Movie Review - "The Raven"

 A serial killer is on the loose roaming the streets of Baltimore in 1849 using the stories of Edgar Allan Poe as the inspiration to his killings.When a young detective realizes that Poe's stories are the source of these gruesome crimes, he seeks the writer's aide to help him stop the killer before he kills again. Poe (John Cusack) soon finds himself even more connected to the string or murders when his beloved Emily (Alice Eve) is kidnapped. The killer challenges Poe to a game of cat and mouse with Emily's life in the balance. With the help of detective Fields (Luke Evans), Edgar Allan Poe and the Baltimore police frantically search for clues to solve the mystery behind these killings before Emily's life is lost for ever.

Judging by the trailer and the previews I saw for this film, I have to say I was excited to finally watch it. The setting of the film I thought was very well done. The scene of mid 1800s Baltimore and the foggy setting certainly brings to mind the chilling ambiance that an actual story of Edgar Allan Poe's would bring. Sadly, the positive aspects of this movie end there in my opinion. Cusack is "good" at times playing his role but I found many of his scenes to be cheesy and he didn't quite act the way I imagined Mr. Poe to be. The rest of the cast consisting of Luke Evans, Alice Eve, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, and Brendan Gleeson didn't do much to help this film either.

The films concept was original, I do have to say that. The actual death of Edgar Alan  Poe remains a mystery and the time of this film takes place the days before Poe was found on a park bench in Baltimore barely clinging to life. To think he was playing a role much like Sherlock Holmes, stopping a killer that his stories helped create, in his final day is a bit of stretch but it's still a concept that could have been entertaining.

For me, "The Raven" just never came together to make it a good movie. It at times had moments that got me thinking the film was going to get it together and finish strong but ultimately it did not. Again, Cusack gives a relatively decent performance as Edgar Allan Poe but the poor supporting cast around him fails to make up for that. The ending left me wanting more as well. I will say, **Possible Spoiler** the identity of the killer was a surprise to me. Not because of the clever story but because the character was in the film maybe 60 seconds before his reveal. You never expect him because we forget he exists.

"The Raven" had great potential but fell short on expectations. For a mystery and suspense film, it majorly lacked with both elements. I wanted to like this film but I can't see giving it any higher than a 4 out of 10 and I will watch this film "nevermore". The movie is currently available for instant stream on Netflix if you'd like to watch for yourself. I'd be interested to see if you all feel the same way about the film. As always, here is the trailer for a quick preview.