CONSTANTINE (2005) (WBHE 4K Ultra HD Review)

CONSTANTINE (2005) 

Label: WBHE

Region Code: Region-Free 

Rating: R

Duration: 120 Minutes 47 Seconds

Audio: Dolby Atmos (True HD 7.1) with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: HDR10 2160P Ultra HD Widescreen 

Director: Francis Lawrence 

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf, Tilda Swinton, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Djimon Hounsou, Gavin Rossdale, Peter Stormare

Constantine (2005) is directed by then first-time feature-fil director Francis Lawrence (The Hunger Games), the film is based on the DC Comics/Vertigo “Hellblazer” graphic novels, and while I am not well-versed in the comic source I do know it's a pretty loose adaptation. In it Keanu Reeves, fresh off The Matrix trilogy plays a sort of noir-tinged occult-detective/exorcist named John Constantine who from a young age was able to see half-breed angels and demons as they appear on the mortal plane, which drove him to attempt suicide at a young age. As a Catholic the act has doomed him to an eternity in the fiery pits of Hell when he does eventually die, but until that time he has dedicated himself to cleansing the world of half-breed demons, exorcising them back to Hell, with the hope that somehow doing the Lord's work on Earth will atone for the suicide attempt and he will be accepted in Heaven. As John is a chain-smoker and has terminal lung-cancer, that day of reckoning is closing in and time is running out.   

At the start of the film he is exorcising a demon from a young woman, he is surprised when the demon inside her attempts to crossover into our world, something that should not even be possible, causing Constantine to seek the council of former-witch doctor Papa Midnite (Djimon Hounsou, Shazam!), and meeting with Archangel Gabriel (Tilda Swinton, Orlando) to ask for a life extension to continue his work expelling demons.  

We're then introduced to Los Angeles detective named Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz, Stealing Beauty) who seeks help from Constantine to prove that the death of her twin sister was not suicide. Constantine initially does not have interest in assisting her until he observes that the demons are after her, and that the demon-infestation and her sister's death are somehow connected. Their investigation takes them through a secret world of demons and angels that exists just beneath the surface of the seedier neighborhoods of Los Angeles, giving us a very stylish and noir-tinged occult detective story chock full of interesting characters and still pretty dazzling production design and lensing. The best design elements include a trip to Hell, which looks like a nuclear apocalypse, and the demons are still very cool, humanoid husks skittering around on all fours, the top halves of their skulls removed, looking like their brains have been scooped out, leaving a hollowed out brain pan, it just looks cool. 

Notable supporting characters include Shia LaBeouf (Disturbia) as Chas Kramer, Constantine's eager to prove himself apprentice; Pruitt Taylor Vince (Identity) as an alcoholic priest named Father Hennessy with the ability to commune with the dead; and Constantine's bug-obsessed holy-armorer Beeman (Max Baker), who works out of the back of a bowling alley. On the other side of the fence we have Gavin Rossdale from alt-rockers Bush as the half-breed demon Balthazar who figure prominently into the Hell on Earth storyline, and perhaps my favorite bit of casting is that of Peter Stormare (The Big Lebowski) as Old Scratch himself Lucifer, who shows up on Earth to personally collect the soul of Constantine in a movie-stealing scene.  

Being not too familiar with the Hellblazer comic when I first saw this at the cinema I was not put off by the drastic change in the look of the character, the change of country, or the many other source-related departures. Going in with no other than expectations that a occult-detective flick I was absolutely thrilled by it, I loved it. Now 20 years later watching it in 4K I still love it a bunch. Reeve's portrayal is pretty one-note as the chain-smoking, curmudgeonly occult-detective, so thankfully it's hit just the right note for me. Additionally, the casting is quite excellent, especially Swinton and Stomrare, they are fantastic as representatives of Heaven and Hell. I was a bit worried about the circa-2005 digital effects and how they would hold-up, and while not seamless perfection by any means 20 years later I thought the blending of film and digital elements was pretty decent, the 4K upscale of 2K digital elements have their limitations, and when compared to the crisp, finely detailed filmed live elements they do look sub-par, but it did not detract from my enjoyment of the flick, and the robust deeply saturated HDR10 color-grade really gives this release some new life on home video, especially when compared to the previous Blu-ray. 

Audio/Video: Constantine (2005) gets a region-free 4K Ultra HD with a fresh new 4K restoration completed at Warner Bros. Discovery’s Motion Picture Imaging (MPI) and was sourced from the original camera negative, overseen by director Francis Lawrence with HDR10 color-grading. This is a terrific upgrade, the film is stylish, with deeply saturated colors, the new scan is chock full of texture and fine detail, and the WCG treatment looks pretty dang marvelous. The blend of film elements and digital are not always seamless, but this is easily the best the film has ever looked on home video with deep blacks, superior contrast, and warm colors throughout. Audio comes by way of a new Dolby Atmos (TrueHD 7.1) remix that brought a smile to my face throughout, moments of aggressive bombast and more subtle atmospherics are felt deeply, dialogue is nicely prioritized, and the soundtrack by Brian Tyler and Klaus Badelt comes through full-bodied, as do tracks by A Perfect Circle and the  Dave Brubeck Quartet. 

WBDHE carry-over over the archival extras from the previous DVD and Blu-ray, which were already pretty dang massive,  over 2 hours of featurettes, deleted and alternate scenes, and a pair of audio commentaries, which were all handsomely produced and are still terrific. The big surprise is that we actually get a brand new featurette, the 15-min Two Decades of Damnation with star Keanu Reeves and director Francis Lawrence reflecting favorably on the film, with Lawrence talking about how Keanu originally did not want any music directors helming the film, but the star was so into his pitch that he won him over. They both wax favorably on the flick, it's clear that they both loved making the film. The single-disc 4K Ultra HD arrives in a black keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork featuring the usual key artwork, inside there's an insert with a Redemption Code for a 4K digital copy of the film. 

Special Features:
- NEW! Two Decades of Damnation (15:08) 
- Audio  Commentary with Director Francis Lawrence and Producer Akiva Goldma. 

- Audio Commentary with Writers Kevin Brodbin and Frank A. Capello 
- Channeling Constantine (8:01) 
- Conjuring Constantine (15:44) 

- Director’s  Confessional (5:36) 

- Collision with Evil (4:40) 
- Holy Relics (8:22)
- Shotgun Shootout (2:04)
- Hellscape (12:00) 

- Visualizing Vermin (9:37) 

- Warrior Wings (3:19) 
- Unholy Abduction (5:47) 
- Demon Face (2:01) 

- Constantine Cosmology (5:22) 
- Foresight: The Power of Pre-Visualization (13:56) 
- A Writer’s Vision (1:19) 

- Deleted Scenes + Alternate Ending (18:44) 

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