Constantine appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. No problems emerged in this solid Dolby Vision transfer.
From start to finish, sharpness seemed very positive. Even wide shots came across as tight and concise, so I noticed no soft or ill-defined elements here.
Jagged edges and shimmering created no concerns, and no edge haloes became apparent. Source flaws seemed absent, as I saw no kinds of defects.
In terms of palette, the film came with a a heavy red-orange vibe, though it also brought green and teal. These all worked fine for the film, and HDR added punch to the hues.
Given the movie’s dim look, blacks and shadows became important. Dark tones felt nicely deep and firm, while low-light images were easily visible and not too dense.
HDR gave whites and contrast good power. I found little about which to complain in this strong image.
Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, I also liked the Dolby Atmos soundtrack of Constantine. With all its demonic activity, the movie offered many opportunities for the soundfield to kick into high gear, and it took good advantage of these.
In addition to solid stereo imaging for the score, the effects were accurately placed and meshed together smoothly. Various elements connected to the demons zipped and flew around the room, and the rear speakers offered strong delineation and involvement. All of these combined to make the soundfield vivid and engrossing.
Audio quality always kept up its side of the bargain as well. Dialogue came across as concise and natural, with no signs of intelligibility issues or edginess. Music was rich and full, and effects demonstrated fine clarity.
Those elements were tight and dynamic, and the whole package showed fine dimensionality. All in all, the mix worked well for the movie and accentuated the action.
Because I never got a copy, I can’t compare the 4K UHD Constantine to its Blu-ray predecessor. That said, I feel certain the 4K’s visuals top those of its BD counterpart, as the UHD simply offered power and clarity BD can’t achieve.
The 4K mixes old and archival extras and provides two separate audio commentaries. However, it doesn’t offer new recordings.
On the DVD, we got two different tracks edited together to create one commentary. On the 4K, we hear the two separate recordings on their own.
The first comes from director Francis Lawrence and producer Akiva Goldsman. Both sit together for a running, screen-specific look at story and characters, cast and performances, sets and locations, various effects, stunts and action, editing and cut sequences, music and related domains.
Expect a lively and informative conversation here. Goldsman's tendency to make not-especially-funny jokes gets a bit annoying, but the piece offers enough useful material to overcome that minor drawback.
On the second commentary, we hear from screenwriters Kevin Brodbin and Frank Capello. They sit together for their own running, screen-specific view of the source and its adaptation, story/characters and the evolution of the script, cut/altered sequences and general thoughts.
With a strong focus on iterations of the screenplay, Brodbin and Capello bring a nice view of these changes. We get a fine take on the developments that led to the fine text in this engaging track.
Footnote: when the DVD combined the two commentaries into one, I assumed that meant the individual tracks came with lots of dead air. That proves incorrect, as both discussions suffer from only minor gaps.
So why did the DVD’s producers opt to edit together one commentary when they had two they worked fine on their own? I have no idea.
From here we head to 13 Deleted Scenes + Alternate Ending. These fill a total of 18 minutes, 44 seconds.
Some of these offer alternate versions of existing segments, but mostly we see new footage, including two different attempts to make the character of Ellie the sexy demon work and some other clips with her. Mainly we get minor expository material from the cut scenes.
Note that while the DVD included commentary from Lawrence alongside the footage, the 4K drops this option.
For the 15-minute, 44-second Conjuring Constantine featurette, we hear from Lawrence, Goldsman, Brodbin, Capello, producers Lauren Shuler Donner and Michael E. Uslan, Vertigo Comics executive editor/VP Karen Berger, Hellblazer writer Jamie Delano, DC Comics president/publisher Paul Levitz, and actors Rachel Weisz and Keanu Reeves.
They discuss facts about the source material, the comic’s path to the screen and adaptation issues, story and character topics, choosing a director, and casting and the various roles. The program ends a bit abruptly, but it goes through the project’s basics well. It avoids too much filler and sticks with the facts to become a tight, informative show.
Director’s Confessional runs five minutes, 36 seconds. Lawrence compares making movies to shooting music videos and also discusses his experiences as a first-time feature director.
He repeats some information from the commentary, but mostly he presents fresh notes here. I especially like his remarks about the learning curve required in his jump from videos.
Next we find the four-minute, 40-second Collision with Evil. It offers statements from Lawrence as we learn about the film’s opening sequence.
“Evil” emphasizes the car crash shot as we see how they filmed it. Despite this myopic focus, the program proves valuable since we get a nice examination of the stunt.
Next comes Holy Relics, an eight-minute, 22-second featurette. We get statements from Lawrence, Reeves, production design Naomi Shohan and property master Kirk Corwin.
The show gets into the props featured in the flick, and these range from the Spear of Destiny down to Constantine’s cigarettes. The show offers a fun close-up look at the pieces.
Hellscape goes for 12 minutes. It includes remarks from Lawrence, Shohan, visual effects supervisor Michael Fink, Tippett Studios visual effects supervisor Craig Hayes, lead animator Simon Allen, CG supervisor David DeBry and lead compositor Matt Jacobs.
We learn about the design influences on the movie’s representation of hell and all the elements that went into its execution as well as the demons. This adds up to another tight and informative show.
After this comes Visualizing Vermin, a nine-minute, 37-second piece. It presents notes from Lawrence, Fink, lead effects artist Adam Martinez, and visual effects supervisors George Murphy and Greg Juby.
As one might expect, this show concentrates on the Vermin Man sequence. We learn about his design and related issues. It offers a concise exploration of the effects challenges and other issues created by the character.
Warrior Wings runs three minutes, 19 seconds. It features remarks from Fink, Lawrence, Murphy, and Juby.
As the title implies, it goes over the look and creation of angels’ wings in the film. It’s not a great piece, but it delivers the basics fairly well.
We follow with the five-minute, 47-second Unholy Abduction. It includes info from Lawrence, Fink, Weisz, and stunt coordinator RA Rondell.
This looks at the scene in which Angela gets yanked through the walls of an office building. The shots from the set are the best part of this piece, as they give us a great look at the practical stunts and effects.
Constantine’s Cosmology gives us a five-minute, 22-second reel. It brings a chat with author Phil Cousineau.
He looks at the literary base for heroes and takes a particular look at how John Constantine fits that mold. It’s too short to be substantial, but it comes across as thoughtful and intriguing.
Up next, Foresight: The Power of Previsualization. This shows 13 minutes, 56 seconds of previsualized sequences, with or without commentary from Lawrence.
We watch the final film on top and the previs shots on the bottom. These allow for a good comparison for nine scenes. In addition, we get to check out three “abandoned scenes”. Lawrence lets us know how he used previs both in general and in specific.
Channeling Constantine goes for eight minutes, one second. It involves Uslan, Donner, Lawrence, Brodbin, Reeves, Weisz, and actors Tilda Swinton, Peter Stormare, Djimon Hounsou and Shia LaBeouf.
With this one, we get a view of the film’s lead characters and the actors. It tends toward fluff.
A few extras that appeared as Easter eggs on the DVD pop up, and A Writer’s Vision gives us a one-minute, 19-second animatic created by writer Capello. He narrates this to let us know when and why he made it. This offers an interesting footnote.
Shotgun Shootout opens a two-minute, four-second featurette with stunt coordinator RA Rondell about the choreography of one sequence. Though brief, it comes with good notes.
Demon Face lasts two minutes, one second as actor Gavin Rossdale goes over his makeup effects and his work on the film. Keep an eye out for a glimpse of Rossdale’s then-wife Gwen Stefani.
New to the 4K UHD, Two Decades of Damnation
runs 15 minutes, three seconds. It delivers info from Goldsman, Reeves, Shohan, Lawrence, and actor Max Baker.
A look back 20 years after the film’s creation, “Damnation” examines how Lawrence got the gig, story/character elements, sets and locations, cinematography, cast/performances, and the film’s legacy. While we find some new notes, this mostly adds up to a fond appreciation of the film, so don’t expect much substance from it.
