. In fact, for the first half of the movie it seems to lack in an actual story flow and doesn't make too much of an impression.

If you've read the comics then you know that Constantine is quite the character and Reeves does not do it justice as he's quite monotonous in his role. They try really hard to make him this "super cool" hero with fancy gadgets (check out those holy water grenades, holy brass knuckles, and that ridiculous "cross" gun) but I was never convinced. Too bad though, because Reeves can pull it off when he puts his mind to it - the first Matrix movie proves that.

Debuting director Francis Lawrence (another music video director turned filmmaker) at least keeps the film somewhat interesting to look at and the finale isn't too bad, but overall Constantine is mostly a passable disappointment. Hellblazer deserves better as (along with Garth Ennis' Preacher) it is one of the more mature comic series out there - and not the Hollywood blockbuster they've tried to mutate it into. (Chris Hartley, 8/15/05)

Directed By: Francis Lawrence.
Written By: Kevin Broobin, Frank Cappello.

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf, Tilda Swinton.