Netflix is only a few days away from jettisoning many movies that have been on loan from other studios for the last few months.
One of those films is Constantine, the 2005 comic book-inspired movie starring Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf, Tilda Swinton and more.
It would be inaccurate to call Constantine a superhero film, since John Constantine (Reeves) is no hero, and a lot of creative liberties were taken in this adaptation.
Constantine is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and it’s a surprisingly great movie that you need to catch on Netflix before it leaves at the end of the month.
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‘Constantine’ Features Keanu Reeves at His Peak
Following the conclusion of The Matrix trilogy, Reeves found another role that suited him in Constantine. Granted, the character was changed to be more like Reeves himself rather than the British occult investigator from the comics. Regardless, those changes really work well and turn John into a far more sympathetic character. In this version of the story, John is dying from lung cancer and desperate for forgiveness from Heaven by banishing demons and saving people so he can avoid an eternity in Hell.
Because John can see supernatural beings, he knows demons are real and he’s been fighting them most of his life. Reeves’ action chops came in handy, as this incarnation of John favors firearms over pure magic. He’s not just a credible action hero; he’s very human and relatable, too. Reeves may have been like Superman in The Matrix, but John Constantine was simply a man.
Rachel Weisz Is a Revelation
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Rachel Weisz is incredibly talented. She had already established herself years before Constantine was released. Her character, Angela Dodson, could have been just another cardboard damsel in distress. But instead, Angela is very compelling in her grief for her recently deceased twin sister, Isabel, who is also played by Weisz. Angela is a police detective, and she’s not just haunted by Isabel’s death. She’s been carrying a secret for decades that both shames and frightens her.
Weisz conveys all of this in Angela’s expressions and body language, and she arguably gives a stronger performance than Reeves does. This may be a Keanu Reeves flick, but it wouldn’t work half as well without Weisz’s grounded persona. She’s the normal person who is caught up in a supernatural conspiracy that may end the entire world. And no matter how fantastical the movie gets, Weisz adds a more realistic dimension to it.
‘Constantine’ Successfully Blends Supernatural Horror and Action
If you’ve ever seen Jonah Hex, then you know just how ugly a movie can get when Hollywood makes too many changes to the comic book character that inspired it in the first place. Constantine made even more changes than that film, but the key difference is that the changes resulted in a better movie. The supernatural aspects of the script give the action more flair than a typical Keanu Reeves movie, and somehow it all flows together pretty seamlessly.
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It also has to be said that this film had a ridiculously good cast, with Djimon Hounsou and Pruitt Taylor Vince in supporting roles opposite Reeves, Weisz and Swinton. Peter Stormare also has a very fun cameo appearance, but it’s too big of a spoiler to say which character he plays.
There May Be a ‘Constantine 2’ in the Future
Constantine also happens to be a personal favorite film of Reeves himself, and he’s expressed interest in reprising his role several times. In 2022, word emerged that Reeves and director Francis Lawrence are working on Constantine 2 for Warner Bros. Pictures.
Progress on the sequel has advanced at a crawl in the three years since that announcement. But Reeves and Lawrence reportedly pitched DC Studios their ideas for the sequel earlier this year, and Constantine 2 may still happen somewhere down the road.
Constantine is streaming on Netflix until June 30.
