Constantine Series Premiere (1×01) Review – “Non Est Asylum”

Though not the strongest start, Constantine sets the stage for an introduction to the spooky world of the occult

It’s safe to say DC Comics have the identity of being more dark and gritty with their entertainment as opposed to Marvel. Through the Vertigo imprint many fans are anticipating DC’s announcement of a Sandman movie which we should get in due time, but in there’s also a TV universe with which they’ve already had so much success. Constantine has finally joined the other DC TV shows this fall with it’s pilot debut and though it’s not the strongest pilot, it has promise. This series focuses on a man named John Constantine (Matt Ryan), a rough around the edges British exorcist who’s trying to save the world and his own soul, which has been damned to hell! With his time being scarce, what is John’s true mission and will he try to get out of his damnation? Let’s discuss, as the world of the occult and supernatural are just beginning to open their doors through another division of DC TV.

Time in the plot flies in the blink of an eye

The episode opens up with a scene where we first meet John, and has checked himself into a mental hospital/asylum, hoping that shock therapy will eliminate any memories he has of a exorcism job gone awry which resulted in a nine-year-old girl’s soul being sent to hell. However, there isn’t much time wasted in him being pulled back into the action. He exorcises a demon from a woman’s body at the asylum and realizes things have changed and that he must get back to work. The shows lead star Matt Ryan gives us an ideal picture of John Constantine, even without one of his most popular habits (smoking), but executive producers/creators/writers David Goyer and Daniel Cerone do a great job showing fans new to the world of Constantine that it’s a big part of his life by beginning scenes showing John ashing out a cigarette.

Everything in this episode seems to take place rather fast, with viewers finding themselves at commercials in a jiffy. This could change in time as it may very well just be a jinx of the premiere and getting it’s ground rules started, and there are many when it comes to the world of dark mystical beings. When John checks himself out of the asylum he must save a girl named Liv (Lucy Griffiths) from a demon who is trying to kill her and take her soul. John also knew her father, whom she was led to believe was dead for many years when in fact he had just died last year, and according to John, was a good man. Liv had tons of questions that were fly answered well (if at all) which didn’t give viewers much to put together in terms of what relationship is (at least, trying to) be established here. What’s the big connection? John knew her father, what he was like, and even about his little safe house. He’s supposed to take care of Liv, but goes an awful way about it, leaving a shockingly little amount to take from it, so here’s to hoping there’s a big secret down the road.

Character arcs become character holes

Remember the explanation above of Matt’s portrayal of John? That’s just the picture. In terms of personality and complexity there’s a lot more Matt Ryan can and has the clear potential to bring to the table, as John used some cheesy lines to add some form of comedy which didn’t need to expressed in this particular episode, especially for fans who seriously want to experience the dark arts. Rather, we’d like to experience more of his powerful emotions, exorcisms aside. Surprisingly, there just wasn’t enough emotion to actually pull the fans in during the scene when he’s holding the girl from the demon. Of course we felt horrified to see an innocent child taken away by a monster of sorts, but John didn’t seem to express as much emotion as expected to level out with that situation. This needs to be addressed in time as The Flash (although in different forms of supernatural stories) did an excellent job making viewers feel engaged in the emotional loss of its main characters.

Griffiths’ character didn’t bring anything unique to an episode that definitely needed a strong performance from its female lead. Liv was creeped out by a man who happened to show up as a big hole opened up in the ground, then reads the fortune from a fortune cookie that says “trust him” (what a coincidence). It’s understood there’s a need to create subliminal messages in this kind of universe, but by means of a fortune cookie is very cheesy and something rendered more for young teens rather than adults. Liv also hounds John with questions about her father and the ways of this lifestyle, which is understandable if she weren’t such a pest about it. She was expected to eventually evolve into a sort of sidekick for John, but many believe she was the weakest point in the pilot. It’s no wonder the show had to re-do some of the pilot just to keep her in one episode… Yikes!

Then there’s the angel Manny (Lost’s Harold Perrineau) who made a very dramatic entrance to basically tell John that he’s been tasked with watching over him, and that the angels need his help. He also warns John that there’s something greater on the way. Perrineau was great in Lost and along with his much needed diversity he created a great arc for his character Michael Dawson. The same can’t be said for Manny in Constantine. The blame can’t totally be put on him, but a large part of this goes to the writers in Goyer and Cerone for not adding in increased dynamic, or for simply not waiting to introduce Manny until the next episode or the one after. Gotham had a similar problem in adding one too many central characters into its pilot. DC is adaptable and it’s in good faith they can create vast improvements over the next three episodes or so with character development.

Special effects, or effects that aren’t so special?

CGI effects are always a concern for TV shows nowadays as they have an unfair expectation of matching up to the magnificence of movies. This is unrealistic, because television networks simply don’t have the funding that’s needed to compare to those standards of movies. The CW has been constantly criticized for its inability to create quality effects that don’t stand out in a negative way. This was another big challenge for The Flash which they’ve tackled spot on, creating realistic visuals that help make viewers believe it’s possible.

Regardless of expectations, even for a TV show, Constantine’s effects are off the top cheesy. When Liv encounters the ground cracking and breaking up it looks as if the ground is a massive piece of cake being cut by an invisible knife. When it begins to shake and move it’s simply not believable and doesn’t grasp at any emotions viewers may have had prior, instead making them scratch their heads thinking about how obvious the effects were showcased.

Another flaw in the usage (or non usage) of effects was creating some legit scares which is a big part of the history of Constantine, and viewers (unless you’re the type to freak out over pretty much anything labelled horror) weren’t scared at all. The possessed woman in the asylum wasn’t scary at all, but rather had an effect on viewers instead, who would definitely want to punch the demon in the face rather than be terrified. When Liv sees her grandmother by way of the unseen dead, you could definitely shriek but only if you haven’t seen the trailer, which actually featured most of the good stuff. The entire team working on Constantine has to create more scares by using more spontaneous horrors and “around the corner” visuals rather than the typical point of view from which you’re just expecting some sort of monster to appear or reveal itself. Even Manny’s appearance was lame. The flames appear the same as those on a false fireplace, and as for his wings, they didn’t even fully contract before they disappeared. Effects are definitely going to be a big challenge throughout the series.

Final Verdict

It’s only the first episode, but there were many things to pick out from Constantine’s pilot. If the showrunners can display the true horror behind the many different atrocities John will face, and not have it appear as a teen flick, that will help the show find it’s legs. Viewers don’t want to see knock offs from other horror movies of the past decade but something new that won’t only work from proper use of effects, but the right timing, better angles to provide the scares needed to really have the viewers shaking in their blankets.

Special effects left viewers turned off for lack of a realistic take on how these different beings function. CW’s Supernatural has done a fantastic job with its effects throughout 10 seasons, even in the beginning without HD! That being said, Constantine needs to really turn it up a few gears visually to create quality entertainment that’s a pleasure to the eye.

The show’s composer Bear McCreary is an Emmy award winner, which surprises critics and viewers alike because there isn’t enough emotion in the music. This is another factor as to why the characters come off as bland in many moments. Sometimes what we hear in the back reminds us exactly of what John’s personality resembles; Gruff, sarcastic, semi-serious, sometimes laid back. Other than that, it doesn’t engage viewers and reel them in to share the emotions of the characters the way Blake Neely has with Arrow and The Flash. There’s always the right place and time for everything, so increasing the tempo for the right moments should help fix this problem.

“Non Est Asylum” wasn’t a very strong showing, but sets up the series with an understanding of how this universe and it’s supernatural rules of life work and reflect on regular human beings. Establishing these unwritten rules was a strong point for the episode and should continue to be throughout the series. The effects and rushed story were the result of cramming in too much irrelevant detail into one episode. Rather than just spreading it out, the pilot would’ve definitely benefited as a two part introduction for the series. A bright light is that the pilot has done a good job of explaining the lore of Constantine comics. Matt Ryan has a lot of potential but has work to do along the way, and hopefully the show can take more time in developing other characters moving forward, and after this episode, especially the female ones.