Constantine breaks out theology and thrills

Towards the end of Constantine, a wounded character tells the titular semi-hero, played by Keanu Reeves, that reality is not like "the books." The books in question are a collection of occult and quasi-religious material, though they could just as easily be the comic books upon which this movie is based or the Biblical sources from which the story draws much inspiration.

To begin with, comic-book enthusiasts will note that the title has been changed from a potentially inflammatory "Hellblazer" to the more sophisticated sounding "Constantine." Purists may quibble over details such as the blonde Brit's transformation into the dark-haired Reeves, the relocation from Liverpool to Los Angeles and the casting of a younger, goofier sidekick, Chas Chandler, as Shia LaBeouf.

Theologically, the movie is all over the board (if Focus on the Family's James Dobson thought SpongeBob was bad, I fear that this movie could induce a heart attack). Just witness the treatment that the angel Gabriel gets or the cynical contaention that "God isn't planning anything. He's just a kid with an ant farm."

The heart of the story does remain intact, however. John Constantine, who damned his soul by attempting suicide, must try to win God's favor and a trip to heaven (his "retirement," as he puts it) by dispatching wayward half-demons back to hell.

When we first meet Constantine, he is being called to the scene of a demonic possession. The first shots we see of him are from the ground, looking up as he drops a cigarette from his car and then from the sky, looking straight down as he enters the building. This constitutes a not-so-subtle attempt by director Francis Lawrence to establish the main character's duality and struggle between God and Satan. This and other ambitious camera work are often nice to look at, but occasionally comes across as amateurish in its grandeur.

Later, Constantine's help is enlisted by detective Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz), whose twin sister, Isabel, apparently committed suicide. Angela believes Isabel was murdered, though, as she is Catholic and would not so recklessly endanger her eternal soul. As the movie progresses we learn that the stakes are much higher and that Satan's son is attempting to leave hell and dominate earth.

Religious imagery is pervasive, from cross-shaped gas-station crossbeams and religiously themed billboards to the engraved brass knuckles that Constantine uses to "interrogate" Gavin Rossdale's Balthazar. Again, Lawrence seems to be hitting us over the head, this time to help establish the fact that the physical world is suffused with the spiritual, as angels and demons walk among us.

Some of the religious and philosophical loose ends are tied up at the end, and there are probably more subtle thematic issues that could be analyzed here than in the entire Matrix series, but it seems more likely that it is all the result of a random blending of ideas than a conscious effort.

Ultimately, the film is entertaining enough to justify the cost of admission, and it does cause one to look at the world in a new light. For example, on my way home I noticed the vaguely cross-shaped nature of construction cranes for the first time as well as a Starbuck's sign that read "Buy our coffee or burn in hell." Mysterious ways indeed.