The Raven (2012) - 5 stars out of 10

The Raven (2012) - 5 stars out of 10

"The Raven" is an interesting piece of historical fiction, creating an account of the mysterious final days of Edgar Allan Poe.  The previews looked incredibly intense and the script delivered the dark, detailed story that I had hoped for.  The crew made 19th century Baltimore into a very dark place and this gothic setting was very appropriate for a story about Poe.  And bonus points for Poe having a pet raccoon!  All of the pieces were in place but... the acting is pretty weak all around.  It certainly is not John Cusack's finest performance.  Luke Evans just feels like a James McAvoy wannabe the whole time and Alice Eve seems like she is acting in a box (and ironically, she IS acting in a box for the majority of the film).  The story is intriguing enough that I can get past the mediocre acting but... who is this film intended for?  It is too gorey for the literary types who would recognize the details of these murders taken from Poe's stories, but a bit too high-brow for your typical gorefest connoisseur.  Then, just for good measure, the closing credits include a laser show that belongs in a Transsiberian Orchestra concert, probably because it fits so in well with the atmosphere of the film (note the sarcasm).  Despite my criticism, I was shocked when the murderer was revealed and the writers did a great job of leading me to believe that it could've been anybody but this particular character.  I also love that the writers provided a small amount of information early in the film so that this character made perfect sense to be the mastermind.  "The Raven" is 92% murder mystery and 8% gruesome torture scenes, but I believe that the story is 100% worth experiencing even if the film will only leave you 50% satisfied.