Keanu Reeves looks awful in “Constantine,” although it’s a chic kind of awful: pale, tired, and so gaunt he looks like he’s being squeezed by the wrong camera lens. It’s all to make him cool, a world-weary demon-slayer at the end of his days.

Constantine, who has appeared in comic books including “Hellblazer,” has a lot to be weary about. What a life story: born with the ability to recognize the angels and devils that walk among us (you know who you are), he attempted suicide in childhood.

He was revived, but not before glimpsing hellfire. That’s a major bummer in itself, but he’s also forfeited his place in heaven, thanks to the suicide attempt.

By killing demons, he feels he should be allowed to work off some of that debt. But as the angel Gabriel (Tilda Swinton) reminds him, with rather wicked satisfaction, he’s out of luck. Geez, with angels like this, who needs demons?

Oh, and by the way, Constantine doesn’t have much time to figure out his way into heaven. He’s fatally ill.

Add to this the apparent awakening of an army of demons on earth, and you’ve got heavy going. “Constantine” tackles this dark canvas with clever touches and wild special effects, and first-time director Francis Lawrence has flair.

I liked a demon made entirely of a person-sized swarm of locusts, and I liked a scene where Constantine transports himself to hell by putting his feet in a tub of water and staring into the evil eyes of a cat. Must remember that trick.

Reeves is paired here with Rachel Weisz, with whom he shared space in the DOA thriller “Chain Reaction.” She plays an L.A. policewoman whose twin has just killed herself, an event that leads her to ask for Constantine’s help.

There’s a plot going on about a sacred dagger of infernal power, but this is always subordinate to the story of Constantine, which is much more compelling. In fact, the film forgets about the plot for long stretches, preferring to check out Constantine’s crazy apartment (the crucifix and holy water are big in his design scheme) and computer-generated devils.

Other denizens of the underworld are played by rock singer Gavin Rossdale (he’s pretty fun) and Peter Stormare, with Djimon Hounsou and Taylor Pruitt Vince as decadent friends to the hero. Shia LaBeouf, as Constantine’s driver, seems to have been disliked by various screenwriters.

Because I could see clever things happening in this movie, I found myself wondering why I wasn’t more engaged by it. Maybe it was the overly familiar apocalyptic style, but mostly I think it was Keanu Reeves. Self-conscious and uncomfortable, he still looks like someone pretending to be an actor. Maybe that’s why he keeps getting cast as science fiction heroes lost between two worlds.

Keanu Reeves stars in “Constantine.”

“Constantine” HH

Clever, for Keanu fans: A cleverly made but somehow less than engaging comic-book epic, with Keanu Reeves as a demon-slayer fending off the apocalypse. Rachel Weisz co-stars.

Rated: R rating is for violence, subject matter.

Now showing: tk

“Constantine” HH

Clever, for Keanu fans: A cleverly made but less than engaging comic-book epic, with Keanu Reeves.

Rated: R rating is for violence, subject matter.

Now showing: Everett 9, Galaxy, Grand, Marysville, Mountlake, Stanwood, Cinerama, Neptune, Oak Tree, Pacific Place, Woodinville, Cascade, Oak Harbor Plaza.