Constantine: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Constantine: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

Wandering Sorcerer

Reviewed by Michael Reuben November 23, 2016

John Constantine is a beloved comic-book character from the Hellblazer and Constantine series. Warner and DC Comics first tried to turn him into an action hero in a 2005 big-budget flop starring Keanu Reeves. Nine years later, the companies attempted to revive Constantine for television at the behest of writer David Goyer, who had established his reputation co-writing Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. In partnership with Daniel Cerone, a showrunner on Showtime's Dexter, Goyer developed an episodic weekly series that debuted on NBC on October 24, 2014. In spite of a disadvantageous time period, Constantine attracted a devoted fan base, but the overall ratings were disappointing. NBC declined to order any episodes beyond the initial thirteen and canceled the series after the thirteenth episode aired in February 2015.

TV shows with a cult following have been a staple of the Warner Archive Collection, which has chosen to give Constantine a Blu-ray presentation that showcases its first-rate production values, aggressive soundtrack and what Goyer called a "healthy" special effects budget. Fans can now revisit Constantine's entire run in fine form, and anyone looking forward to the upcoming Justice League Dark, where the character of Constantine is set to reappear in animated form (voiced by the series' Matt Ryan), can take this opportunity to make his acquaintance.

John Constantine (Matt Ryan) is a British sorcerer and demonologist who, as the series opens, is recovering in an asylum from a disastrous attempt to exorcise a demon from a little girl in Newcastle. Certain that his soul is damned, Constantine is resigned to his fate, but a visitation from an angel calling himself "Manny" (Harold Perrineau) summons him back into the fray. An evil force dubbed "the Rising Darkness" is threatening the world, and as this hellish adversary manifests itself in increasingly dangerous forms, Constantine criss-crosses the globe to combat it. His base of operations is a mill house near Atlanta, Georgia, which appears rustically picturesque from the outside, but inside is a treasure trove of demon lore and mystical artifacts that provide invaluable resources for Constantine's crusade. The house is also enchanted, with corridors extending into infinity and doorways leading to other dimensions.

Constantine is not alone in his struggle. Besides Manny, he has the assistance of a psychic who calls herself "Zed" (Angélica Celaya), although, as one might expect, that isn't her real name (cue the mysterious back story). Constantine also has the aid of his long-time friend, Chas Chandler (Charles Halford), who initially appears to be an ordinary man. In the pilot episode, however, Chas turns out to have special abilities, of which the origin and exact nature are not explained until later in the series (Episode Ten, "Quid Pro Quo"). Other allies appear, but a recurring element in Constantine is the tenuous relationship between John Constantine and those who share his commitment to fighting evil. Following the Newcastle debacle, Constantine is no longer trusted, and even those who turn to him for assistance often regard him with suspicion, if not outright hostility. Like every good hero, Constantine also has his share of sworn enemies, of whom the most dangerous is a voodoo priest known as "Papa Midnite" (Michael James Shaw).

Demonic "cases" come to Constantine from a variety of sources. Sometimes he's contacted for help; sometimes he receives clues from Zed's visions; sometimes he's steered to an eruption of evil by an enchanted blood-stained map created in the pilot episode. Goyer and Cerone have obviously modeled Constantine on the time-honored format of police procedurals, with specific threats providing the core of each weekly episode, while the larger arc of the Rising Darkness unfolds gradually as a series "mythology". But Constantine struggles to find its narrative footing in its early episodes, weaving uncertainly between specific investigations and the continuing story line, all the while relying on (admittedly impressive) special effects and gory tableaux to hold the viewer's attention. Goyer and Cerone often seem to be improvising, experimenting with different narrative strategies as they go. That approach might have worked in an earlier era of television, when networks were willing to grant new shows a lengthy incubation period, but the contemporary media landscape is less forgiving.

Constantine's instability is evident from the pilot episode, which takes pains to introduce viewers to Liv Aberdine (Lucy Griffiths), the daughter of one of the title character's former associates. Liv plays a key role in alerting Constantine to the Rising Darkness, but then she disappears from the series, the victim of a post-pilot course correction by Goyer and Cerone, who decided that Zed would be a more suitable sidekick for their hero. Memo to future showrunners: If you don't want to retain one of the key characters from your pilot, reshoot the entire pilot. Otherwise, the series' momentum stalls as soon as it launches, while the audience is forced to play catch-up. Constantine already feels like it is being rebooted in its second episode ("The Darkness Beneath"), and the narrative wavers uneasily for much of the season, as the writers' room struggles to integrate Zed into the story line. A similar vagueness hampers the role of Manny the angel, who is often limited in early episodes to abrupt appearances that bring the action to a halt while he dispenses cryptic pronouncements about Constantine's calling, after which he vanishes so that the story can resume. As the series progresses, both Manny and Zed begin to come into sharper focus, but by then I suspect many viewers had tuned out.

Constantine gathers momentum in its last few episodes, as John discovers that the Rising Darkness is the work of a secret society called "La Brujería" and begins to uncover clues about their ultimate goal. It's only fair to warn prospective viewers that the series ends on a cliffhanger loaded with tantalizing suggestions for its future direction. If only NBC had been willing to wait a little longer, Constantine might well have delivered on the high hopes of its fans.

Constantine: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The pilot for Constantine was shot by Romeo Tirone, a collaborator of producer Cerone on Dexter. Tirone's style was replicated in the remaining twelve episodes by Scott Kevan (Underworld: Awakening) and Evans Brown (True Blood). Specific information about the shooting format was not available, but the production is obviously digital. The Warner Archive Collection has distributed the thirteen episodes over three 1080p, AVC-encoded BD-50s, all of which exhibit the usual virtues of digital capture, with a sharp and detailed image and an absence of noise, aliasing or other artifacts. The palette is bright and warmly colorful, and the many effects-laden sequences of supernatural occurrences are effectively integrated into the visual texture. Blacks are deep and solid. WAC has mastered the episodes at varying average bitrates, depending on available space, with a high of almost 31.5 Mbps and a low of around 24.4 Mbps. The encoding is capable and to my eye there was no visible difference between episodes, regardless of bitrate.

Constantine: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Constatine's 5.1 soundtrack, encoded in lossless DTS-HD MA, is loud, especially the opening title theme by series composer Bear McCreary (Battlestar Galactica and The Walking Dead), which seems to have been mixed at a level designed to blast viewers out of their seats and into a state of awe. Demonic encounters are accompanied by roars, screams, shrieks and multiple indications of damage to persons and property. Although the mix doesn't contain noticeable rear-channel effects, it nevertheless takes advantage of the full sound array to immerse the viewer in John Constantine's world, where the supernatural may erupt into reality at any moment. Dialogue is always intelligible and correctly prioritized, and McCreary's score ranges from ominous to heroic (and, occasionally, tragic).

Constantine: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Constantine: Trailer (1080i; 1.78:1; 1:27): "The time has come . . . to set the underworld on fire."



• Constantine: On the Set (1080i; 1.78:1; 1:18): Matt Ryan ("Constantine"), co-creators David S. Goyer and Daniel Cerone, pilot director Neil Marshall and DC Comics ombudsman Geoff Johns introduce the show, set against clips of the cast and crew at work.



• 2014 Comic-Con Q&A with Cast and Creators (1080i; 1.78:1; 11:09): The panel members include Ryan, Goyer, Cerone, Harold Perrineau ("Manny"), Angélica Celaya ("Zed") and Charles Halford ("Chas"). Topics include the multiple versions of the pilot and the decision to add Zed to the story after the pilot.



• DC Comics Night at Comic-Con 2014 Presenting Gotham, The Flash, Constantine and Arrow (1080i; 1.78:1; 29:30): As the title suggests, only a small part of this panel concerns Constantine, beginning at 20:35. The show is represented on this panel by Goyer, Cerone and Ryan. (Halford and Celaya are present but do not participate.)

Constantine: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Fans of Constantine should be delighted with this set's audio and video presentation, and fans of the title character should be delighted with Matt Ryan's fully committed portrayal of the tormented exorcist. But anyone considering a "blind buy" needs to understand that, while this Blu-ray set may be subtitled "The Complete Series", the thirteen episodes do not add up to anything resembling a complete (or even a coherent) story. They are more a collection of interesting prospects and possibilities, an overview of narrative terrain that remains largely unexplored. If that limitation isn't a deterrent, the set is recommended.