Mid-week recommendation, not a new movie, but for those of you with a thing for Shia LeBeouf of Transformers 1, 2, and the upcoming 3, Constantine can really give you a pre-star performance of the actor.
(Left-to-Right) Constantine, Midnite, and Chas standing outside of Papa Midnite’s bar.
Image from moviesmedia.ign.com
But of course, the main focus isn't Shia LeBeouf, is Canadian actor Keanu Reeves! Oh, and the design of a nuclear-blasted world to be Hell is really a state-of-the-art too![1] Reminds me of how dangerous a nuclear disaster can be.
Adapted from the horror comic Hellblazer, Constantine talks about a cool but heavy-smoking John Constantine bargaining with Heaven by sending demons who made their ways to the "human plane" back to Hell. He then was involved in a murder investigation in which he discovered a much larger and darker plot.
I really like the idea of having Heaven, Hell and the "human plane" all in the same dimension, and that there are the half-angels and half-demons who can cross these planes freely while human crossing the plane to Hell will need the help of a cat or to commit crimes before death. It is the first horror-plus-exorcist movie that uses cool high-tech Batman-James-Bond-like weapons -- The Holy Shotgun, the Gold Brass Knuckles blessed by the Bishop Anicott during the Crusades and Dragon's Breath, together with some traditional low-tech ones like Holy Water ampoules from the River Jordan and Screech beetle from Amityvilles, a piece of the shroud Moses wore to the mountain.[2]
John Constantine with Gold Brass Knuckles
John Constantine holding onto a Dragon's breath
Image from imfdb.org
Overall, I love this movie as the plot, the scene design, the theories are all making sense, it is really intriguing to be in the world of Constantine -- cool but filled with danger. The detective-and-conspiracy interlocks are thrilling and addictive to watch. A definitive movie you can't miss!
Vocabulary: pre-star -- from the word "star" -- (adj) before becoming famous brass knuckles -- (n) [plural] a metal weapon which is worn over the knuckles and is intended to increase the injuries caused when hitting a person screech -- (n) [C]a long loud high noise which is unpleasant to hear
