Constantine

Francis Lawrence’s film does not carry the name of the man who made its lead. Alan Moore, who built John Constantine on the page, asked for his credit and his money to be taken off it. He asked editor Karen Berger to redistribute his share, which went to John Totleben, Steve Bissette, Rick Veitch, Jamie Delano and John Ridgway. Moore saw no script. The title is no accident either: Hellblazer became Constantine to avoid confusion with Hellraiser. Tarsem Singh was at one point to direct, Nicolas Cage discussed for the lead; Singh left, lawsuits followed, and Lawrence made his feature debut out of commercials and music videos. The design of Hell is its own decision. The team studied nuclear test footage from the 1940s and built Hell not as a separate realm but as a permanent detonation laid over the geography around us, with biological growth crawling over the cars while the street stays recognisable. The special makeup effects are Stan Winston’s work. For one hundred and twenty one minutes the dread comes from one layer beneath a street you know. A good fit if you want Hell to be the same avenue you just walked down, the horror coming from recognition. Not for you if you are waiting for the blond Liverpudlian Constantine the comics drew to resemble Sting.