by Lorie Lewis Ham
Special coupon for Dinuba Platinum Theatre at the end of this review.
As a mystery fan and writer myself, the name of Edgar Allan Poe is of great importance as he is the father of the American detective novel. So when I heard there was going to be a movie coming out where Edgar himself was a character I was intrigued.
In The Raven, we find an alcoholic Edgar, played by John Cusack, trying desperately to make some money with his writing as a critic as his inspiration to write his poetry and fiction seem to have dried up. Suddenly murders begin to take place mirroring his stories and the detective on the case recognizes them as such and seeks Edgar out, first as a possible suspect and then for assistance. Things go terribly wrong when the young woman Edgar is in love with is kidnapped by this killer and it is up to Edgar to save her. 
I won’t give away any more of this plot because it is of course a mystery, and the fun is in discovering the clues and twists and turns as you go. I will say that I loved the little tidbits of true history about Poe thrown in this movie—I do believe most of the details about Poe were fairly accurate. However, I found Cusack’s portrayal to be less dark and brooding than Poe likely really was—this was a man who had lost everyone he loved to tragedy and whose darkness came through in his writing. Now I don’t know if Poe really had a raccoon as a pet, but it was a fun little bit anyway. Do keep in mind though, the story itself is fiction taken from a “what if” kind of take on his mysterious death.
The Raven had an enjoyable bit of history on the father of mystery along with a well done mystery plot, which I must admit I didn’t figure out until about the point where he and the detective did as well. My favorite character however was actually Detective Fields, played by Luke Evans who is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors (Immortals & Three Musketeers).
If you enjoy a good mystery, and especially if you are a fan of Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven is a must see!
Rated R for bloody violence and grisly images. Check out the trailer on IMDB, which is the official site for the movie.
Watch for more Edgar Allan Poe articles to celebrate the release of this movie coming soon and check out our article on Poe’s stories in the movies here at KRL!
The Raven is now playing at Dinuba Platinum Theatres 6. Showtimes can be found on their website.
Print this coupon and enjoy a special discount for Kings River Life readers only!
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