CONSTANTINE (2005)

 

PHENOMENALITY: *marvelous*
MYTHICITY: *good*
FRYEAN MYTHOS: *drama*
CAMPBELLIAN FUNCTION: *metaphysical,psychological*

Here's a self-indulgent chronicle of my CONSTANTINE-watching history. I recently watched the animated DTV film CONSTANTINE: CITY OF DEMONS, thought it was okay, and then read the graphic novel on which it had been based, at which point the DTV movie seemed pretty weak sauce. I watched the 2005 CONSTANTINE on DVD probably a few years after its theatrical debut, and I didn't get much out of it. But before giving 2005 a re-watch, I read the comic-book sequence on which the film was very loosely based-- and the weaknesses of the original story made me better appreciate the work of director Francis Lawrence (in his feature film debut) and of co-writer Kevin Brodbin.

A quick word about the history of John Constantine in comics: he appeared, courtesy of Alan Moore and Steve Bissette, in the pages of SWAMP THING, at a time when the creators were also taking elements of Judeo-Christian myth and religion and adding those elements to the DC Comics mainstream. (Marvel Comics had done something similar earlier, but they only represented aspects of the Judeo-Christian Hell in features like SON OF SATAN and TOMB OF DRACULA, while strictly refraining from any depictions of the Heavenly Hosts.) Whatever significance Moore and Bissette intended when they gave Constantine the same initials of a rather consequential Christian icon, Constantine was one of various figures who offered insight into the war between Heaven and Hell in the DC Universe. That said, Constantine was often a mocker of both realms rather than the exemplar of either. His main resemblance to that other "J.C." was that Constantine was often cast in the role of exorcist, forcing demons out of innocent human beings. But his moments of transcendent goodness are always compromised by his "all too human" flaws of selfishness, rashness and concupiscence.

A further note: the DC Universe pays host to many religious entities, with the result that if any given writer wants a major cosmic threat, he or she can open the Gates of Hell or Hades or any other demon-domain with the ease of falling off a log. 

Brodbin's CONSTANTINE, though, doesn't make it so easy. Early in the movie, it's established that neither angels nor demons can literally exist on the Earth-plane, thanks to an enduring "detente" between God and Satan. There's a technical exception for the sort of human/spirit hybrids suggested in the Old Testament: half-angels like Gabriel (Tilda Swinton) or half-demons like Balthazar (Gavin Rossdale), and they serve as agents in a proxy war to see which ethereal realm can sway the greatest number of souls. So when this version of Constantine fears that for the first time Hell's demons may be able to invade the Earth, we're far from the log-falling paradigm.

Constantine himself is also in clear and present danger of being conquered by Hell. The only thing the movie borrows from the comic book sequence is the idea that the hero has manifested an aggressive cancer as the result of his years of chain-smoking. Because Constantine attempted suicide at a young age-- even though his body was revived medically-- Heaven's rules insist that at death his spirit will be consigned to Hell, where he will suffer not only for his sins but for his actions against Hell's residents. I believe the "early suicide" element was created for this film. But though it's possible the trope did appear in some comics-story, it's not a major part of the comics continuity. So the film's hero must save both the world and himself-- though the half-angel Gabriel tells him that his very selfishness makes Heaven's forgiveness impossible.

Lawrence and Brodbin approach this cosmic threat by giving their story a slow, minatory pace after the fashion of films noirs. And just as in many films noirs, the hero finds his way to truth partly by dumb luck. Policewoman Angela (Rachel Weicz) seeks out Constantine to solve the mystery of her twin sister Isobel, who despite being a staunch Catholic took her own life and so seemingly courted the halls of Satan. Isobel turns out to be one of the keys to sussing out the Satanic stratagem, which involves unleashing Satan's son Mammon on Earth, loosely following the pattern of the Book of Revelations. Other clues involve the Spear of Destiny, the relic that took the life of that other J.C., and a special "Bible in Hell" that explicates arcane matters not mentioned in the New Testament.

I'll pass over the specific ways in which Constantine, Isobel and Consantine's other allies (including Shia LeBeouf as a comedy relief) seek to counter the demon invasion. But it's worth noting that not only does this version of the hero undertake an imitatio Christi that wouldn't work as well with the DC character, Lawrence and Brodbin repeatedly emphasize an "element" that belongs to the traditional "four elements." However religious orthodoxy interprets Jesus' frequent association with water in the Scriptures, this pop-cultural J.C. maintains an identical symbolic trope. The ostensible reason is that water allows the exorcist to commune with realms outside the Earth-domain. But the filmmakers keep up the water motif so frequently-- as against the motif of the hero burning his lungs away with cancer sticks-- that all the appearances of the aqueous element take on a deeper significance, that of "a fountain of water springing up into eternal life" (John 4:14).

Again, without going to specifics regarding the denouement, I'll add that Lawrence and Brodbin did their homework here too, as the envy of angels toward man, a major theme in Judeo-Christian and Islamic belief, plays into the motivations of the architects of the demon-release. Keanu Reeves, though he doesn't try to emulate the look or sound of Comics-Constantine, communicates the character's dark skepticism and misanthropy. Rachel Weicz, playing both Angela and Isobel, provides strong support, and I liked how she delivers a line about "trading places with my sister" that prefigures a part of the solution to the story's problems. The other cast-members are adequate but the script doesn't render them any standout moments.

Surprisingly, almost twenty years later there's still talk of a sequel, with Lawrence attached as director, but without Kevin Brodbin as writer. I don't know whether lightning can possibly strike twice for DC's eccentric exorcist. But I can think of worse projects that Hollywood has pursued, and will continue to pursue.