Ok, I’m pretty sure DC are doing this on purpose. Two major leaks in the space of a week – the pilot episodes for their upcoming television shows The Flash and Constantine – just before San Diego Comic Con. I suspect that they’re hoping to get some feedback for making adjustments before official release. Nothing wrong with that, but if Gotham drops next week it’s going to be downright sketchy.
So…what are they like?
Let’s start with Constantine, a character mostly known to the mainstream through the Hollywood production based on the same material. Although it wasn’t a terrible movie there were some unusual decisions made regarding the central character that didn’t go over well with fans. Most of those have been addressed in this version. He’s blonde, he’s British and they’re pronouncing his name correctly, so the first impression is a good one. They have dropped the chain smoking though, but the impact of this alteration is minimal.
Matt Ryan feels like a good choice for the role from the opening scenes, seeming to step into the worn boots of the anti-hero with ease. The supporting cast are pretty bland when standing next to such a striking character. The basis for each character is laid out neatly, giving them all room to be explored in depth in the future.
The monster design isn’t going to change your perception of Christian mythology but all the demons and angels look as cool as you’d hope they would. The effects budget is stretched to breaking point with ghost trains, monsters and car wrecks. The show has a very polished feel to it. In forcing the script to introduce the characters, the mythology, the backstory, the settings and the rituals it feels as though it jumps around a lot. Once it finds it’s rhythm it should be worth following.
Constantine‘s brooding anti-hero is the flip side to the coin to the quirky and likeable hero of The Flash. The fastest man alive gets the full origin story in his pilot episode along with a support crew and antagonist. Grant Gustin may not strike people as the typical hero but he is fun to watch as he dashes about the place being goofy.
Character seems to take a back seat in this pilot with the soft-science lightning bolt accident that gives him his powers being center stage. We also have his suit being introduced, his motive for being a hero, a reason for bad guys to have super powers, a battle with a tornado guy and a bunch of new characters. It’s cluttered but it holds promise. There’s a couple of plot twists that they rush out at the end…something that could’ve been held off until the characters were better established but nothing is a game breaker.
It’s hard not to wonder why the cyclist he grabs out of the way of the car didn’t get pulverised by the speed though.
