Constantine (2005)

Rated R for violence and demonic images.

121 Minutes

Directed By: Francis Lawrence

Written BY: Jamie Delano and Garth Ennis

Angels and Demons can’t cross over onto our plane. So, instead we get what I call half-breeds. The influence peddlers. They can only whisper in our ears. But a single word can give you courage, or turn your favorite pleasure into your worst nightmare. Those with the demon’s touch like those part angel, living alongside us. They call it the balance. I call it hypocritical bullshit. -John Constantine

Synopsis

Based on the DC/Vertigo comic book Hellblazer and written by Kevin Brodbin, Mark Bomback and Frank Capello, Constantine tells the story of  supernatural detective John Constantine, who has literally been to hell and back in this highly stylized action-thriller.  In a routine exorcism Constantine sees something that tells him some much larger evil is awry, and suddenly the rules and laws of good and evil and being smashed around him.  He must make the right choices to avenge his own soul and save mankind.

Review

Keanu Reeves makes a brilliant choice and ops for a darker fantasy film that essentially deals with Satan and God once again.  Not unlike The Devils Advocate this film focuses more on the dark side of our existence rather than the light, but these two films similarities end there.  The setting for Constantine has a realistic feel, that’s ominous receptivity is more than palpable.  Together it combines the supernatural, it’s comic book roots, and a suspenseful thriller that embodies some of the most frightening questions and fears about the battle between light and dark.

The plot is laid out in a natural and descriptive manner that allows the viewer to connect and learn about the main players, while still getting a good picture of the playing field below.  Rules are set, and some are inevitably obvious they will be broken.  The story balances educating it’s viewer with information, while simultaneously remaining mysterious and aloof.  This preternatural story has the foreboding of Rosemary’s Baby while having the menacing excitement of Poltergeist.  It is truly of the greater supernatural stories created in recent days and has the lasting power to be named with other classic titles for years to come.

The small innuendos and subtle clues that connect the mystery to one giant finale evokes our own superstitions or beliefs with a powerful plot line that is full of raw emotion, personal triumphs and crashes for our main character’s, and a desperation for answers that mirrors reality so clearly that it’s obvious nature plays out perfectly as a fictional undertone.

It’s highly distinct visuals are enamoring on their own.  Each main character has a superhero/villain appearance that isn’t over the top enough to not fit in with day to day society, but it is enough to remove them as something different and more special, which is an utterly brilliant physical metaphor for the character’s existences.  The tone the colors and the manner in which the film is captured on camera touch reality, but really omit the feeling of stepping into a different side of reality that seems identical to our own, but is entirely more sinister.

Cast

• Keanu Reeves as Constantine
• Rachel Weisz as Angela Dodson/Isabel Dodson
• Tilda Swanson as Gabriel
• Shia LaBeouf as Chas Kramer
• Djimon Hounsou as Midnite
• Max Baker as Beeman
• Gavin Rossdale as Balthazar
• Peter Stormare as Satan
   

The cast delivered the stories message so clearly it seemed the roles were actually written for each member.  This is the kind of rule that suits Keanu Reeves.  It’s dark, detached, and strong, but doesn’t require a stretch of emotions for him.  His counter-part Rachel Weisz was utterly marvelous.  Her presence is unyielding and yet remains quietly insinuated.  It’s always there, and her performance in this film made all of the high struck emotions something the viewer could really feel.  The supporting actors, including Tilda Swanson in one of her first American roles, was a breath taking scene stealer.  From the moment she garnered the focus of the camera till moments after it left her, the intensity of the movie was suddenly heightened.  She is one of the best actresses available today and her making such a small, yet important, role so dynamic and huge, was a remarkable display of her talent, and it gave so much more to an already exciting film.  Other supporters including Shia LaBeouf, Djimon Hounsou, Peter Stormare, and Gavin Rossdale were excellent additions, really pulling together outside characters and making them feel fleshed out and three dimensional.
Ratings and Suggestions

Constantine is one of my favorite films in this genre and as I’ve mentioned I believe has the ability to last threw the times as a classic in it’s category.  It captured all the positive aspects of a supernatural story, the visual landscape of a comic, the timing of a great suspense thriller, and characters that were captivating and mysterious.  Even though the conclusion of the story gives you answers and closure, it feels like the characters continue to live on in their twisted and demented world that seems to coincide with our own.  This is a movie for an adult audience that isn’t afraid to let their imagination be whisked away by darkness.  Absolutely brilliant.  Four Stars.

Reign Of Fire (2002)

Rated PG-13 for intense action violence.

101 Minutes

Directed By: Rob Bowman

Written By: Gregg Chabot and Kevin Peterka

Envy the country that has heroes, huh? I say pity the country that needs them. -Denton Van Zan

Synopsis

Something has been sleeping and mans curiosity has awakened a living nightmare.  What was once only believed to be a myth soon became all too real, and unfortunately before the whole world would accept it’s truth it had let too many roam free and destroy mankind.  Our weapons were no match, and soon the world became little more than a pile of ash as Dragons combed the streets in starvation  helping bring another species to extinction.

Review

Dragons, Post-Apocalyptic world, Christian Bale, Matthew McConaughey as a rogue dragon slayer and cool special effects?  What more could you ask for.  Reign of Fire had the goods and delivered them in a dark mystic way that both science fiction junkies and any action flick aficionado would appreciate.  It is a roller coaster ride of emotions and fear of an impending doom for the race of man.  With a future of either the dragons or man out-surviving each other, it seems man must all but give up, but Reign of Fire shows mans relentless instinct for survival, but also mans enigmatic knack for conquering it’s oppressors.

Directer Rob Bowman did an excellent job of balancing characters, the story, and the action without delving too deep into either counterpart.  Each was given back round enough to be plausible and three dimensional, but none were over focused on, which left a mystery about the characters, the dragons even, the history of how the world fully came to be, and just enough special effects and action to wet your mouth with, but the cup never ran over.  Less is often more, and Bowman really put that theory to work and made it succeed in this ravishing tale, that very much so stands on it’s own versus others that may dabble in this genre.

Cast

Christian Bale is with no question one of the best leading men available today, and definitely a great lead for action films, but in this tale of death and destruction, Matthew McConaughey steals the screen with his bravado and machismo playing Denton Van Zan, a Dragon Slaying maniac, that is in my opinion McConaughey’s best role to date.  McConaughey breathes charisma and demands the camera’s attention each time his is on screen, and even when he isn’t, his depiction is so powerful you yearn for him to return.  Van Zan is one of the most magnetic characters ever in a Science Fiction film.  The reviting performances by both lead men carry the film effectively and with their own distinct style and flair.

• Christian Bale as Quinn
• Matthew McConaughey as Denton Van Zan
• Izabella Scorupco as Alex Jensen
• Gerard Butler as Creedy

Ratings and Suggestions

This is a powerhouse film that really emotes the instinct for human survival but also the desire for something beyond just existing.  It’s subtle way of justifying this concept with an effortless plot that ignites a response from the viewer while simultaneously being entertained.  That’s just plain good fantasy and Sci-Fi.  Reign of Fire certainly rose above and beyond my expectations and goes down as one of my favorite post-apocalyptic tales of all time with the unchallenged balance of entertainment, suspense, driven and compelling characters and a depth that went beyond superficial fun.  Reign of Fire is a pure and simple joyride of suspense and pleasure.  It wins an easy three and a half stars from me. 

In The Name Of The King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (2008)

NO STARS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated PG-13 for intense battle sequences.

127 Minutes

Written By: Doug Taylor and Jason Rappaport

Directed By: Uwe Boll

I will have my vengeance. -Farmer

Synopsis

An evil medieval magician/warlord uses magic to seduce a rival sorcerers daughter, steal her powers and run an army of drone killers to take over the land, yet there is one who would stop him from achieving his goal.  A mere farmer, who seems much more, desires to avenge the death of his son, and save his wife who has been taken prisoner.  Everything is mystical and full of illusions.

Review

How does Uwe manage to get a decent cast list when he makes movies that qualify Sci-Fi originals as Oscar worthy in comparison?   Beyond the cast, what I have been subject to has been a frightening display of inept unoriginal thinking and execution.  In The Name Of The King is the crown jewel of his film failures and should be red taped at every video store it’s available at.

There were no high expectations here either.  Just an innocent curiosity about Jason Statums new adventure flick that’s supporting cast offered the possibility of something bigger than those Sci-Fi Originals though obviously I wasn’t hoping for Lord Of The Rings.  Sure, mindless adventure with battles and over the top love heroics were something forecast, but the result was a film shot in an almost hazy fashion with sloppy battle sequences that even the action hero Jason Statam couldn’t overcome.  The script itself felt lazy and bored.  It was as though the writers were too busy playing X-box to write anything original at all.  The pathetic story they put together was stolen ideas from video games and movies already created alike, and it’s visual creation less exciting than soggy oatmeal.

It was truly an atrocity, with drone villains, and the heroes, in particular the history of “Farmer” simply ludicrous.  It was exasperating to sit through, but somehow I managed my way threw it’s entirety.  I suspect it was the masochist in me, but I felt I needed to know exactly how this stupid and annoying tale finished itself.  And after the sacrifice of nearly every main character, the ending just left me wanting more massacre, in the hopes that every character would die so there would be no possibility for a sequel.

Cast

• Jason Statam as Farmer
• Ray Liotta as Gallian
• Claire Forlani as Solana
• John Rhyes-Davies as Merik
• Matthew Lillard as Duke Fallow
• LeeLee Sobieski as Muriella
• Burt Reynolds as King Konreid
• Ron Perlman as Norick

Jason Statam is a decent actor, but his abilities were far too limited to rise above the quality of film and script involved.  Even Burt Reynolds and John Ryes-Davies came off looking like morons.  The only character that seemed to fall comfortably into the story was Ron Perlmans, and his role was too small to have contributed anything in the long run.  Ray Liotta was the absolute worst though.  He incorporated everything that was wrong about the movie as he portrayed an evil sorcerer that managed to come off as more of a Gangster gone Child molester.  His character was creepy in all the wrong ways and made the story that much more laughable until you come to realize that Matthew Lillard is actually playing a power hungry villain, and then suddenly you begin to ask yourself why exactly you’re still watching and if you’ve misread the label as parody?  Well, it’s not and other than some twisted desire to finish the nightmare of a film, there is truly no reason to watch it.  There is also no redemption for the actors who chose to be a part of this twisted story, as the script was obviously a complete disaster.  They all deserve the fate of being part of one of the worst movies ever.

Ratings and Suggestions

I don’t know what it’s rated, but the only suggestion I have for this terrible flick is to STAY AWAY, STAY FAR AWAY!  This is time you can never get back,  but the most unfortunate aspect of the movie is it doesn’t leave you after you’re done viewing.  You can’t seem to get it’s utter stupidity out of your mind.  This movie is easily a candidate for worst movie of the year and possibly all time.  Don’t watch it ever.  I promise you won’t be sorry.  No stars for In The Name Of The King: A Dungeon Tale and shame on you Uwe Boll for making it.