History Film / CONSTANTINE

* ReroutedFromHeaven: [[spoiler:Inverted and then played straight. As John was a suicide since his youth, he was bound for Hell. But when he sacrificed his life and soul not just to stop the BigBad, but to save the soul of one in Hell, he is rerouted from Hell to Heaven. Not having this, John is resurrected and cured of his injuries by Satan, in the hopes that he'll screw up and get himself damned again]].

* DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu: Yes, yhe did.

* InsaneTrollLogic: The BigBad's logic for destroying mankind in order to save it.

* GratuitousForeignLanguage: A possessed girl screams "Papatayin natin silang lahat!" ("Let's kill them all!' in Tagalog)

* DoesNotLikeShoes: Lucifer, who is otherwise well-coiffed. WordOfGod states that the reason Stormare's feet are dripping with goo is that he must pollute the ground to walk on it. Neither does Gabriel when she([[AmbiguousGender ?]]) isn't wearing a suit, which implies this is a standard angelic trait.

** Played with [[spoiler:Satan. He doesn't comprehend in the moment when John asks for another soul to be freed as a reward would count as a Heroic Sacrifice. However, he is quick to realize the implications when John is prevented from being taken by His power and the gates of Heaven begin to draw John in]].

* FantasticCatholicism: The title character is a Catholic demon-hunter who uses guns and magic to send demons back to hell in a world where {{God}} and the Devil are in a bet over who can influence mankind the most. Roger Ebert on the movie:

* FantasyKeepsake: After his first visit to hell to find Isabel, Constantine brings back her hospital wrist tag to prove she was there.
* FateWorseThanDeath: Half-breed demons don't "die" but are just sent to Hell. So when John plans on granting a demon Absolution and thus entry into Heaven, it is considered this.
* FauxActionGirl: At the start of the movie Angela is introduced as a tough-as-nails cop but her role in events from then on mostly involves being protected or rescued by Constantine.

* FireAndBrimstoneHell: When John journeys there to see if Isabel is there or not, much of Hell was burn and devoid of any water.

* FlatlinePlotline: Used to give Angela a taste of Constantine's knowledge; he drowns her in a bathtub under carefully controlled conditions.

* FluffyCloudHeaven: [[spoiler:Heaven is Los Angeles with lots of clouds and god's rays.]]
* FlippingTheBird: Twice by Constantine. One being at the beginning after exorcise a demon out of a girl [[spoiler:and another to '''Satan''' after he finally earns his way out of hell]].
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Papa Midnite tells Constantine that his soul is the only one Satan himself would come to collect. [[spoiler: He's right]].

* GenericDoomsdayVillain: Unlike the other antagonists Balthazar, Lucifer and [[spoiler:Gabriel]], Mammon never displays personality and never talks.
* TheGodsMustBeLazy: God and Satan have made a deal not to directly interfere in the mortal world. The half-demons constantly break this rule, but they don't get punished -- just sent back to hell by Constantine.

* GodAndSatanAreBothJerks: The world in truth is a battleground for angels and demons for dominance. Human kind's casualties and/or souls lost to Hell are merely collateral damage. Both God and Lucifer allow it because they've made [[DealWithTheDevil a deal together]], instead of the almighty curb-stomping the rebellious archangel. Lucifer may not have to free-rein of the planet to damn as many as he pleases, but he’s still permitted to visit and send his half-breeds to try. God himself being little kinder, damning souls who not only [[SuicideIsShameful end their lives]] but those who [[DrivenToSuicide cannot handle the truth]] of the world they inhabitant. It comes off as GreyAndBlackMortality, as God’s afterlife is at least pleasant, and he cares for humanity to some degree. [[spoiler: He also accepts John into Heaven at the end, and according to the novelization, took control of John’s hand to flip off Lucifer so that he’s save John.]]

* GodIsGood: The movie seems to think so, particularly at the end. [[spoiler: Tellingly, the BigBad is the ArchangelGabriel, breaking God’s rules because He’s ‘’too benevolent’’ to humans, whom they consider unworthy of His love.]]

** A major plot point in the film is that, according to Catholic doctrine, people who commit suicide always go to Hell. This has not been the case since 1997, when the Church concluded that while suicide is a grave matter people who take their own lives might still be saved [[note]] in the Catholic Church the three requirements for a sin to be mortal is that it be a grave matter, that it be committed with full knowledge, and that it be committed with deliberate consent. While suicide is a grave matter, one or both of the other two requirements for the sin to be damning might be missing. Likewise the concept of brain death means a person who commits suicide might be able to repent in the moments before death[[/note]]. At least one of the suicides in the film was committed by a mental patient and she is shown being denied a catholic funeral and being damned to Hell for this - in reality she would not have been denied such a funeral (with the service especially asking God to be merciful) and her mental illness would have made her suicide non-mortal. Another suicide in the film, Constantine's, is even less likely to result in damnation as he was brought back to life and can therefore repent afterwards. Even his seeing Hell, contrary to what the film states, would not "condemn" him in the eyes of God because only permanent death can prevent a person from repenting. In fact there are people in real life who claim to have seen Hell in near-death experiences and who repented upon recovery because of this - virtually no theologian would argue that they are already damned for having seen Hell.
** When Constantine mentions the "SpearOfDestiny" and says "Jesus wasn't killed by crucifixion," the Catholic he's responding to replies with "I'm a Catholic, John. I know the Crucifixion story." Except in the Bible, Jesus ''was'' killed by crucifixion, and a spear was only used to drain his blood to see if he was truly dead[[note]]the blood of a corpse separates into it's base components after it's been dead long enough, and so the Romans would stab a spear through the sides of crucified corpses to see if the blood that fell out had separated yet. John 19:34's account of "blood and water" flowing from Jesus' pierced side is a description of this, proving he had died.[[/note]]. There are people who think that Jesus was "really" killed by the spear, but those tend to be people who claim the Biblical account is ''wrong''. No one would be able to teach the theory from the Bible, certainly not in Sunday School. Additionally the Spear of Destiny (or rather the "Spears" as there are four churches that claim to have the real one) is actually considered a Holy Relic and is called the Holy Lance. It's unlikely to cause demonic possession in those who possess it.
*** The novelisation justifies this by noting that the Spear just played its part in the death of Jesus without being responsible for it on its own.
** Not to mention that the main point of the plot, a non-priest exorcist is completely non-acceptable by Catholic doctrine.
** The Bible that they use in Hell has an extra five chapters in 1 Corinthians. In real life, 1 and 2 Corinthians were actually the personal correspondence between the Apostle Paul and the Church located in the city of Corinth, so does that mean that the Hell Bible features a ''different'' letter paul wrote to a city in Hell that was ''also'' named Corinth?

* BigBadDuumvirate: Mammon and [[spoiler:Gabriel]].
* BigNo: Alas, poor [[spoiler:Balthazar]]...
* BlessedWithSuck: Constantine, Father Hennessy, Isabel, and Angela each have supernatural gifts which make them not quite normal in the eyes of everyday people. Seeing a nice old lady get a NightmareFace or sensing the emotions of an event from touching the newspaper can lead to this result. [[spoiler:John even warns Angela that once her power is activated, she won't just see them, ''they will know she is seeing their true face''.]]

* CatsAreMagic: They are linked to hell. John uses Angela's cat to enter hell because, as he puts it, "they're half-in half-out anyway".

* ChristianityIsCatholic: Catholicism is the only version shown. The novelisation explains that Constantine focuses on these relics because his natural understanding of them based on his background of a Christian culture means that they are more powerful than alternatives might be.
* ClaimedByTheSupernatural: When Constantine meets Isabel Dodson's soul in Hell, she has a mark on her wrist that looks like a cross inside a circle. When Father Hennessy touches her dead body the mark appears on her wrist. Constantine later discovers that the mark is the symbol of the BigBad Mammon and that Mammon is trying to [[spoiler: possess her]] in order to carry out his evil plan.

* CruelMercy: [[spoiler:Lucifer burning off Gabriel's wings leaves him a mortal human. John happily decides to let him be after introducing him to [[TalkToTheFist pain]].]]

* CurbStompBattle: When the BigBad is revealed to be [[spoiler: Gabriel]], Constantine is effortlessly beaten. When [[spoiler:Satan turns up to save the day(!) Gabriel tries to "smite [Satan] in His honour!", only to fail because "Somebody doesn't have [Gabriel's] back any more", and then gets his wings burned off and gets blasted across the room]].

* DeathByIrony: [[spoiler:Beeman, a guy who collected insects, was killed by them coming out of his body]] and [[spoiler:Hennessy, who drank to dull his psychic powers, died from drinking himself to death in less than a minute]].

* DemonOfHumanOrigin: The novelization says that the half breed are dead humans that were so good or bad in life that they were allowed to return to Earth as part angel or demon.
* DemonSlaying: Constantine hunts down demonic halfbreeds and sends them back to hell.
* DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu: Yes. Yes he did.
* DidntSeeThatComing: [[spoiler:Lucifer did not expect to see John by him cutting his wrists again. He quickly realizes something is off with the situation. Nor did he foresee Constantine getting into heaven for the act of self-sacrifice. Though to be fair, even Constantine didn't see ''that'' one coming.]]

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Balthazar's face after John soaked half of it in holy water. Now what other [[ComicBook/TwoFace DC comic character has had half his face disfigured by a vial of liquid]]?

* TheDulcineaEffect: "Definitely... ''mostly'' not about the girl."

Things are getting strange for John Constantine (Creator/KeanuReeves), a freelance [[DemonSlaying demon hunter]] with the innate ability to spot demons in disguise. He attempted suicide to escape the visions, which condemned him to eternity in hell, but was revived--irritating [[{{Satan}} Lucifer]] (Creator/PeterStormare), who grew to despise John for killing his hellspawn.

Demon activity is on the rise, with more and more trying to cross over via [[DemonicPossession human hosts]]. This is ordinarily right up John's alley, but he's preoccupied with the fact that he's dying of cancer. He appeals to the ArchangelGabriel (Creator/TildaSwinton) for "an extension", but is flatly denied. Instead, he is enlisted by Det. Angela Dodson (Creator/RachelWeisz) to investigate the death of her sister, another psychic. It turns out that Lucifer's son is trying to usurp him. Mammon requires the body of a powerful psychic to cross over, but John suspects that someone on Earth [[TheManBehindTheMan is working on Mammon's behalf...]]

'''John''': You should; he believes in ''you''.

''Constantine'' is a 2005 American film which is loosely based on Creator/VertigoComics' ''ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}}'' comic. It borrows elements from "Dangerous Habits" (John's cancer diagnosis in issues #41-46) and the "Original Sins" trade paperback (the inclusion of Papa Midnite). It was released on February 8, 2005 in Hong Kong, and on February 18, 2005 in the U.S. and Canada. It's rated "R" for violence and demonic images by the MPAA, but the language is pretty tame.

* ShirtlessScene: John has one before he undergoes a routine lung checkup. And again in the end, when [[spoiler:Lucifer cures him of cancer, because he does it by literally ripping the tumor out through John's bare torso.]]

* GodAndSatanAreBothJerks: The world in truth is a battleground for angels and demons for dominance. Human kind's casualties and/or souls lost to Hell are merely collateral damage. Both God and Lucifer allow it because they've made [[DealWithTheDevil a deal together]], instead of the almighty curb-stomping the rebellious archangel. Lucifer has free-rein of the planet to damn as many as he pleases. God himself being no kinder, damning souls who not only [[SuicideIsShameful end their lives]] but those who [[DrivenToSuicide cannot handle the truth]] of the world they inhabitant.

* ArtisticLicenseTraditionalCHristianity: The film borrows symbols and names from Christianity, but that's where the similarities end.

%% * JustHitHim: Holy knuckle dusters FTW.

* NoSell: Lucifer being, well, ''Lucifer'', pulls this off twice after he shows up [[spoiler:to claim John's soul. John's being 'between worlds' has temporarily [[TimeDilation brought time almost to a standstill]]; Gabriel, in the other room, is moving in super-slow motion, but Lucifer meanders in at his normal pace and pulls Angela/Mammon out of the way, at which point time instantly returns back to normal. And in the reflected water that shows Mammon, he's struggling with all his might to escape his father's grasp. Lucifer doesn't so much as move a muscle. When Gabriel attempts to smite him, he freezes the angel's hand with nothing but a malicious grin.]]

* TheWormThatWalks: The "true demon" that Constantine encounters (thereby letting him know that some MAJOR shit is going down) manifests as a swarm of insects of all shapes and sizes. [[CarFu It gets killed by a car.]]

* ArtisticLicenseReligion: The film borrows symbols and names from Christianity, but that's where the similarities end.

** The Bible that they use in Hell has an extra five chapters in 1 Corinthians. 1 and 2 Corinthians were actually the personal correspondence between the Apostle Paul and the Church located in the city of Corinth, so does that mean that the Hell Bible features a ''different'' letter paul wrote to a city in Hell that was ''also'' named Corinth?

** When Constantine mentions the "SpearOfDestiny" and says "Jesus wasn't killed by crucifixion," the Catholic he's responding to replies with "I'm a Catholic, John. I know the Crucifixion story." Except in the Bible, Jesus ''was'' killed by crucifixion, and a spear was only used to drain his blood to see if he was truly dead[[note]]the blood of a corpse separates into it's base components after it's been dead long enough, and so the Romans would stab a spear through the sides of crucified corpses to see if the blood that fell out had separated yet.[[/note]]. There are people who think that Jesus was "really" killed by the spear, but those tend to be people who claim the Biblical account is ''wrong''. No one would be able to teach the theory from the Bible, certainly not in Sunday School. Additionally the Spear of Destiny (or rather the "Spears" as there are four churches that claim to have the real one) is actually considered a Holy Relic and is called the Holy Lance. It's unlikely to cause demonic possession in those who possess it.

** When Constantine mentions the "SpearOfDestiny" and says "Jesus wasn't killed by crucifixion," the Catholic he's responding to replies with "I'm a Catholic, John. I know the Crucifixion story." Except in the Bible, Jesus ''was'' killed by crucifixion, and a spear was only used to poke his corpse to demonstrate he was already dead. There are people who think that Jesus was "really" killed by the spear, but those tend to be people who claim the Biblical account is ''wrong''. No one would be able to teach the theory from the Bible, certainly not in Sunday School. Additionally the Spear of Destiny (or rather the "Spears" as there are four churches that claim to have the real one) is actually considered a Holy Relic and is called the Holy Lance. It's unlikely to cause demonic possession in those who possess it.

* AmbiguousGender: The ArchangelGabriel thought he's referred to with male pronouns.

Demon activity is on the rise, with more and more trying to cross over via [[DemonicPossession human hosts]]. This is ordinarily right up John's alley, but he's a preoccupied with the fact that he's dying of cancer. He appeals to the ArchangelGabriel (Creator/TildaSwinton) for "an extension", but is flatly denied. Instead, he is enlisted by Det. Angela Dodson (Creator/RachelWeisz) to investigate the death of her sister, another psychic. It turns out that Lucifer's son is trying to usurp him. Mammon requires the body of a powerful psychic to cross over, but John suspects that someone on Earth [[TheManBehindTheMan is working on Mammon's behalf...]]

Things are getting strange for John Constantine (Creator/KeanuReeves), a freelance {{demon hunter}} with the innate ability to spot demons in disguise. He attempted suicide to escape the visions, which condemned him to eternity in hell, but was revived--irritating [[{{Satan}} Lucifer]] (Creator/PeterStormare), who grew to despise John for killing his hellspawn.

Things are getting strang for John Constantine (Creator/KeanuReeves), a freelance {{demon hunter}} with the innate ability to spot demons in disguise. He attempted suicide to escape the visions, which condemned him to eternity in hell, but was revived--irritating [[{{Satan}} Lucifer]] (Creator/PeterStormare), who grew to despise John for killing his hellspawn.

Demon activity is on the rise, with more and more trying to cross over via [[DemonicPossession human hosts]]. This is ordinarily right up John's alley, but he's a preoccupied with the fact he's dying of cancer. He appeals to the ArchangelGabriel (Creator/TildaSwinton) for "an extension", but is flatly denied. Instead, he is enlisted by Det. Angela Dodson (Creator/RachelWeisz) to investigate the death of her sister, another psychic. It turns out that Lucifer's son is trying to usurp him. Mammon requires the body of a powerful psychic to cross over, but John suspects that someone on Earth [[TheManBehindTheMan is working on Mammon's behalf...]]

''Constantine'' is a 2005 American film which is loosely based on Creator/VertigoComics' ''ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}}'' comic. It borrows elements from "Dangerous Habits" (John's cancer diagnosis in issues #41-46) and the "Original Sins" trade paperback (the inclusion of Papa Midnite. It was released on February 8, 2005 in Hong Kong, and on February 18, 2005 in the U.S. and Canada. It's rated "R" for violence and demonic images by the MPAA, but the language is pretty tame.

->''"Keanu Reeves plays a man in a black trench coat chosen by fate to uncover the shocking truth that Earth is not as we believe it to be, but merely a mundane illusion hiding an army of insidious and overwhelming enemies. So, basically, it's ''Film/TheMatrix'' with crosses."''
-->-- '''Website/{{Cracked}}'''

''Constantine'' is a 2005 American film very loosely based on Creator/VertigoComics' ''ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}}'' comic book, with some plot elements being taken from the "Dangerous Habits" story arc (issues #41-46) and others - such as the inclusion of Papa Midnite - from the "Original Sins" trade paperback. It was released on February 8, 2005 in Hong Kong, and on February 18, 2005 in the U.S. and Canada. It is rated R for violence and demonic images by the MPAA. It also contains [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking mild language]].

Things are getting stranger for John Constantine (played by Creator/KeanuReeves), American, atoner and Catholic demon-hunter. Demon activity is on the rise as more and more denizens of Hell are trying to cross over to earth. This would be right up Constantine's alley, but he's a little preoccupied with the fact that he's dying of lung cancer, and going to go to Hell despite all he's done. (He committed suicide at a young age, which condemns him to eternity in hell, but was revived, so when he dies for real he's going to go there.)

Things come to a head when LAPD officer Angela Dodson (Creator/RachelWeisz) approaches Constantine with news that her institutionalized, possibly [[TheCassandra psychic]] sister has recently offed herself. Constantine investigates and starts to uncover a connection to the demons and a possible plot to turn Earth into a literal [[HellOnEarth Hell]].

The film is notorious among readers for being an InNameOnly adaptation -- in particular, changing the blond, British protagonist into a black-haired American (even though Reeves is Canadian) who is more of an exorcist than a magician -- but it has merits aplenty if viewed as a standalone work.

* FauxActionGirl: Angela is introduced as a tough-as-nails cop, through the rest of the movie her role mostly involves being protected or rescued by Constantine.