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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
John Constantine- a dangerous man to know,
By OAKSHAMAN "oakshaman" (Algoma, WI United States) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)
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This review is from: Constantine (Mass Market Paperback)
I followed the John Constantine, Hellblazer comic book series for years. I'd have to say that this novelization of the movie is close to the original. In fact, I now know things about the character that never came out before- things that make sense.
John Constantine is a free-lance occultist and paranormal detective in the series. Here is more of a supernatural enforcer- he enforces the Balance between heaven and hell. It is pointed out that angelic and demonic forces are only permitted to influence mankind through hints and suggestions, for man has free will and must be allowed to stand or fall according to his own decisions. Whenever a spirit crosses the boundary to directly control, or harm, then Constantine sends them back- with extreme prejudice. His tool of preference is a "Holy Shotgun".... The thing that keeps this from being just another supernatural slasher story is the metaphysical detail. There are some authentic sources and ideals woven into the story. The ideas actually make you think. For instance, it is stated that God had nothing to do with the making of Hell- it was a co-creation of those spirits and human souls that separated themselves from the presence of God by their own actions. Then there is the concept that the Cosmos runs according to "spiritual physics" incorporated into its very fabric, and not arbitrary religious laws or whim. Or the idea that lost spirits seem so stupid because they cannot think once they have lost the physical body and its physical brain (they never learned to act from the heart and not the head.) Oh yeah, and finally it is pointed out that the only suicides that end up in hell are those who died in despair (not those with a good or noble reason for their actions.) I know that movie novelizations have a reputation for not being that good, but the author of this one has both a Bram Stoker Award and he was coscreenwriter for "The Crow."
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A gripping, sometimes frightening, read.,
By
This review is from: Constantine (Mass Market Paperback)
It's not too often that i'm actually frightened when reading a story, but the novel Constantine has managed to do just that.
Constantine follows the plot of the movie. John Constantine is dying of lung cancer. He knows that when he dies, he's going to Hell for commiting suicicide earlier in his life. While trying to save himself, he discovers that strange things are going on. Demons are trying to cross over onto Earth, a mysterious and incredibly powerful artifcat is found, and an event is being planned that if pulled off, will mean the end of humanity. As with most movie to book tie ins, Constantine allows us to get into the heads of the charachters and find out what makes them tick. There are lots of moments that really define the charachters (A paticularly clever one is when Balthazar realizes that he's starting to prefer earth to Hell, quite a funny moment). I was also fascinated with the passages of Henessy (we finally found out what drove him mad, which wasen't covered very well in the movie), and the always interesting bits with the angel Gabriel. There's also a horrific moment where a young Constantine commits suicide, dies, and plunges into Hell. That gave me goosebumps. My favorite moment? When we find out who exactly is giving "The finger" at the climax of the story. What really makes this book interesting is the authors descriptions of Hell. He let his imagination certianlly run wild when coming up with frightening images for us to ponder over (such as people being used as mortar for bricks, and souls constantly being eaten and digested by demons over and over for all eternity). These passages are horribly realistic, and are the stuff of nightmares (though I was pleased to see the Spanish inquisitors in there). On the upside, we get to see more of Heaven as well (which was glimpsed for only a moment in the movie), and the descriptions are beautifully written. The only real problem I have with the book is how the stories message (You only need faith to be saved), is not conveyed very well. After analyzing the story, I can't really see how faith is worked into Constantines story. Even at the climax of the book, Constantine acts withought faith. Also, some ideas contradict each other. One constant message throughout the book is that God has a plan for everyone. So does that mean that God plans for certian people to be damned to Hell? (In my own views, where God loves everyone completelyand saves everyone, that is simply not possible). As some other viewers have noted, and Gabriel herself says, you cannot be saved by acts alone. Yet, one of the major charachters is saved by an act, and not one of faith, which dosent make sense and contradicts what Gabriel says early in the novel. In other words, the novels message could have been worked and tweaked until it came out better. The only other thing I would have changed is the apperance of the devil. In the movie, he appears as a gruff looking guy wearing a white suit. In the book, he appears in traditional form with the wings, hooves, etc. I personally prefer the movie Devil, but that's just me. In the end, I highly recommend this book. It's well written and definitly worth a read.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Constantine Review,
By Alcyone (Ottawa, ON, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Constantine (Mass Market Paperback)
I watched the movie before buying the book and I must say this book is a good accompaniment to the film. As an unreligious reader, my only intention was to judge it on its entertainment value. The descriptions of Hell, angels, and demons were quite vivid and fascinating in my view. Most of all, I enjoyed the storyline and characterization.
John Constantine is a world-weary, selfish, and even rude antihero. He sees things that no mortal should see. And worst of all, his friends are hunted and murdered for their association with him. But Constantine is also a desperate protagonist that I sympathized with. He committed a mortal sin as a teenager and has tried for years to win back God's grace. Like he said himself, he's pulled demons out of little girls. Constantine is dying of terminal lung cancer and has very little time left to redeem himself of a seemingly unforgivable act. The dark Constantine isn't someone who cares about what others think... then he runs into LAPD detective, Angela Dodson. The portrayal of the tension, attraction, and reluctance between Constantine and Angela was tasteful and very genuine. Angela is no ordinary person either with strange visions and scarily accurate hunches. She is desperate to seek answers to her sister's apparent suicide. That's when she runs into John Constantine, a cynical man she seemed to have nothing in common with. But they teamed up and together, they quickly discover several disturbing facts surrounding Isabel's (Angela's twin) apparent suicide. With it comes the dark plot of demons trying to cross over, rumours concerning the Spear of Destiny... and Mammon, the son of Satan, seeking assistance in his evil plans. As much as Constantine tries to push Angela away, which occurs several times in the book, he is unable to maintain the distance. For a brief moment, the author writes that Constantine felt sorry he hadn't changed his bed sheets before Angela came over. It was mentioned so quickly, just like a passing thought of the character, that a reader might forget it or discard the information. I'm glad the movie and the book didn't go mushy on the plot, but it's always good to see round characters. The book certainly fleshed things out more and filled in some holes in between scenes and dialogues. I'd recommend it to anyone who is a Constantine fan or just simply looking for an interesting read.
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