Constantine: City of Demons Blu-Ray Review
John @#$%* Constantine.
Photo credit: CW Seed/WB
- Mild spoilers ahead
- You don’t have to read the Hellblazer comics or be a fan of NBC’s Constantine to enjoy or follow the plot of this movie.
John Constantine returns to DVD with his first animated solo story, Constantine: City of Demons.
“I’ve spent enough time around you to smell the stink of dark magic. “
John faces his adorably ugly demons.
Photo credit: CW Seed/WB
The movie hits the ground running with a flashback to John’s(voiced by Matt Ryan) stay at Ravenscar, and doesn’t let up.
John Constantine’s old friend, Chas, needs help and only John can help him. It has been almost a decade since they have spoken, and Constantine has some catching up to do. Newly separated Chas has a daughter named Trish now, and she has fallen into a coma for no reason. Chas knows there’s magic behind it. What he and Constantine do not know is that Trish’s “coma” is solely to get Constantine’s attention.
“Help? He’s a disease that infects everyone around him! “
The magical aura around Trish’s body does get Constantine’s attention, and he calls for backup in the form of Asa, The Nightmare Nurse. She confirms his fears. Together, they receive a message. He has to leave his beloved London to go to L.A.-the City of Angels. Chas insists on coming(for good reason-everyone knows that Constantine can’t drive for shit), and the pair head to the address given to them.
“Come on, Knob-Head; let’s go find the bastard that’s got your daughter.”
The boys meet Beroul.
Photo credit: CW Seed/WB
John and Chas are given a task in exchange for Trish’s soul-help the demon, named Beroul, holding it; the pair must destroy five demons in the city or Trish’s soul goes to hell with the child a young Constantine could not save-Astra Logue. But how powerful is Beroul, and is he working alone?
“Some call me…Queen of Angels…I’m so much more.”
Hellhounds after John and Chas.
Photo credit: CW Seed/WB
It seems the demons are on to Constantine and Chas, and chase them down a winding road. John conjures a brief distraction; they are soon rescued by an unknown entity possessing a Hollywood hipster. But who or what is helping the two?
John conjures a distraction.
Photo credit: CW Seed/WB
John’s fiery distraction. We’ll call her Diana.
Photo credit: WB
”Oi! Who knew there was a black market for holy water?”
John facing a demon that’s not his own.
Photo credit: CW Seed/WB
Mictlantecuhtli.
Photo credit: CW Seed/WB
The clock is ticking, but Constantine has a trick(and the Aztec death god Mictlantecuhtli) in his pocket to save the day and put everything right–or does he? Who will pay the price, and how high will it be?
“If I’m going to knock boots with a city, I’d rather it was London, luv.”
I am convinced that Matt Ryan is from an alternate universe-the love child of John Constantine and his one true love, Kit Ryan, (never mention Epiphany Greaves to me)-sent to our universe to play demon hunter John Constantine to perfection. Someone needs to ask Matt Ryan about that…
You’ll love this gory horror fest. Just like the Vertigo Hellblazer comics, we get to see John at his chain smoking, cussing, and snarky best. And it’s not surprising. The movie’s plot is based on the Hellblazer graphic novel “All His Engines”. There’s blood, flashbacks, and hints at John’s sexual prowess. There’s actual horror. We also get to see Constantine as the superb occult detective he is. The NBC show relied too heavily on Zed as a know-it-all deus ex machina, watering down Constantine’s skills and instincts. This movie rights that error, putting his talents as a con man, mage, and occult detective center stage. Constantine has left a trail of destruction and pain behind him, a trail that cuts a wide and jagged path just so Constantine can get the job done and remain unscathed.
About one third into the movie, it hit me with a shudder and a chill down my spine. This movie is creepily prescient(The fact that this is a horror movie involving the paranormal makes it even more eerie). Although most assuredly production began pre-Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey accusations, it makes the movie that much more frightening with the realization that even without all the fictional demons, Hollywood can still be a dangerous and fictional place, and monsters still lurk in her shadows.
Constantine: City of Demons is available now on Blu-Ray and digital streaming. It is rated R for extreme gore, violence, language, sexual situations, and adult themes.
