'Constantine' Review, Spoilers: Comparing Film vs TV Version

Long time fans of "Hellblazer," the DC comic book series from which "Constantine" (both the film and the TV show) was derived, probably never imagined that their favorite gritty, and for the most part scruffy, demon-fighting detective would ever rise to such heights in two popular media formats.

This review of the TV show "Constantine" (with episode 3 of season 1 airing on Nov. 7 at 10 p.m. over NBC) will look at the series as well as the film, and see which is closer to the original much-loved storyline.

Keanu Reeves has his own legions of fans and naysayers, and his having essayed the role of supernatural Detective John Constantine for the film version has been met with alternating praise and ridicule.

In 2005, when "Constantine" the movie was shown, Reeves' star power was riding high on the popularity of the "Matrix" franchise. This popularity helped a lot in making the movie both a fan favorite and a box-office hit. Critical reception was, however, lukewarm. It most likely didn't help that Reeves was not made to project the same kind of messy look made popular in the comic book version.

Just the same, the movie was fun to watch. It lived up to its promise of being entertaining. Acting-wise, Reeves' detective had ample support from Chas Kramer (Shia LaBeouf), a modification from the original sidekick/taxi driver Chas Chandler character in the "Hellblazer" comics.

In contrast, this year's TV version of John Constantine (Matt Ryan) is unfortunately saddled by the kind of disjointed storytelling that's the plague of many serialized shows.

Of course, it's still too early to render judgment on a TV show that's only just started to air. Still, if things don't improve, and supernatural hype (mostly coming from Harold Perrineau in the role of an angel who speaks in mysterious riddles) doesn't get toned down for more supernatural intrigues and challenges, the kind found in the comic books, it looks like "Constantine" the TV series won't be as much fun to watch as the movie.