gopherball33 Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 Hey all. I haven't been around for awhile. College stuff. But anyway, I just saw the new movie Constantine for the second time tonight. (I also saw it the night it came out, Friday.) Basically, it's about the battle for the souls of mankind. It's based on some comic. I thought it was really good, but I have a couple questions. One, is about a guy who is trying to help out Constantine (the guy who sends bad half-breeds(part demons) back to hell. This guy dies like Herod in the Bible-the bugs coming out of him and just going nuts. I don't understand why this good guy died in such a manner. Also, there is a priest who is looking into a suicide to satiate his own curiosity. All of a sudden, while looking at the corpse, he sees a symbol flash on the skin (I won't ruin the plot with more details) and he gets scared and tries to drink from his flask, but can't . He goes in a liquor store and tries to drink numerous things, but the liquid won;t leacve the bottle until he puts it down. It won't enter his mouth. He dies , however, from alcohol poisoning. I thought that maybe he was in hell, soo that would explain why he couldn't quench his thirst. I couldn;t understand why he would be in hell, though. He had done nothing wrong. My friend suggested that he wass committing suicide with all the alcohol, which kinda makes sense as to why he would be in hell, but he wouldn't be meaning to kill himself. Now, present at both these deaths was a half-breed. He obviously killed these two guys, but the way they died strikes me as odd. Do you all have any suggestions? Sorry if there's a thread about this movie elsewhere. I looked briefly but didn't see one. Jimmy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Buddha Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 Did anyone else watch this movie? I'm surprised people aren't talking about it on these boards. SPOILER ALERT!!! Don't Scroll Down if you don't want to be spoiled! The priest knew he was going to die because he was suddenly thirsty. When he tried to drink, he couldn't tell he was drinking it. Balthasar was playing tricks on his mind. So he ended up drinking all that alcohol in a matter of minutes and that's what killed him. It made Constantinte mad because just like Isabel, it was a forced suicide. That's why he tore Balthasar up later. The priest carved the symbol into his hand so Constantine would still be able to get the news he needed. The other dude with all the bugs just got it bad. I don't think it was particularly meaningful or symbolic. It just told John that Balthasar did it (cuz they found his coin). So they way they died may be odd, but I don't think it was particularly meaningful or foreshadowing or anything like that. This is all just what I've gathered from watching it. Hope my post makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oik Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 This movie is really bad. It's about a wager between God and the Devil. Spolier (not that its worth seeing though) Keanu Reeves commits suicide to save the Psychic. Ummmm....right. This movie was theologically flawed on so many levels. Angels can't become humans, even as a punishment. Demons and angels don't force you to do anything. This movie was so bad. I should have asked for my money back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gopherball33 Posted February 22, 2005 Author Share Posted February 22, 2005 Now hold your horse. Keanu reeves didn't commit suicide to save the psychic. He slit his wrists in order to stop time. He knew that he was the only one that Satan would personally come to collect, and when Satan came, time would stop. He wanted to stop time not to save the psychic, but to prevent Gabriel from releasing Mammon into the world. It actually took me the second time watching it to figure that out, but my friend picked up on it right away. The movie may have had a few theological flaws, sure, but don't condemn it because of that. It had a great plot and it makes the viewer think, in my opinion. Jimmy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oik Posted February 22, 2005 Share Posted February 22, 2005 [quote]Keanu reeves didn't commit suicide to save the psychic. He slit his wrists in order to stop time. He knew that he was the only one that Satan would personally come to collect, and when Satan came, time would stop. [/quote] Exactly the kind of flawed logic the movie uses that makes it so bad... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonCamillo Posted February 22, 2005 Share Posted February 22, 2005 I thought that you would be interested in this thread: [url="http://imdb.com/title/tt0360486/board/nest/15968350"]http://imdb.com/title/tt0360486/board/nest/15968350[/url] There is a discussion about suicide, sins, etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oik Posted February 22, 2005 Share Posted February 22, 2005 [quote]Catholic League Speaks about Constantine: HOLLYWOOD NEEDS AN EXORCISM Catholic League president William Donohue commented today on the new Warner Brothers film, “Constantine,” which opens tomorrow: “Those who like Marilyn Manson and professional wrestling should be drawn to ‘Constantine.’ The movie is not only spiritual junk food for religious illiterates, it’s another example of the way Hollywood rips off Catholicism. “The plot centers on a chain-smoking, bummed out, demon-hunting detective who’s been to hell and back. Constantine’s pursuit of demons is not, however, altruistically driven: because he once tried to kill himself, he thinks he’s doomed to go to hell unless he can earn enough chips to get into heaven. Lucky for him, he becomes adept at performing exorcisms. Along the way he meets a policewoman who’s determined to prove that her deceased Catholic sister didn’t commit suicide, and thus can be given a Christian burial. And, of course, he meets a priest, who just happens to be an Irish drunk. “We hate to spoil the party, but the Catholic Church does not teach that everyone who commits suicide is destined to go to hell. Nor does it teach that those who do so must be denied a Christian burial. (It did at one time, on the grounds that suicide violated the Fifth Commandment.) “So what does this tell us about Hollywood? First, the fact that the producers of this trash literally tried to induce evangelical Protestants to market this movie for them tells us volumes about the way these guys view Christians. Also telling is the answer that Francis Lawrence, the director, gave to the question of his own faith: ‘I’m a skeptic, myself. For all I know, you die and rot in a box and that’s it.’ Either that or you rot someplace else. “It looks like Hollywood could use an exorcism of its own. Maybe they can find a sober Irish priest willing to do it.” [/quote] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 22, 2005 Share Posted February 22, 2005 cant wait to see this movie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gopherball33 Posted February 23, 2005 Author Share Posted February 23, 2005 i dont care what they say. it wasnt that bad 2 Catholicism. and it was a sweet flick. it ddnt try 2 make Catholicicm look bad. what it did take liberties with it did in order 2 furthur the plot. Jimmy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Ryan- Posted February 23, 2005 Share Posted February 23, 2005 It wasn't a bad movie, as movies go. And of course, blaming 'Hollywood' as an entity is a little bit flawed, as the source material was an excellent graphic novel. (comic book, to you older types). I've found that any time a movie is made about something I'm deeply familar with, I'm almost always extremely let down. In this case, I can see why as Catholics some of you might be put off by this film, just as a lot of comic book fans are (ironic, aint it). However, on it's stand alone merits, especially in this scenario, it's usually a good idea to recuse yourself and see what other people think before rushing to judgement. You might never be able to enjoy the movie, but you might also manage to keep from being insulted by it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paladin D Posted February 23, 2005 Share Posted February 23, 2005 Slitting one's wrists to save someone else, I bet a lot of suicidal people would dream of having that opportunity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gopherball33 Posted February 23, 2005 Author Share Posted February 23, 2005 he didnt just slit his wrists to save someone else, he slit his wrists to stop satan's son from entering into the world. suicidal people really would go for that opportunity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dudette Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 no thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luthien Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 I thought it was okay...I liked it when Balthazar seethed through his teeth saying to Constantine, "Youre not a priest, you have no power." eh, purely entertainment methinks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
follow_the_pelican Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 DID A GOOD JOB OF HELL!!! Dust, and the theo's peeps, how about some feed back? my take is that it was flawed in many ways, the theology was wacko! half-breeds, suicide, buying your way into heaven, beating the devil in his own game and to top it all off...a lay man with a bad attitude doing excorcisms instead of an ordained priest. hmmm....what else can I say? it did a good job of hell! and a very good job explaining how the devil works on our weakness. any way, lets get some one in here to write one of those loooong post explaning everything! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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