Skip to main content

The Raven - reviewed.


The Raven is a poor man’s Sherlock Holmes.

Instead of being highly entertained, wishing there was a sequel, and considering buying a DVD copy of my own, I found myself grateful that I Redboxed this one.

It wasn’t a ‘bad movie,’ but it was almost more disappointing than one because I was hoping for something good.

If you break it down, all the elements were in place for what should have been an awesome movie.


Set in Edgar Allen Poe's last days, The Raven is a murder mystery with interesting costuming and a few cool action sequences.


In addition to that, Edgar Allen Poe is a historical character with a bit of a fan base already built in.

John Cusack (who plays Edgar Allen Poe) was cast very well. In fact, I was really impressed with Cusack. I can't think of a better Poe.


After seeing this film, I think he would have made a good Sherlock Holmes.



He probably wouldn't have been as comedic as Robert Downey Jr. is as Sherlock, but I think Cusack would have done well with the role.

His acting in The Raven probably wasn’t Oscar-worthy, but he did his job and he did it well. The rest of the cast was believable too.

The substance wasn’t there though.

The character of the detective seemed to serve very little purpose. It was like he was a tag-along throughout the entire film -- not in the way Robin is to Batman or Watson is to Holmes, but in a, 'Why are you even here?' sort of way.


In this film, it was the writing that was lacking. There wasn’t enough levity to make it a comedy like Sherlock Holmes. At the same time, it definitely wasn’t an all-out drama.

The dialogue was fine, but the plot itself wasn’t riveting. Instead, it was slow and boring. There were a couple of twists that I wasn’t expecting, but when the surprises were revealed, I found that I didn’t really care that much.

I wasn’t invested into this movie or the characters. I wanted to be. I wanted to watch The Raven and be anxiously waiting to see what happens next. Unfortunately, I just wasn’t.


Related Content:
• Planet of the Apes - reviewed.
• Prometheus - reviewed.
• The Big Bang Theory (seasons 1 - 4) - reviewed.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Celebrity (look-a-like) sightings - part 4

Another exciting edition of celebrity look-a-likes -- part 4 to be exact. On the left: Wes Scantlin On the right: Edge Edge was in the first two blogs about celebrity look-a-likes, so why not another time? Evidently I think this guy looks like just about everyone on Earth. I previously compared him to Jamie Campbell Bower and Wilson Bethel, but this time I think I got it right: he's the spitting image of Puddle of Mudd member Wes Scantlin! These days Edge doesn't have the shaggy hair , but when he was in his "Rated R Superstar" run in the WWE in 2006, he definitely could've passed for Scantlin. The big, square jaw and toothy grin? Yep -- they must be some kind of family. On the left: Kelly Kelly On the right: Amber Heard From a former WWE superstar to a former WWE Diva. When I heard that Johnny Depp got engaged to Amber Heard, I typed my way over to Google and found a photo. I was looking at Amber Heard, but could've sworn it was K...
1 comment
Read more

Celebrity (look-a-like) sightings - part 3

Part 1 and Part 2 were good, but I think there's some definite look-a-likes this time around. I'll get right to the comparisons, but let me know what you think? Am I spot on or what? I saved the very best (and closest comparison) for last this time, so make sure to scroll to the bottom of the page. On the left: Edge On the right: Jamie Campbell Bower May as well start with a wrestling-related one. It seems those pro wrestlers have doppelgängers all over. I'd mentioned before that Wilson Bethel resembles Edge . I still stand by that statement. However, I think Jamie Campbell Bower looks even more like Edge. Jamie Bower, for those who are unaware like I was, is an actor who has quite an impressive resume already. I just watched The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (review to come later) and that's the first time I saw him...or so I thought. Jamie was in the final three Twilight movies, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Parts 1 and 2 , and t...
6 comments
Read more

Casting black actors in white comic book roles

Something that's been happening in recent years is casting black actors in the roles of comic book characters who were typically white. Of course, it's something that goes back to timing and culture and society. When comic books were published several decades ago, it was during a time when race was still a very sensitive subject. Race may be a sensitive topic these days too, but in the 1940's and 1950's, black people still didn't have the rights they do today. I wasn't alive at the time, but I'd imagine it was even more tense than in today's current climate. It creates an interesting dilemma for Marvel and DC movie and TV-makers.  Do they change the race of beloved characters? Do they create new superheroes who are black (and Asian and LGBT, etc, etc?) to satisfy their diverse readers?  Do they elevate their lesser-known black characters to more prominent roles (like Luke Cage and Black Panther)?  Or do they stick to the original portrayal...
Post a Comment
Read more