Review of The Raven (2012) by Russell H — 09 Sep 2016

Though it ultimately ends up becoming a fairly standard serial killer story - albeit one with a period setting - THE RAVEN does flirt with greatness at times, at least in the way it handles the character of Edgar Allan Poe.

John Cusack is absolutely fantastic in the role, bringing together manic intensity, morose wryness, and melancholic brooding which compliment each other quite nicely, and it's not too hard to imagine the real man being too terribly dissimilar from this portrayal.

Cusask is paired with Luke Evans for much of the running time, and Evans is good, too; his is a rather underwritten part, but he makes the most of the dogged detective type by adding an undercurrent of earnestness.

It's quite a good looking, atmospheric movie, with strong cinematography, production design, and costume design; in some ways, it feels not unlike a modern version of sorts of films Hammer made in its heyday.

The movie's biggest stumble is in its mystery plot; there is certainly fun to be had in seeing how the film repurposes classic Poe passages, but they're ultimately in service of a fairly standard narrative, the likes of which we've seen many times before.

The dialogue is also curiously hit-and-miss, sometimes anachronistic and peppered with clunkers, sometimes truly impactful and evocative. Overall, I appreciated the vibe of the movie quite a bit, and it's always nice to see a period horror movie set in America, so THE RAVEN is worth a watch (especially if you're a fan of Poe), but don't go in expecting a spectacular or surprising story.