The premise of The Raven is genuinely clever: exploring a possible explanation for Edgar Allan Poe's final days. Directed by James McTeigue and with a script from Ben Livingston and Hannah Shakespeare, the film features John Cusack, Luke Evans, Alice Eve, and Brendan Gleeson, accompanied by a score from Lucas Vidal and cinematography by Danny Ruhlmann. As the opening quote states, "On October 7, 1849, Edgar Allan Poe was found, near death, on a park bench in Baltimore, Maryland. The last days of his life remain a mystery." The movie constructs a scenario where Poe and Inspector Emmett Fields (Evans) are involved in a race to identify a killer who is committing murders mirroring Poe’s own stories. Emily Hamilton (Eve), Poe's romantic interest, faces considerable danger, heightening the tension throughout this time-sensitive drama. It functions as agreeable entertainment, introducing those unfamiliar with Poe's life and creative challenges. The detective storyline provides enjoyment, and the killings are suitably gruesome and Gothic in their presentation. However, it doesn’t quite succeed as a convincing historical film. Dialogue frequently feels anachronistic, Eve seems ill-suited to her role, the musical score is jarring, and there’s a general sense of actors pretending to inhabit a past era. It's disappointing that these issues detract from the film because McTeigue’s direction has visual flair, and the production design warrants recognition. Cusack proves entertaining, although he seems more comfortable portraying a detective later in the story than embodying a troubled writer initially; Evans is solid as the traditional gentleman investigator. There's an enjoyable, uncomplicated mystery here where one follows clues, and admirers of Poe will appreciate the numerous nods to his life and distinctive writing, but ultimately it falls short in several important aspects. The film earns a 6/10 rating.

Source on TMDB