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SOUND OFF

Sound Off: James McTeigue's 'The Raven' - What Did You Think?

by Alex Billington
April 27, 2012

Now that you've seen it, what did you think? Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary... Arriving in theaters this weekend is James McTeigue's The Raven, his new dark thriller about poet Edgar Allan Poe on a hunt to stop a murderer who is following his words. John Cusack plays Poe the poet, along with Luke Evans as Detective Fields, and Alice Eve as Emily Hamilton. So how is this dark, moody thriller? Has McTeigue been able to live up to his past V for Vendetta legacy? Is John Cusack any good playing the legendary poet? If you've seen it, leave a comment below with your thoughts on The Raven.

Note: I haven't had the chance to see The Raven yet, as I've been at CinemaCon all week. I would love to see it and will do my best to catch it once I return from another trip. In the meantime, here's a quote from our friends' review at The Film Stage: "The Raven shifts from hollow camp to acting overly serious, the latter of which assisted by Luke Evan's raspy voice and clunky exposition. McTeigue is a talented director, but based on The Raven and Ninja Assassin it's clear he's burdened by his lack of storytelling ability." Ouch.

What did you think of The Raven? A dark, satisfying thriller, or a meandering, poetic mess? We will remove any comments that indicate you have not seen the movie, as this area is meant to discuss the film only once you have seen it and can talk about your thoughts. Please keep the comments civilized!

Filed under Discuss, Hype, Sound Off

From around the web:

Jericho

i liked it...no seriously i liked it, but i cant help but wish there could have been more to it........
Spider

Pretty good flick! I thought the script was well-written with a few memorable and funny lines, most of which were delivered by Cusack's 'Poe'. I will say, that I couldn't picture anyone else in the role! Cusack's 'Poe' is a witty, yet frustrated outcast who borders on alcoholism and mild lunacy(some outbursts recall, Nicolas Cage's acting style). Sure, the flick is not perfect, but it does a good job of meshing real-life events and dark, literary works with the fictional narrative! I enjoyed it! ....I believe that most critics are eagerly anticipating, "The Avengers", that they are quickly dismissing this flick as "boring" and "lacking", thus, sweeping it under the rug!...or just simply NOT fans of great literature! The story was reasonable and the flick was certainly NOT boring!
Tyban

I liked it. John Cusack was good. But you could have thrown in any other name as it was just your standard sherlock holmes dectective style story.
Ehsan Davodi

I know...I know... V is Dead But I Wana anothr sequel mr.McTeague! I Wana another Ninja Assassin either I need them I love them I m big fan of them VVV for VVV end etta
Nabb1

The story line seemed to anticipate that there'd yet be another Poe yarn woven into the film..."hmmmm, let's see, did we mention 'Tell-Tale Heart'?...call Alice Eve and let's bury her under the floor". The photographers did a masterful job and the scenery was terrific....and please call Alice Eve back for one more closeup (she's gorgeous!). I almost walked out 1/3 of the way through the film as I'm a Poe fan....and this wasn't Poe.
- Jdoe
  
  [turns and leaves with his nose in the air]...
Jon Erdahl

We liked it. Thought it was fun and the story line was quite clever overall. Good way to spend a Friday night movie night.
Barbbwheeler

With Edgar Allen Poe, John Cusack, Gothic backgrounds, 19th Century America and great stories, what's not to like!
- thefirelizard
  
  John Cusack.
http://www.facebook.com/nik.drumm Nik Drumm

Felt like John Cusak and Bredan Gleeson were sleep walking through this movie. Still a Cusak fan but not sure why. He hasn't been in a movie that I have liked in some time.