In the
DC Universes, nobody inspires more confidence than Superman, but magic
represents his second greatest weakness after Kryptonite. Occult detective John
Constantine is far less reliable or trustworthy, but he is still your better
bet to exorcize a demonic possession. Unfortunately, his oldest long-suffering
friend Chas Chandler must ask his help for exactly that reason in Doug Murphy’s
DCanimated feature, Constantine: City of Demons—The Movie, which would
make appropriate viewing today, even though it feels a little awkward to
celebrate Constantine’s birthday if you know the sad circumstances of his
birth.
Indeed,
Constantine endured his share of trauma, which made him the miserable sod fans
know and love. Having survived his tragic family life, Constantine embraced his
magical lineage, but his first foray into dark magic ended in disaster. As a
result, he was admitted to Ravenscar Mental Hospital, where loyal Chandler still
regularly visited him.
Eventually
Constantine’s swagger returned and his mastery of the occult arts grew. Consequently,
Chandler understands his old friend will be more help than modern medicine when
his daughter Trish falls into a supernaturally induced coma. Given their shared
history, Constantine cannot deny him. Unfortunately, that is exactly what the
responsible demon was counting on, as he explains when he lures Constantine to
Los Angeles.
City
of Demons might be
the goriest DC movie ever (and it is hard to think of anything from Marvel that
comes remotely close). Regardless, if you enjoy demonic horror, this film
delivers. At least it is a film now. City of Demons was compiled and
expanded from an original CW Seed series, but it never feels episodic.
If there is an asteroid or a kaiju threatening Earth, the Justice League
can handle it. Dark magic is a trickier business. Fortunately, Marvel’s Dr.
Strange does not have a monopoly on magical superheroing. However, Batman must
look outside to League to recruit several specialized “consultants,” including
John Constantine, Zatanna, and Deadman, to stop an evil mystical force in Jay
Oliva’s Justice League Dark, one of several animated DC films coming to
Tubi this Saturday.
Batman,
Wonder Woman, and Superman have all encountered several otherwise law-abiding
citizens committing heinous violent crimes, while claiming to be defending
themselves from demonic monsters. Unfortunately, this epidemic is magical in
origin, but Batman is skeptical, until Boston Brand, a.k.a. Deadman, sends him
an unsubtle message, suggesting he seek out Constantine.
Of
course, the comic and animated Constantine is considerably more British than
Keanu Reeves. He might even be more difficult to deal with. Fortunately, he
quickly enlists Zatanna, the magician with actual magical powers, who helps
moderate the supernatural detective’s prickliness. Constantine also helps
facilitate communication by casting a spell allowing Batman to see Deadman, the
deceased acrobat granted the ability to possess bodies.
Together,
they take a wild tour of DC’s occult underbelly, starting with Alec Holland,
a.k.a. Swamp Thing, who would obviously be quite an informed source regarding
happenings in Gotham and Metropolis. Frankly, it is not always clear how all
the dots connect (or if they even do) in JLD, which is somewhat ironic,
since it is an original story rather than an attempt to condense a multi-issue
story-arc into less than 90 minutes.
However,
it is highly entertaining to watch DC’s darker heroes “assemble.” Clearly, JLD
must be fun, since it was the first animated DC film to carry an R-rating. Even
if the causal relations are murky, it is very cool to watch them plum the
occult depths, which Oliva and the animators render with surprising clarity.
The fiercely materialistic Batman (voiced with utter dead seriousness by Jason
O’Mara) makes a perfect skeptical foil, due to the darkness of his soul.
Indeed,
Zatanna’s stock has risen considerably since its release (at least in the LCS
world). Fans will also appreciate hearing Constantine’s English snarkiness, the
way his creators intended, but those who really dig the film will be happy to
hear Jeremy Davies reprising his role as Constantine’s creepy friend Ritchie
Simpson.
