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"Constantine" review by Suzanne 10/16/14
Premieres Friday October 24 at 10/9c on NBC

I've never read this comic book, so I didn't really know what the show was about beforehand. It's a horror or supernatural show. Matt Ryan plays John Constantine, an exorcist of sorts. He's able to communicate with demons and angels, and save people from being possessed or killed by demons. He has some powers and skills that allow him to do this, aided by some good friends with their own powers. In the pilot, he's checked himself into a mental hospital because he's tormented by the fact that he somehow managed to let a little girl be dragged into Hell, damning himself, and her.

I'm guessing it must be difficult to make a supernatural show nowadays and make it seem really fresh and original because everything seems already done, thanks to great shows like "Supernatural", "The Originals" and "Vampire Diaries" as well as many past shows like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel". Parts of this reminds me of all of those shows.

Indeed, Ryan's voice sounds a lot like Joseph Morgan (star of "The Originals"). So much so that it's eerie.  He has a really good intensity and attitude.  Like "Supernatural", you know someone is possessed when their eyes turn black; angels may or may not be good guys; demons can be warded off with drawing special symbols and signs; etc.  Like "Angel", Constantine is told that he may be able to redeem himself and avoid going to Hell. A lot of the show also reminds me of the short-lived Scifi Channel show "The Dresden Files" (which I loved!).

This is not to say that the show is completely unoriginal, and I'm sure that a lot of things that seem derivative come directly from the original comic book, or they all ripped off some movie in the past that I haven't seen. That doesn't help, though, the feeling that we've seen this all before.  The story is a good one, but just a little bit uneven. The special effects, acting, makeup, and all that stuff is really good. I did enjoy the pilot. I just need to watch more to decide whether it's going to be as good as the other shows mentioned here.

NBC publicity is making a big deal out of pairing this on Fridays with Grimm, which also returns the same night. They did that last year with "Dracula", too. I hope this show fares better than that one did. I hate to think that there can be such a thing as too many comic book shows or too many supernatural shows, but it's possible that this is one too many. Let's see what happens...check it our for yourself.

Trailer

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Page updated 10/16/14