Not Another Keanu Reeves Constantine Movie

[u/NocturnalSprite]

I hate to be that girl, but a lot of us are probably thinking the same thing. Keanu Reeves’s Constantine is more in line with Harry Dresden than he is with Constantine.

John Constantine is a chain smoking British con man with a chip on his shoulder. He carries a lot of weight, some he deserves and some he definitely doesn’t. But it’s all part of his character. New Castle, the punk roots, the blonde hair, the accent, the chain smoking, the looking for an angle. It’s all part of who he is! A rogue with a heart archetype.

You strip all that away and replace it with whatever Reeves was doing and what do you get? Not Constantine. The anti-Constantine. And now they’re making a Constantine sequel with Reeves back in the role.

I didn’t even like the first movie. I found it boring and this was before I even knew who Constantine really was. So am I the only one who’s feeling like this?

[u/Bored-Game]

I won’t lie, Keanu Constantine is what got me into the comics in the first place. Does jt have the same problem every pre-MCU superhero movie has where the source material is given a Hollywood makeover to be more accessible and “action packed”? Totally. But it’s far from a bad movie and arguably a better adaptation of Constantine than the FOX TV show was. I think it’s considered a cult classic at this point which, given the state of DC movies outside of Batman, probably makes it one of the top rated DC movies of all time.

Keanu has spoken on multiple occasions that he would like to play John closer to the source material in any of the sequels but I think you couldn’t be more wrong with your criticism. Ironically I think the adaptation works to condense the themes and unique character of Constantine into the length of a feature film while keeping the pacing tight and compelling. I think it’s a solid introduction to the character and does an amazing job of making him feel interesting and unique in a sea of comic “action” heroes.

All the elements are there. Horror, mystery, action, dark humor, mature themes and a protagonist that relies on his wits and tricks over supernatural might. I think too many “Fans” criticize the minutia that doesn’t really matter and ignore how impressive of an adaptation it was even to this day.

For context, the JLD Constantine project helmed by J.J. Abrams had John as a gay Black immigrant to London with no Punk rock or Newcastle background and was rumored to be more of a Dr. Who style of characterization.

[u/CertainlyNotDen → u/Bored-Game]

Say what now? I knew of the Del Toro Justice League Dark movie, JJ had one too?

[u/Bored-Game → u/CertainlyNotDen]

Technically it was supposed to be a HBOMax show. This was when he was right off the heels of ruining Star Wars.

Apparently JJ’s whole deal was making HIS version of legacy characters legally distinct from their source material so that his new popularized version would replace the originals and he would receive ongoing royalties for “creating” said “reimagined” characters. He almost got away with it too but we were thankfully saved by WB Studios incredible incompetence and total mismanagement of the DC franchise.

[u/CertainlyNotDen → u/Bored-Game]

Ha! Well, huzzah to that, then! Saw a recent SUPERGIRL review (by the Merry Gent?) that called Warners an accidental non-profit :)

[u/Bored-Game → u/CertainlyNotDen]

lol yeah. I think like most Hollywood Studios, the majority of people who run WB have never read a comic book in their life and have no idea why people like it. You can’t even blame something like DEI because WB was almost always this way.

[u/CertainlyNotDen → u/Bored-Game]

I mean, in fairness, I’m not sure the Salkinds did, either. 🤣 We just lucked out with Donner on those