‘Constantine’ Debut Review: Hellblazer Neutered by Network TV But Still Worth a Shot

‘Constantine’ debut review reveals a visually stunning show wrought with possibilities still mired in the every man pit that is network television….

By Damon Martin — Editor/Lead Writer

The last time John Constantine graced any kind of screen it was the 2005 film titled ‘Constantine’ starring Keanu Reeves as the chain-smoking, tie wearing demon hunter and exorcist flanked by Shia LeBouf on one side and a devilish good performance from Peter Stormare on the other. The movie was universally panned considering Reeves’ inability or unwillingness to pull off a British accent (if you saw him try in ‘Dracula’ it’s probably better he didn’t do it) and an overall lack of attention to detail when comparing the story to the original DC Comics character seen in the Hellblazer title for so many years.

Personally, I actually didn’t mind the ‘Constantine’ movie and while I’m an admitted comic book junkie, Hellblazer was never a title I particularly enjoyed so I wasn’t as emotionally attached to the character as some were going into the film. Now the hell raising and hell blazing character is getting a reboot in the new NBC series ‘Constantine’ starring Matt Ryan in the lead role with the show debuting on Friday night at 10pm following ‘Grimm’.

The show kicks off in an asylum where Constantine has voluntarily spent the last three months trying to rid his mind of the demons that constantly permeate his every waking moment. He is an exorcist, demonologist and master (sometimes) of the dark arts, but after accidentally damning a 9-year old girl to hell forever after conjuring a more powerful demon to stop the one who was invading her soul failed in immense proportions, he just wants the visions of an eternal battle between heaven and hell to stop. Once an exorcist, always an exorcist because even in his psychiatric stronghold, a fellow patient is possessed while he’s in the hospital and he quickly realizes it’s a message that he needs to check out and get his ass to Atlanta where an old friend’s daughter is about to be in some serious trouble.

Here’s where Constantine takes a decided turn for the worse.

The daughter in question is played by True Blood’s Lucy Griffiths in a rather forgettable performance and apparently the producers noticed that as well because after filming the pilot and sending it out a few places, the reaction was met with an emphatic meh. So Griffiths was yanked and replaced by a different companion to team up with Constantine in future episodes. The problem is the entire debut is centered around Griffith’s character Liv and how she’s a quiet soul meant for a world in a different astral plane and her abilities are supposed to guide and lead Constantine to the people who need his help the most. The whole story is for naught once the hour is over and Liv bolts the show to go live with a cousin in California while giving up the mystical trinket that was surely going to be one of a few MacGuffins for this inaugural season of the show. It was almost like the writers were asking us to watch the first hour and then next week there will be another first hour with an entirely new character taking Liv’s place. It doesn’t damn the show to hell, but it definitely doesn’t help either.

Ryan’s version of Constantine is more loyal to the comic book version, but then again he’s not either. Because the show is on NBC, Constantine isn’t allowed to smoke or really curse much. He won’t be having much sex and he definitely won’t be having sex with boys. Because this show is on network TV, the real Hellblazer is neutered and while the leftover version isn’t bad, it’s not the same one that would appear if the show was on FX or AMC and certainly not the one who would appear on HBO or Showtime (I can assume anyways). If all those dirty deeds weren’t essential to the entire essence of the character, I’d say who cares but if you’ve ever read any story featuring John Constantine or the Hellblazer line of comics, it’s easy to see the one now decorating our TV screens on Friday nights isn’t even close to the original version.

NBC chose a virtual unknown to portray Constantine, which comes with its own freedoms and drawbacks at the same time. Ryan is serviceable in the lead role. He barks when he needs to bark. He bites when he needs to bite. He snarls and snaps off a good ‘bullocks’ from time to time, but largely his performance fades into the background for a show that’s entire centered around him. The first episode was so dedicated to creating a backstory for Griffith’s character that much of Constantine’s personality fizzed away like an open can of soda pop. The constant reminders of the little girl he damned to hell were a bit much, but forgivable considering the show was trying to set the tone for the upcoming season ahead. Dark things happen whenever John Constantine is around and even he’s capable of a massive fuck up from time to time.

Visually the first episode was a homerun, but that’s no surprise considering veteran director Neil Marshall was at the helm. He’s the man behind some of the most stunning scenes in ‘Game of Thrones’ history including last season’s ninth episode titled ‘The Watchers on the Wall’ which looked like a $100 million blockbuster created on a TV budget. Marshall creates a shadowy world where Constantine lives, even in the brightest of daylight hours. His demon possessed souls might be the real highlight of the debut episode — from a white-eyed demon painting over a wall of roaches to a snap necked victim twisting and snarling while her intended victim stands just inches away. I wonder if Constantine would have been better served to go the ‘True Detective’ route and paid to have Marshall helm the entire first season? I’m curious to see how the look of the show will change without him in charge.

In the end, the first episode of Constantine wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either. It’s so hard to judge a show based solely on one episode, especially when you already know that half of the lead cast is changing by next week. Ryan has to step up his performance if he’s going to pop off the screen as the supernatural anti-hero this show needs to survive. He’s not failing yet, but it seems as if he’s trying too hard in some spots yet not trying hard enough in others. The end of the debut saw Liv’s last action before exiting the series as a map she created for Constantine to continue his hunt for the demons invading the world right now in anticipation of a big event happening soon. Hopefully this series won’t dissolve into a ‘demon of the week’ procedural where Constantine goes city to city helping people like he’s an exorcism away from being a new age Highway to Heaven.

Being on NBC won’t help Constantine but as long as the look of the show stays dark and the material never lightens up too much, it can still survive. Of course surviving is a relative term when looking for good television these days. Constantine is in an impossibly tough spot airing on Friday nights at 10pm, but think of it this way — it can’t be any worse than the short lived Dracula series that occupied the same slot a year ago. Actually, let’s just forget that steaming pile of shit ever happened.

Constantine just needs to find its footing and hopefully a big bad will be revealed sooner rather than later to help push the anti-hero into his real comfort zone as the series gets moving over the next few weeks. There’s hope for this show, but in this day and age of a million choices on television, good just isn’t good enough anymore.