Constantine
...
We watched Constantine last night at Tiong Bahru, and the movie did raise quite a few interesting points, although i thought it seemed more of a Sunday School "what do you think?" lesson.
The movie was based on the Hellblazer series of comics, and is about a guy called John Constantine (Keanu... the object of my wife's fantasies) who has the ability to "see" entities from the spiritual realm. He's also apparently condemned for having attempted to take his life previously, and thus is burdened with the foreknowledge that he will go to hell after he dies, as he has committed the "ultimate" sin. Oh, and he's dying from lung Ca as well, with all the vegetable sticks he's been lighting up over the years.
The movie basically covers him casting demons back to hell, and helping another cop (Angie played by Rachel Weisz) stop the birth of Satan's son into the world to start his dominion of "hell on earth". Kim apparently had told En that she was disgusted that i wanted to watch the show, as it was supposed to be blasphemous. Well, i just wanted an action show with some shocks here and there, but i guess i got a little more out of it that just that.
Perhaps the only blasphemous bit in this show was to Catholics, as it painted a rather demeaning picture of Archangel Gabriel, who's supposed to be the super-good angel who has plenty plenty power, and leads God's army in defeating the evil one eventually. Here, Gabriel, played by an actress in a male role, akin to the devil in "The Passion of the Christ", turns out to be the one who's masterminding the scheme, as he feels that Man doesn't deserve so freely God's love and grace, and wants the years of tribulation on earth to sieve out only those who are truly worthy of His love and redemption. Gabriel, in this movie, eventually "loses" God's protection, and gets his wings burnt off by Satan in a rather comical scene.
Also, Constantine, in offering to give his life in exchange for the soul of Angie's dead twin sister to be released to heaven, gets redemption form God and a chance to get to heaven, which is incidentally taken away when Satan removes the cancer from John's lungs hence giving him a chance to live and screw up his time on earth so that he'll go back to hell.
Interesting concepts and questions brought up in the show, though the movie did make some theological errors.
1) Gabriel's misconception about God's love and grace being misplaced can be well understood. As he is supposed to be the "right-hand" angel of God, one can understand the frustration that he feels in seeing his master's creation squandering His love and mercy, and the 'injustice' that murderers and rapists can get "away with it" just by repenting and seeking forgiveness. But indeed, it IS that simple. A simplicity that is too... er, simple to sometimes fully comprehend.
2) Constantine's eventual success at being redeemed was based on his self-sacrificing behaviour, in exchanging his life for Angie's sister. Well, you don't really get salvation by this kind of works, though this should arise from one's belief and faith in God.
Ok, this entry has become a tad bit too long.
So there.
...
We watched Constantine last night at Tiong Bahru, and the movie did raise quite a few interesting points, although i thought it seemed more of a Sunday School "what do you think?" lesson.
The movie was based on the Hellblazer series of comics, and is about a guy called John Constantine (Keanu... the object of my wife's fantasies) who has the ability to "see" entities from the spiritual realm. He's also apparently condemned for having attempted to take his life previously, and thus is burdened with the foreknowledge that he will go to hell after he dies, as he has committed the "ultimate" sin. Oh, and he's dying from lung Ca as well, with all the vegetable sticks he's been lighting up over the years.
The movie basically covers him casting demons back to hell, and helping another cop (Angie played by Rachel Weisz) stop the birth of Satan's son into the world to start his dominion of "hell on earth". Kim apparently had told En that she was disgusted that i wanted to watch the show, as it was supposed to be blasphemous. Well, i just wanted an action show with some shocks here and there, but i guess i got a little more out of it that just that.
Perhaps the only blasphemous bit in this show was to Catholics, as it painted a rather demeaning picture of Archangel Gabriel, who's supposed to be the super-good angel who has plenty plenty power, and leads God's army in defeating the evil one eventually. Here, Gabriel, played by an actress in a male role, akin to the devil in "The Passion of the Christ", turns out to be the one who's masterminding the scheme, as he feels that Man doesn't deserve so freely God's love and grace, and wants the years of tribulation on earth to sieve out only those who are truly worthy of His love and redemption. Gabriel, in this movie, eventually "loses" God's protection, and gets his wings burnt off by Satan in a rather comical scene.
Also, Constantine, in offering to give his life in exchange for the soul of Angie's dead twin sister to be released to heaven, gets redemption form God and a chance to get to heaven, which is incidentally taken away when Satan removes the cancer from John's lungs hence giving him a chance to live and screw up his time on earth so that he'll go back to hell.
Interesting concepts and questions brought up in the show, though the movie did make some theological errors.
1) Gabriel's misconception about God's love and grace being misplaced can be well understood. As he is supposed to be the "right-hand" angel of God, one can understand the frustration that he feels in seeing his master's creation squandering His love and mercy, and the 'injustice' that murderers and rapists can get "away with it" just by repenting and seeking forgiveness. But indeed, it IS that simple. A simplicity that is too... er, simple to sometimes fully comprehend.
2) Constantine's eventual success at being redeemed was based on his self-sacrificing behaviour, in exchanging his life for Angie's sister. Well, you don't really get salvation by this kind of works, though this should arise from one's belief and faith in God.
Ok, this entry has become a tad bit too long.
So there.
...
posted by dat at 2:53 PM
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