{"id":181640,"date":"2021-02-18T15:16:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-18T12:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/they-got-constantine-right-the-first-time\/"},"modified":"2021-02-18T15:16:00","modified_gmt":"2021-02-18T12:16:00","slug":"they-got-constantine-right-the-first-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/they-got-constantine-right-the-first-time\/","title":{"rendered":"#They Got &#8216;Constantine&#8217; Right The First Time"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;<strong>#They Got &#8216;Constantine&#8217; Right The First Time<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\">\n                <\/aside>\n<p><!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 3.7.9--><em>Double Take is a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">series<\/a> in which <em>Anna Swanson<\/em> and Meg Shields sit down and yell at each other about the controversial, uncomfortable, and contentious corners of cinema.\u00a0In this edition, they consider whether the reputation of Constantine as a mediocre comic-book adaptation is deserved.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>With remakes and reboots engulfing Hollywood, it\u2019s easy to get the impression that originality is lacking. Indeed, there are very few instances where a retread is justified in order to improve or reinvigorate an already beloved film. But the once-maligned <em><strong>Constantine<\/strong> <\/em>deserves a chance at redemption.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Francis Lawrence<\/strong>\u2019s feature film debut was met with critical fire and brimstone when it premiered in 2005. Critics slung the phrase \u201cspiritual shoot \u2018em up\u201d like that was a bad thing. They accused a neo-noir of being \u201cdreary.\u201d And they dismissed it as nothing more than a poor man\u2019s version of <em>The Matrix<\/em>. They were, of course, wrong as hell.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The film follows John Constantine<em> (<\/em><strong>Keanu Reeves<\/strong>), a freelance exorcist and marked cynic who\u2019s as hard-boiled as they come. He\u2019s been to Hell and back. Quite literally. And the experience left him with the ability to see Earth for what it really is: a battleground of heavenly and demonic gangsters, vying for control over the hearts, minds, and bodies of an unsuspecting humanity. <\/p>\n<p>And so, Constantine does what he can, roaming the streets, with a persistent cigarette, doing his part knowing full well that he\u2019s got a one-way ticket back to Hell when his time\u2019s up.<\/p>\n<p>Enter <strong>Rachel Weisz<\/strong>\u2019s Angela, an LAPD detective determined to prove her twin sister Isabel\u2019s fall from the roof of a mental hospital wasn\u2019t a suicide, but rather proof of something far more sinister and supernatural. She teams up with the grizzled exorcist to discover who \u2014 or what \u2014 is responsible.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>With talks of a sequel in the works and this year marking the sixteenth anniversary, what better time to revisit this unjustly dismissed genre masterpiece.\u00a0<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/><strong>Meg Shields<\/strong>: I thought it might be fun for me to start by reading you the names of some films. They might be related\u2026they might not be\u2026<\/p>\n<p><strong>Anna Swanson<\/strong>: Ok<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: <em>Joe Dirt<\/em>.<em> The Hot Chick<\/em>.<em> Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo<\/em>.<em> The Waterboy<\/em>.<em> The Dukes of Hazzard<\/em>.<em> Freddy Got Fingered<\/em>.<em> Catwoman<\/em>.<em> Thirteen Ghosts<\/em>\u2026<em><strong>Constantine<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: Is this a list of Razzie nominations?<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: This is a list of Roger Ebert\u2019s most hated films.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: Oh, wow.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: There\u2019s an entire section of Ebert\u2019s most hated list called \u201cHideous horror and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">science<\/a> afflictions\u201d that includes <em>Constantine<\/em>,<em> The Village<\/em>,<em> Hellbound: Hellraiser 2<\/em>,<em> Resident Evil<\/em>,<em> Halloween III: Season of the Witch<\/em>. You know, things that I think most people accept as being enjoyable if not straight-up good.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: <em>Halloween III<\/em>!<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: Ebert\u2019s not infallible, but I just wanted to use this to set up that there are people who lump <em>Constantine<\/em> in with the worst horror\/sci-fi ever made. And I think ultimately what we want to do here, for the film\u2019s anniversary, is engage with this criticism. Namely, because we disagree with it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: Yeah <em>Constantine<\/em> can drive now, it\u2019s sixteen, so it\u2019s time to revisit. What was your experience with the film prior to us rewatching this recently?<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: I\u2019ve never read <em>Hellblazer<\/em>, the comic the film is based on. But honestly, I think going in blind has its perks because some fans took issue with the deviations. He\u2019s not from Liverpool, he isn\u2019t blonde. And coming into it fresh means you don\u2019t have the expectations of what an adaptation of the comic books should be.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: Constantine is supposed to be from Liverpool? Ok, so, we need to change our position here, because now I\u2019m mad that I was robbed of hearing <strong>Keanu Reeves<\/strong> do a Scouse accent. I\u2019ve changed my tune on this film.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Constantine.jpg\" alt=\"Constantine\" class=\"wp-image-363254\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Constantine.jpg 800w, https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Constantine-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Constantine-160x120.jpg 160w, https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Constantine-320x240.jpg 320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: They\u2019re making a sequel. Maybe he\u2019ll do this accent in the sequel. We can dream. But yes, people took issue with him not doing the accent. And this relates to the larger issue of  Keanu\u2019s casting. We\u2019ll get to that later. In any case, I didn\u2019t have a fixed idea in my mind of what to expect when I first watched this film. It was just a nice, fun, gothic movie for children.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: Except the film has an R rating.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: Right. And that definitely raises a question of \u201cwho is this movie for?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: Us! I don\u2019t remember much of my experience the first time I saw it. But it was definitely something up my alley as a preteen. I\u2019m sure I enjoyed it at the time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: This was around the same time as <em>Hellboy<\/em> and the \u201cdark comic book movie\u201d trend was in full swing. The year before <em>Constantine<\/em>\u2018s release, <em>Catwoman<\/em> came out.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: Yeah I think of this era as <em>Ultraviolet<\/em>,<em> Daredevil<\/em>,<em> Elektra<\/em>, etc.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: Yeah the goths got hold of the computers. It was a testing ground for this idea of \u201chow to adapt darker intellectual properties.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: I\u2019d also put <em>Sin City<\/em> here. All these mid-2000s comic book\/graphic novel films that are markedly Not For Children.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: That\u2019s the thing; you mention the \u201cgraphic novel\u201d look. This was Lawrence\u2019s debut film, but his background was in music videos.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: Oh, I see that! That makes sense!<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Constantine-mirror.jpg\" alt=\"Constantine Mirror\" class=\"wp-image-363251\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Constantine-mirror.jpg 800w, https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Constantine-mirror-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Constantine-mirror-160x120.jpg 160w, https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Constantine-mirror-320x240.jpg 320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: During our rewatch, we were both struck by how good this film looks. Like, it actually looks like a comic book. There\u2019s something very expressionistic and stylish about these films. Elements are explicitly composed within the frame to create the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>earance of a comic book panel. There\u2019s a shot I\u2019m thinking of in the opening where Constantine has to exorcise a young girl. There\u2019s a frame where he\u2019s leaning above the camera and over the girl, and behind him, there\u2019s a six-foot mirror that\u2019s reflecting the demon. That\u2019s all in one frame. It\u2019s a lot of visual information, but it\u2019s so interesting to look at. And it does a lot of work with respect to worldbuilding. <em>Constantine<\/em> doesn\u2019t hold your hand. You just get dropped into this kooky Catholic world.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: It tells you at the beginning that the Sword of Destiny is missing and then an hour into the movie you learn what the Sword of Destiny is.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: Yeah exactly, so I think you\u2019re right to say that this film is stylish in the way that <em>Sin City<\/em> is. Or <em>Underworld<\/em>. Or maybe even <em>Catwoman<\/em> to a degree. These are films that are trying to capture the feel of a comic book in a cinematic way. I was taken aback by how much this film has held up. And I think the film\u2019s decision to lean harder on style is a big part of why it\u2019s still interesting, visually.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: I think it takes a lot from expressionism, the way it works with light and dark.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: It\u2019s working very confidently within a dark, morose film noir space. And that\u2019s something that critics kept bringing up as a negative.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: It makes sense, though. He\u2019s playing a Humphrey Bogart-type, that archetype of a hard-boiled film noir detective, just in a very supernatural world.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: Maybe this is a good time to talk about Keanu\u2019s performance. He\u2019s coming into this film with a lot of baggage. He\u2019d just released the two <em>Matrix<\/em> sequels, which were met with a certain amount of disdain. So his star was on the decline and then this film came out. A lot of people compared it to <em>The Matrix<\/em>, which is an unfair thing to do. These films have very little in common other than they star the same person. At this time, people weren\u2019t picking up what Keanu was putting down. The memory of the <em>Matrix<\/em> sequels affected how they regarded this film. Reviews said that, literally, any other actor would have done this role justice better than him. They didn\u2019t get what he was doing at all. Which is crazy because this is, beat for beat, the same thing he does in<em> John Wick<\/em>!<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: Yeah, that\u2019s true. This movie and this performance feel more in line with Keanu now than Keanu in the \u201990s, where I think of movies like <em>Point Break<\/em> and <em>Speed<\/em>. They\u2019re two distinct eras of different action heroes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: Watching this film in 2021, his performance makes sense and it\u2019s in line with what he\u2019s praised for now. Whereas you see critics in 2005 dragging him for being detached. And it\u2019s like: that\u2019s the character. That was a choice. It\u2019s like they couldn\u2019t see past the cultural disdain for aloof Keanu. The similarities to <em>John Wick<\/em>, which was critically lauded, are uncanny, from Keanu\u2019s performance to worldbuilding, to the fact that there\u2019s this underground, organized network of gangsters that the public isn\u2019t aware of.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: Papa Midnite\u2019s club is basically the Continental Hotel. Both are safe and neutral meeting spaces for opposing sides. I know between the two of us, I\u2019m the one who really loves <em>John Wick.<\/em> You\u2019re not as into the movies. But for me this really hit the <em>John Wick<\/em> spot. Watching <em>Constantine<\/em> basically feels like getting a fourth <em>John Wick<\/em> movie. Which is all I want.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: I want <em>John Wick<\/em> with demons. That\u2019s why I like <em>Constantine<\/em>!<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: I also think, and not even in an ironic way, that Keanu is good in this. He\u2019s legitimately, sincerely good. I was scrolling through reviews on Letterboxd, and I was seeing people saying \u201cI hated this underlit, badly acted movie,\u201d and I\u2019m like, did we watch the same movie?<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: What\u2019s that line from Lady Bird? \u201cThey didn\u2019t understand it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: It has a very 2000s \u201clook\u201d to it that is different to how movies looked a decade before.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: But that\u2019s exactly it! When you have smooth, clockable 2000s CGI in your movie, you cover it up in darkness. The darkness in <em>Constantine<\/em> wasn\u2019t an accident, it was a stylistic choice and it was the smart move! And I never found it too dark in the way where I couldn\u2019t tell what was going on.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: Yeah, it\u2019s set at night, not poorly lit. There\u2019s a difference.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: Compared to the current landscape of comic book movies, this feels so much weirder and unique than any Marvel movie. Even the better ones feel visually and thematically boring compared to this, in my opinion.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: I was thinking about that and how this movie is rated R. The conversation around the upcoming <em>Justice League<\/em> Snyder Cut as an R-rated superhero movie feels almost forced. Whereas this just feels organic. Like, yeah, of course, this movie about demon hunting is rated R. It doesn\u2019t feel like a choice done just to be edgy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: And jumping off what you said about Keanu\u2019s performance, this whole film is very sincere. This is a theological, action, horror, neo-noir. I can\u2019t think of a recent movie from Marvel or DC that has as interesting a premise, genre-wise.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: So, <em>Catwoman<\/em> comes out before <em>Constantine<\/em> and it flops. Then <em>Constantine<\/em> comes out in February. And the following spring we get the first Nolan <em>Batman<\/em> movie.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: I\u2019m not writing off DC. I think <em>Shazam!<\/em> is interesting. But in many ways <em>Shazam!<\/em> feels very Marvel-y, in that it\u2019s safe. It\u2019s still a good movie. But I don\u2019t feel that it\u2019s risky in the same way that <em>Constantine<\/em> is. And I feel like <em>Batman Begins<\/em> comes out and defines what DC does moving forward. Because lest we forget, <em>Constantine<\/em> is a DC movie, technically. But it feels like: <em>Constantine<\/em> comes out, doesn\u2019t make money, gets a very mixed-to-negative critical response. Then <em>Batman Begins <\/em>comes out and sets the groundwork for what DC films are about: you take a well-known IP, you play it straight, and then you profit, theoretically.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: Yeah.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: <em>Constantine<\/em> is the gravestone of DC playing a style <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a> as opposed to a gritty game.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: That tracks for me. \u2018Cause it\u2019s also that there is a real earnestness to it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: Yeah, one of the bigger words in the word cloud of this film\u2019s critical reception is \u201ccynical.\u201d And it\u2019s like, no. You\u2019re describing a character, not a film. The film itself is very sincere.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: There\u2019s a line near the end of the film where <em>Constantine<\/em> is at the end of his life and talking to God and he says: \u201cI know I\u2019m not one of your favorites. I know I\u2019m not welcome in your house. But I could use a little attention please.\u201d There\u2019s an emotional weight to what this character goes through that is not played up to be overwrought. He has a beat-for-beat well-written character arc.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: Something that comes up sometimes when you talk to people about <em>Constantine<\/em> is that they find the ending to be convoluted. This also comes up in a lot of reviews. And honestly, I don\u2019t get it. What did they miss? What did I miss? One of the great tricks of the film is that it starts relatively grounded and then increasingly ramps up. So by the time you get to the ending, the cheesy moment where he turns around and gives the Devil the finger as he ascends to Heaven all makes sense to me. It\u2019s justified. They worked for it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: I think this is a good time to talk about performances. This film has great worldbuilding, it looks great, it\u2019s doing interesting and unique things within its genre space. But one of the biggest things that make this film slap is the performances.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: Yes.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Constantine-Tilda.jpg\" alt=\"Constantine Tilda\" class=\"wp-image-363256\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Constantine-Tilda.jpg 800w, https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Constantine-Tilda-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Constantine-Tilda-160x120.jpg 160w, https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Constantine-Tilda-320x240.jpg 320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: The casting is excellent. You\u2019ve got Keanu and Rachel Weisz, who\u2019ve never not been at the top of their game but are definitely at the top of their game. This is such a good era for them. And then the supporting cast. <strong>Tilda Swinton<\/strong>? Magnificent.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: Yeah, like an androgynous, duplicitous angel. Who do you cast for that? You cast Tilda.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: I saw a review that said: \u201cThis is the only film where they didn\u2019t have to digitally remove her wings.\u201d It\u2019s just the type of thing where if this came out now, with the exact same cast\u2014and it could because it\u2019s composed of a cast of people who have not aged\u2014people would go nuts for it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: People weren\u2019t ready for <em>Constantine<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: And I don\u2019t even think that we\u2019re saying that because of the fatigue of what\u2019s happened over the last like ten years in superhero or comic book movies.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: No, but it definitely clarifies things in hindsight. Also, while we\u2019re talking about performances, we have to shout out <strong>Peter Stormare<\/strong>, one of the best, if not the best, on-screen portrayals of Satan. It\u2019s immaculate: a snarling, petty mob boss who\u2019s lost control of his son. Decked out in a white suit, which we associate with cinematic depictions of God, but he\u2019s just like covered in tar underneath it all. That man is on screen for like, not that long, but every second is magic. It\u2019s one of the best genre performances, period. <strong>Pruitt Taylor Vince<\/strong> as the disturbed priest who drinks himself to death is also amazing. I can\u2019t think of a bad performance in this film. And that\u2019s usually something that defines bad early 2000s genre films.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Constantine-Stormare-Devil.jpg\" alt=\"Constantine Stormare Devil\" class=\"wp-image-363252\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Constantine-Stormare-Devil.jpg 800w, https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Constantine-Stormare-Devil-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Constantine-Stormare-Devil-160x120.jpg 160w, https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Constantine-Stormare-Devil-320x240.jpg 320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: This feels like everyone is on the same wavelength. Everyone is committed to the bit of angels and demons as mob bosses and assassins. Which is great.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: Stormare is probably the most bonkers performance in <em>Constantine<\/em>. By a long shot. But by the time you get to him, you\u2019ve been given the context to understand why a character like that would exist in this world.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: It\u2019s also not so crazy that it stands out. It still tracks.<\/p>\n<p>MS: No, it only stands out because it\u2019s a top-shelf, unimpeachable genre performance. This film\u2019s 47% score on Rotten Tomatoes was a shock to me. Like, when it premiered, <em>Constantine<\/em> came in second at the box office after <em>Hitch<\/em> in its second week.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: I do love that it was a Valentine\u2019s release.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: I genuinely think the critical backlash to Keanu is the key to why this film failed. I know there are some critics who take issue with perceived plot holes. For instance, a police officer going along with all this supernatural stuff\u2026<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: But the film does take care to paint the world they\u2019re in. I think of when Angela meets <em>Constantine<\/em> and she says: \u201cOh, I got your name from the guys at the station. They say you specialize in exorcisms.\u201d Like that\u2019s the world we\u2019re working with. The cops are in conversation with exorcists. This is a supernatural, heightened, more theological version of our world. It has different rules.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: A thing you see come up time and time again in the negative reviews is people not being able to reconcile the tone. They accuse it of being a downer in that it\u2019s dark and theological. Others accuse it of being silly and flippant. They seem to want the film to pigeonhole itself when the fact is it has its feet in a couple of different pots of water.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: A movie where a man flips off Lucifer is not taking itself too seriously.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: Exactly.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: One of my things with superhero and comic book movies is that I don\u2019t think \u201ccomic book movie\u201d should be a genre unto itself.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: Great point.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: The problem with modern-day saturation, with both Marvel and DC and whatever else, is that \u201ccomic book movie\u201d is treated as a genre. There\u2019s no real interest in going beyond that. Whereas this, <em>Constantine<\/em>, is a comic book movie BUT it\u2019s a neo-noir supernatural thriller. It\u2019s working with its own genre rules and conventions and stylistic markers in a way that\u2019s beyond the fact that it\u2019s adapted from a comic book.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: I can\u2019t believe I\u2019m about to say this, but this is why it\u2019s frustrating to see something like <em>Joker<\/em> be critically well-met, where people are like: \u201coh, it\u2019s a comic book movie, but it\u2019s actually a \u201970s counterculture film. Isn\u2019t that a wild concept?!\u201d They\u2019re just describing something that other, older, comic book movies have already done. We\u2019ve had the blueprint this whole time. But some of those blueprints were a little too weird for people, or whatever.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: <em>Joker<\/em> is not as good as <em>Constantine<\/em>. But it is working in that same space of \u201cwe\u2019re going to put a comic book character in a mode that already exists\u201d. <em>Constantine<\/em> just did that with films of the \u201940s rather than films of the \u201970s.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: Which, obviously, comic books have been doing forever. That is a thing that comics do: transposing their characters into different genres and tones. This isn\u2019t new. But when <em>Constantine<\/em> did it, it was poorly received. And I don\u2019t have anything to base this on, but I do feel like the film playing in a theological sandbox gave people expectations that it was supposed to be a certain kind of way. Just like how they made up their minds about what a Keanu performance is. I don\u2019t think they were hyper-religious and scandalized. But I wonder if they came into the film with an expectation of what something in this zone should be. Namely: that it shouldn\u2019t be this playful. That\u2019s a great word for describing <em>Constantine<\/em>: not silly, not goofy, playful. And I think they struggled with the fact that it\u2019s playful and dark\u2026.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: \u2026And R-rated but not gory or self serious.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: Anyway, <em>Constantine<\/em> rips.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: I\u2019m sure there were people at the time who loved it. But I think those people were probably fourteen-year-old girls.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: <em>Constantine<\/em> is a film for girls. For sure.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: There was for sure a good reception; it just wasn\u2019t among critics.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: I agree. I also just think theological, action-horror, neo-noir is so niche. And that kind of specificity can backfire and alienate. But still: <em>Constantine<\/em> is a good movie.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: Sorry, Roger Ebert.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: Everyone owes <em>Constantine<\/em> an apology and there\u2019s no greater evidence of this than Rotten Tomatoes publishing a blog post titled: <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/editorial.rottentomatoes.com\/article\/15-years-later-we-owe-constantine-an-apology\/\">We Owe <em>Constantine<\/em> An Apology<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: Good. They\u2019re learning.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: Rarely do I get behind re-treads and revamps. But they\u2019re getting the gang back together for <em>Constantine<\/em>. And because that film got such a raw deal in 2005, I think this is a rare instance of a film deserving a second chance. I hope people are ready for it this go-round.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AS<\/strong>: Theological <em>John Wick<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MS<\/strong>: Five stars.\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/social-media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Social Media category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/double-take-constantine\/#utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=double-take-constantine\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#They Got &#8216;Constantine&#8217; Right The First Time&#8221; Double Take is a series in which Anna Swanson and Meg Shields sit down and yell at each other about the controversial, uncomfortable, and contentious corners of cinema.\u00a0In this edition, they consider whether the reputation of Constantine as a mediocre comic-book adaptation is deserved. With remakes and reboots&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":181641,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/filmschoolrejects.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Constantine-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[27263,72087,1406,2707],"class_list":["post-181640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-mediaa","tag-constantine","tag-double-take","tag-horror","tag-keanu-reeves"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181640","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=181640"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181640\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/181641"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=181640"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=181640"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=181640"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}