Review: Constantine: The House of Mystery

Overview:

The Hellblazer himself, John Constantine, finds himself trapped within the walls of the magical House of Mystery. Surrounded by loved ones, Constantine could really settle in for retirement, that is, if they would stop turning into demons and murdering him. Thankfully, the occult detective catches on quickly to how he got himself here and may have already established his escape plan. Unfortunately, what lies behind the House of Mystery maybe even more dangerous.

Our Take:

The DC Animated Movie Universe has been quiet since the events of Justice League Dark: Apokolips War. The sixteen-film shared universe was the pillar of DC’s animation department through most of the 2010s. However, since John Constantine convinced Flash to reset the timeline at the conclusion of the Apokolips War, DC has begun a new animated film timeline in the Tomorrow-verse. The DCAMU seemed to have ended on the high note.

That is until now…

One of the surprising heavy rollers of the DCAMU was Hellblazer, better known as John Constantine. His role as leader of Justice League Dark put him at the centre of the battle when Darkseid arrived Earthside. The war would have easily been lost without the occult detective’s quick wit and extensive universal knowledge.

Constantine went further down the path of being a hero in the Apokolips War. With the Earth on the brink of imploding in on itself, Hellblazer convinced Flash to go back in time and stop the events from happening at all. Well, as if resetting an entire animated cinematic universe wasn’t enough, it broke the timeline within Constantine’s own alternate universe.

All of which leads us here.

John Constantine did a very bad thing. A noble thing. But against the rules, nonetheless. His punishment is an eternity in the House of Mystery. Unbeknownst to him, life inside the House of Mystery is much in the hands of the resident. Needless to say, Constantine has a very bad time.

Thankfully, Constantine’s centuries of torture make for great entertainment. Especially when you pack it into a swallowable portion of a 25-minute short. This little film also makes excellent choices, including trying something different with the art style and bringing back long-running Constantine actor Matt Ryan. Meanwhile, as often as he seems to pop up, Constantine does not get the love he deserves as a character compared to some of his more bright and colourful comic book brethren. So, any extra content of the narcissistic brit is always worth a watch, especially when performed by Matt Ryan.

Constantine: The House of Mystery is a solid addition to the DC Showcase collection. It is fun for viewers that it is tied to a universe we all assumed was dead. More importantly, it offers a place for this character to go in the future. It would be great to see Constantine return soon for another DC animated project.