*A bit short, but I was working to a word limit*
The spectre of Guy Ritchie's surprisingly and embarrasingly enjoyable Sherlock Holmes films looms large over James McTeigue's fantastical take on the last five days of Edgar Allen Poe like... well, a raven. Although it nicely imitates the classic Hammer meets steampunk look Ritchie's films established, The Raven forgets to borrow any of the former's self-awareness and slightly mocking humour. It remains po-faced long after it should have cracked a smile. For such a ludicrous premise, it's stony faced attempt at gravitas is pretty much unforgivable, especially as it's about a writer with an infamous acid wit and macabre sense of humour.
Even John Cusack, an effortlessly likeable actor capable of wading through the very worst movies with his dignity intact, can't save this film; although he tries his very hardest. His Poe is suitably ragged, washed up and prone to violent outbursts, but even this isn't enough to stop the deluge of vacuous heavy-handedness that McTeigue brings to the table. There's nothing here that couldn't be seen, but done far more effectively, with a double bill of Se7en and Roger Corman's Pit and the Pendulum. Save yourself a trip to the cinema, and just watch those two instead.
