Tuesday 10 July 2012

The Raven: A Flying Take on Edgar Allan Poe.

The 2012 film The Raven portrays an accurate description of how one would imagine the mind of Edgar Allan-Poe would function. Played by John Cusack, who despite our awareness of his lengthy involvement in film, still manages to look old to us here. The plot circles around Poe being in the midst of writers block and rather than inspiring himself by looking at eerily positioned trees or trickling water, decides to fawn after the lovely Emily (here played by Alice Eve). You think Emily is lucky to be the object of Poe's affections until things turn a little sour, despite her father never approving of Poe. Somewhere in the renaissance, Emily's father is kicking back thinking to himself "I knew it".


In the midst of Poe's little vacation from writing gothic horror poetry and short stories, there is a fanatic out there that is weeping without the newest edition of Poe. In what is almost an ode to The Bone Collector, this avid fan starts enacting murders that fit the crimes rhymed by Poe in his dreary, yet surprisingly popular works. Poe is mildly concerned by the turn of events, but things turn a little sour once the killer kidnaps Emily and goes all Panic Room on her, burying her in a tiny little coffin-esque wooden box. Viewers with claustrophobia beware!


Poe is assisted by lead Detective Fields (Luke Evans) who continuously has a few anger management issues and looks bamboozled through a large majority of the film. With only a few gruesome scenes (namely one with a pendulum blade) it does not detract from the story whic does grip you and you'll find yourself wanting to know who it was. I found myself at the pinnacle going "What! No!!", the only problem is the final clue gives the person away and you realise that there were not any other clues directing to that person. It could have been Joe Black down the road and we would not have been any more informed by the previous killings. With some nice symbolism and a shout-out to Macbeth with some blood on their hands, it is an enjoyable Saturday night film (no other day).

I am giving this film 3.5 Ravens.

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