DC Showcase: Constantine - The House of Mystery

The always endearing Matt Ryan as John Constantine puts him in a terrible situation in this animated short from DC Showcase. Constantine finds himself trapped in the House of Mystery, a place infamous for its strange and lethal residents, and made to repeat a horrifying cycle. He wakes up every day to confront fresh threats and horrific deaths, only to return to the beginning and lose all memory of the previous cycle. Constantine must find a means to escape his perpetual captivity in addition to surviving the horrors of the house as he struggles with his situation.

Matt Ryan's return to the role will please fans of the character, as he brings his distinctive voice and sardonic charm to Constantine. A story set in the House of Mystery would be great for the eerie atmosphere that the animation style manages to produce. In the short film, Constantine repeatedly relives a fatal incident, giving a sinister twist to the beloved "Groundhog Day" idea.

Some viewers may find the main plot a little repetitious, especially if they are familiar with the "Groundhog Day" cliché. With barely twenty-five minutes, the short film leaves little opportunity for character growth beyond Constantine. Although some people think the animation style works well for horror, others might think it's a little too crude.

I like Constantine, and Matt Ryan. This short is garbage. DC has the gaul to charge $30 by adding 3 other shorts that already existed. Pure greed. Part of the DCAU streak of terrible post apokolips war movies.

I love Constantine. He's one of my favorite DC characters, and there's far too little of him beyond the comics and graphic novels. They finally had a good start with the live action series, but then they stupidly cancelled it. In true DC fashion they followed with 3 animated films that centered on him and were even better. But then the animated movies went in a different, and not so great, direction with nothing more with Constantine. Not that I don't like the other characters when the stories are good, but lately the animated universe has been kind of hit or miss. This, however, felt like a short return to both Constantine and the better animated storylines. This is, however, a short that is part of a series of other unrelated shorts. The run time for this segment is about the same or less than animated series eps. And while some shorts are stand alone, this is a continuation, so you have to have seen at least JL Dark Apocalypse for it to make sense. But as part of that story, it's an excellent contribution to the DC animated verse. Matt Ryan, who so perfectly embodies Constantine, continues in the role, and the tone and style are similar. But it's just a tantalizing glimpse of what's happening with Constantine and a brief peek into the Spectre. I'm hoping this means they'll be continuing with more follow up from JL Dark Apocalypse and specifically with more of Constantine's story. This is good for what it is, but we need more.

The idea is an interesting coda for Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, and it may even turn out to bridge the gap between the DCAMU and its replacement, the so-called 'Tomorrowverse'. But they don't quite pull it off. Whilst there is definitely an intentional dark humour to some scenes, others that are clearly meant to be more serious also raise an unintentional laugh or two (some of the gore is bordering on Pythonesque). Matt Ryan is of course perfect as John Constantine, and the rest of the voice cast are solid. Special mention to Lou Diamond Phillips, who does a very good job as The Spectre. 7/10.

But this short loopy Groundhog Day episode movie didn't bring the epilogue I thought it would. It got some good points, but not enough to impress me. All things been said, it's time to say goodbye. Thank you for the design, the stories and the characters thid saga brought. Hope they will rise to its level, at least! Peace and love!