Constantine 4K (2005/DC Comics/Warner 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray)

4K Ultra HD Picture: A- Picture: B+ Sound: A- Extras: B Film: B

The Keanu Reeves genre bending action thriller Constantine (2005) may have been marketed at the time as a Keanu action movie following up the original Matrix Trilogy rather than a faithful comic adaptation to its DC / Vertigo source material in some regards, but that doesn't stop the film from being entertaining and full of creative ideas and spectacle. With rumors of a sequel stirring the pot online, the 2005 film has gotten a lavish new 20th Anniversary Edition 4K UHD release from Warner Bros. that has been long awaited from fans like myself.

Constantine stars Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Tilda Swinton, Djimon Hounsou, Peter Stormare, and Shia LaBeouf. A pretty solid cast that have all gone on to do some pretty amazing films since!

The directorial debut of music video director Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend, The Hunger Games franchise), Constantine follows John Constantine - a unique occultist / demon hunter with the ability to cross between the worlds of the living and the dead. As he helps a police detective solve the mysterious murder of her twin sister (Rachel Weisz) that is connected to the Spear of Destiny relic, he ends up confronting Hell itself as he does everything in his power to save her from becoming involved in the Devil's detrimental plot to thwart mankind along with the arch angel Gabriel (Swinton),

Some comic purists belly ached at the time that Keanu didn't resemble the Constantine from the comics nor does he have the iconic character's trademark accent. Of course in recent years we had our small screen version of Constantine played by Matt Ryan that fits this character description a bit better. There is no doubt that Keanu's performance here isn't a far cry from his Neo performance in The Matrix in some regards, of course this character is a chain smoker and more foul mouthed than the former. That being said, I don't mind Keanu's performance being a big Matrix fan and since he nails the character in other regards I can overlook these obvious differences. I do think that this generation may get a bit more out of this movie with Keanu's rise in popularity peaking in recent years with John Wick and some of the other projects that he has involved himself with. I think it's okay if there are deviations from source material in a film as long as the spirit of the character remains and in that regard I feel this movie nailed the essence of the world of Constantine stylistically and conceptually very well.

Constantine 4K is presented in 2160p on 4K UHD disc with HDR10, an HEVC / H.265 (64.21 Mbps) codec, a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.39:1 and audio tracks in and lossless Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mixdown for older systems, both 48kHz 24-bit). Scanned from the original camera negative, there is significant improvements in the feature presentation from the previous editions on 1080p Blu-ray disc, which is also included. The stylish colors in the film are consistent and clear throughout with noticeable upgrades given to skin tones and texture. The sound mix has been updated and sharpened to an effective degree and overall the film is up to high standards for the format.

Special Features

:

New!!! Two Decades of Damnation featurette

Archival Audio Commentaries

Channeling Constantine featurette

Conjuring Constantine featurette

Holy Relics featurette

Shotgun Shootout featurette

Hellscape featurette

Warrior Wings featurette

Unholy Abduction featurette

Foresight: The Power of Pre-Visualization featurette

A Writer's Vision featurette

Director's Confessional featurette

and the Demon Face featurette.

Constantine remains a fun addition to Keanu Reeves' filmography and has a pretty incredible cast that were mostly up and coming at the time this was released. There are far worse films based on comic book properties, and while some of the effects are a bit dated, the production design, cinematography, and overall filmmaking execution in other areas shines brighter on 4K UHD.

For even more Constantine, try these links:

Justice League Dark Blu-ray/DVD set

https://fulvuedrive-in.com/review/14754/Justice+League+Dark+(2017/Limited+Edition+w/Const

Constantine: The Complete Series Blu-ray Set

https://fulvuedrive-in.com/review/15276/Constantine:+The+Complete+Series+(2014+-+2015/D

Constantine: City Of Demons 4K set with Blu-ray

https://fulvuedrive-in.com/review/15280/Afraid+(2018/Well+Go+DVD)/Boris+Karloff+Collection

Constantine: The House Of Mystery Blu-ray

https://fulvuedrive-in.com/review/16122/Constantine:+The+House+Of+Mystery+(2022/DC+Com

- James Lockhart

https://letterboxd.com/jhl5films/