camwyn: Me in a bomber jacket and jeans standing next to a green two-man North Andover Flight Academy helicopter. (dead)
camwyn ([personal profile] camwyn) wrote2004-05-28 09:57 am

Have seen the Constantine trailer. Still got both my eyes.

I was persuaded to watch the trailer last night by [livejournal.com profile] pandoras_closet, despite the screaming of my self-preservation instinct.

I still don't believe in the movie. The problem is not that Keanu is bad. The problem is that he is completely unconvincing. He's the wrong colour, skin and hair and eyes alike. He looks too clean. He dresses wrong (I don't remember seeing anything that qualified as The Coat). He sounds wrong, naturally. He didn't even look like he knew what to do with his cigarette! It was completely impossible to believe that the guy I was looking at was in any way representative of, or even related to, the Right King of All Bastards. You might as well cast Tom Felton as Othello and expect me to believe I was looking at the Moor of Venice.

If you're going to cast an American in the part, and move the story to the States, at least have the decency to translate the atmosphere, too. America can't match the sense of Ancient Dreadfulness that hangs over Constantine's Britain; we shouldn't even try. But the sense of corrosive, pervasive promise-gone-to-rot that can be found in your finer film noir and hardboiled detective stories might just be our analogue. Find an actor who's suited to the part, not someone who got an honourary award for best action movie star at the World Stunt Awards. (I have nothing against action or stunt work, but it's not exactly the same thing as what John does, now is it.) Get a decent writer. Lock the director down in front of The Maltese Falcon and Touch of Evil and things like that for a fortnight or two. Then let them do it. Translate it properly into the American milieu and it might have a chance.

But don't ask me to believe in Keanu, because it can't be done.

[identity profile] shadowspinner.livejournal.com 2004-05-28 12:08 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, I found it (http://www.insanerantings.com/hell/movie/trailer.html). I just really, really wish I hadn't. Seriously.
I dunno if its just me, but I just don't think Keanu Reeves is attractive enough. Constantine used to be a pretty boy, right? And I'm assuming he's aged fairly well considering the amount of girls he goes through (all of them young(er) and pretty damn attractive).
BTW, since when did Keanu Reeves have such a deep voice?

[identity profile] isustrikanda.livejournal.com 2004-05-28 01:04 pm (UTC)(link)
The voice isnt' that far from his normal, and it scares me that I know that. And thanks for the link; just got to watch it and have to agree with camwyn--he's just not believable. they've obviously excised the Right King of All Bastards in favor of Father Flaherty with a Flamethrower. Bleargh.

Trailer remins me of a friend of mine after seeing End of Days, saying, in her best Arnold accent, "But I am the only Saint with an Uzi!"

[identity profile] shadowspinner.livejournal.com 2004-05-28 05:40 pm (UTC)(link)
The voice isnt' that far from his normal, and it scares me that I know that.

Really? Well, the only thing I've seen him in is Bill & Ted. Which I have to admit I liked.

And thanks for the link; just got to watch it and have to agree with camwyn--he's just not believable. they've obviously excised the Right King of All Bastards in favor of Father Flaherty with a Flamethrower. Bleargh.

*nods nods* Yup. He's just so... nice. Compared to the original, anyway.

Does anyone know if the girls going to be a love interest? 'Cause while its entirely in character (how many girls (and guys, for that matter) does he go through?), I figure the movie would probably do something terrible with it.

[identity profile] milkshake-b.livejournal.com 2004-05-28 07:14 pm (UTC)(link)
...having seen that, now I get [livejournal.com profile] camwyn's point. That's so completely off the mark it's hard to even get upset. It's not Hellblazer. It's just... not.