Movie Critique of Constantine
HUM/150

Movie Critique of Constantine
Constantine is a horror movie that rest on supernatural concepts. The film is about a chain smoking psychic, John Constantine, who exorcises demons and has a disdain for life. He teams up with another psychic, Angela, who has lost her twin sister, Isabel, to suicide. Together they find out her motives of suicide tie into a large sinister plot to get Satan’s son to rule the earth. They decide to try and thwart these plans but end up getting mixed up in them, particularly Angela. Constantine makes an effort to save her, and temporarily succeeds, but faces an unlikely foe (the archangel Gabriel) and his plans are derailed. Finally, he attempts to sacrifice his life for Angela and the world and, because of this, is redeemed. This movie is chock full of scary and creepy looking demons and cold half demons (“half breeds”). It is a horror movie in every sense, but is also a supernatural film.
The editing in this film was appropriate to the story that was being told. The types of editing techniques used were specific to the horror genre. There are a few examples that show what type of editing was used. Match cuts, eye-line match cut, and fast cutting are just a few editing techniques that were used in this film. They contribute to the overall feeling of the film. For example, eye-line match cut was used a few times which increase the suspense of the movie. Eye line match cut was used at the beginning of the film to introduce the dagger and the man who found it. Suspense was enhanced because the revealing of the dagger was not constantly shown and the emotions of the man were not constantly shown as well. There was anticipation that begged the question, “what’s he going to find?” and “what is his response?” Eye-line match cut was also used in one of the largest action sequences in the film when Constantine was trying to “deport” the half breed demons back to help in the psychiatric hospital. The scene cuts back and forth between Constantine shooting to who Constantine is shooting at. At this point, the audience is anxious to see if John’s attempts are successful and editing here shows his progress. Another example regarding editing is the technique of match cutting to maintain the continuity between the two shots. These shots were mainly used for Angela, and enhanced the duality of her character (being a twin, and taking her twin’s place). For example when Angela fell asleep in her bed, her sister Isabella woke from her bed in the psychiatric ward. Another example of match cutting is when Angela is transported through water into hell since water acts as a conduit into hell. Fast cutting is used to introduce Constantine, as he drops his cigarette, gets out of the cab, shows the building he is about to enter, then finally his face smoking another cigarette. This shows a large amount of information in a small time. The viewer can also begin to understand how heavy a smoker Constantine really is. A very interesting montage was used in tandem with fast cutting in the middle of the film. The fast paced montage was showed Constantine in a different dimension as a spectator of the journey of the dagger. Again, this sort of cutting condenses a large amount of information into a small time. Match cutting, eye-line match cutting, and fast cutting are just a few examples of the types of editing used.
The sound effects and score were used in the movie to illicit shock and fear. Certain sound effects were pronounced to benefit the viewer while other sounds effects were used to shock the viewer. The sounds that were used to benefit the viewer were sounds that were simply pronounced more than they would be in real life. Examples include pronounced whispers, swooshing sounds of wings, and snapping sounds of fire burning, and John’s constant hacking coughs. These sounds are meant to be louder so that the viewer would be able to hear as if they are close to the action. There are other sounds used that are meant to shock and disorient the viewer. Examples of these are things like the tea kettle screaming, the pronounced ear piercing shrieks that are heard, the shrieking beetle used during a demon fight, the clicking noises of the insects surrounding the demon, and the loud high pitched phones ringing in Angela’s apartment. All of these types of sounds are supposed to make the viewers feel uneasy and scared. There is also diegetic jazz music that plays in Constantine’s apartment that changes into part of the score. Yet jazz different from the actual score. The score is mainly dramatic music accompanied with a choir singing very low notes. It makes one feel as if the sounds could be heard in an actual Catholic Church. It made me feel uneasy and a bit offended because the actions in the movie are far from “holy” and the music gave off that sort of vibe. Like it was a spiritual war. Which it was, but the righteous side (Constantine) wasn’t exactly holy.
The cinematography in this film supports the dark and gritty tone. Camera angles, lighting, color, and types of camera lens are used to help give off that dark and gritty tone and mood. For most of the film, Constantine is shot from a low camera angle making him appear taller than he is. Angela is shot from a high angle often showing her vulnerability. The two angles with the characters suggests that she is the typical damsel in distress that Constantine is saving, or at least helping. Angela first encountering her dead sister was shot at a Dutch angle giving off an uncomfortable feeling. Other characters are shot with an eye level camera. Even most of the establishing shots (and this film had a lot of them) were filmed from an extremely long distance, but still at eye level. That makes the atmosphere of the movie seems like something that is tangible for the viewers. The various locations in the film were mainly gritty Los Angeles or gritty Mexico. Either way, there were wide angle shots to show just how dark and gritty the surroundings were. These shots were the most impressive of the film. The viewer always has a feel on where the location is. Lighting was very dark in this film, with low key lighting being used heavily on Constantine and the demons. Angela and the angel Gabriel were shot with soft light with illuminated faces and eyes. This helped with the contrast of their roles against the other roles in the film; innocent Angela and angelic Gabriel. Color played a big role in establishing the dark tone of this film. The film gradually gets darker as the film goes on. Toward the beginning, there were warm saturated colors, which you saw during the day. Nighttime yielded cool colors. The feeling of agony of existence is felt. Hell on earth during the day and hell on earth during nighttime. There were three times where tints were used: in hell, which is a de-saturated burnt golden color, at the psychiatric ward, which is a cool blue, and at Papa Midnight’s club, a bright garish red. These tints were strategically used to portray a certain mood in each one. All of them are used for dark references. Blue for sadness, red for hot and dangerous, and the de-saturated burnt gold as dangerous and death. All of these cinematic properties help the movie look and feel dark.
Social context can be linked to the meaning of the film. The meaning behind the film is redemption, and overcoming one’s own vices and problems for the greater good. Los Angeles is a city named after angels, but the city seems God-less in this film with demons running amok through the city. The city is very close to what hell is like, especially to Constantine, who is constantly trying to escape existence through suicide or bad health. This movie was filmed during the Iraqi war which was a time of the return of religious fervor and unity. A story about good and evil and the fight between the two is not a far-fetched idea. Viewers wanted a hero, but one they could relate to. In the end, Constantine stops smoking and, presumably, returns to good deeds for unselfish motives.
Although I found this movie enjoyable, I have biases that keep me questioning the storyline. As a Christian, it’s all good fun to see the righteous prevail and the wicked fall, but Constantine took that to a whole new level. There was a bit of mysticism that I thought was added for dramatic flair. That made the whole movie seem unrealistic to me, which is fine because it is a fictional story. I delighted in Constantine as a character. He played the part of an antihero, making redemption seem possible. In reality, my beliefs tell me a different outcome would take place (damnation), yet it’s still nice to dream. The CGI effects worked so well that I didn’t realize they were effects until I made myself think about it. The wide angle shots that the director seem to favor were also very enjoyable as they were striking and beautiful, especially the shots in Mexico.
I would recommend this movie to anyone who doesn’t let a religious bias affect watching a good movie. Out of 5 stars I would give this movie a 3.5. What keeps it from being a 5 was because of holes in the plot line ad lack of elaboration of smaller points of the story. It raised a few questions for me, like, “Who was her partner? He was never introduced. Why does he have on a sling” Also, “How do the half angels and half demons interact?” Those are just a few of the questions I found myself asking.

References
Lawrence, F. (Director). (2005). Constantine [Motion Picture]. USA: Warner Bros.

Phillips, W. H. (2009). Film: An introduction (4th ed.). New York, NY: Bedford/ St. Martin’s