062 Constantine (2005)

Retro Grade Podcast

“INTO THE LIGHT, I COMMAND THEE!“

Continuing our spooky movie themed month, we decided to cover a movie about the world’s grumpiest exorcist, Constantine! Although the Vertigo Comics character comes from the Hellblazer series, is blonde and British, certain liberties were taken in the American film adaptation starring Keanu Reeves as the titular character. Though the changes upset some fans (especially the comic series’ creator Alan Moore as he infamously refused to accept any royalties from the film) the film still resonated with an audience. The film wasn’t beloved by the critics, and to be honest, we at Retro Grade Podcast weren’t enamored by the film when we first saw it. However, as news broke of an upcoming sequel with director Francis Lawrence and Keanu Reeves returning, maybe it’s time to revisit the film and see how we feel about it now?

Throughout our discussion, we talk about all of the things that make the movie so memorable. It sets up a unique paranormal noir world, rooted in Catholic concepts of sin, Heaven and Hell. The amazing cast AND performances from Rachel Weisz, Djimon Hounsou, Shia LeBeouf, Tilda Swinton, Gavin Rossdale, and Peter Stormare, playing both complex and archetypal characters in a thoroughly entertaining way. We even dig into the “lost” character of Ellie, played by Michelle Monaghan, and why she only appears in one shot of the final film.

We get clinical about what are problems are with the movie, it’s pace, its plot devices, and the burden of taking the audience to a magical world while showing/telling us the rules in which this world operates. Are these issues enough for us to say Constantine is a bad movie? Not at all. By diving in deep on the story and themes, and how the two main characters paths intersect, the movie is a lot deeper than critics said it was back in 2005.

We hope you enjoy the episode!

Music is from Triune Digital and audio clips pulled from movies we will be reviewing in other episodes.

Artwork by @jannelle_o