Constantine is the latest DC Comics owned franchise that has received the treatment for the small screen. Based on the Hellblazer comics created by Alan Moore and Stephen R Bissette, and linked by character names only to the 2005 film starring Keanu Reeves, the series takes a look at some of the more mystical goings on within the DC Universe.
Matt Ryan’s portrayal of the titular character is well performed, with the laconic wit and deadpan humour that is ever present within Constantine. Currently, his sexuality isn’t too important within the context of the story so far, but it seems fairly evident that earlier drafts of the script show he was a smoker, by the prominence of a lighter in some scenes.Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for any other characters within the episode. Liv Aberdine (played by Lucy Griffiths) is designed to be the audience surrogate for the episode, asking the questions that will give context to the world they inhabit, but she is so bland that she would almost melt into the background were it not the insistence of the plot to put her front and centre for the action. Her reaction to seeing someone walking around after being killed in a previous scene is akin to having your housemate jump out at you whilst pulling a scary face. Strangely, she is only credited for one episode of the series, suggesting that she won’t reappear any time soon, requiring a new audience substitute for the next episode. Of the characters who are credited to appear in multiple episodes, Manny (Harold Perrineau) is the only character to show some intrigue, though that could easily be attributed to the cryptic speech he uses throughout the episode.
Constantine feels like it has potential; had the network been braver and allowed a bit more maturity and darker themes within the show, it could have been great. As it currently stands, this series could easily fail within a couple of seasons, which is a shame. However, it is far too early to put the nails in the coffin yet. We still have next week where we may still see some improvements.