BLU: The Raven
Detective Fields, a Baltimore policeman, asks Edgar Allan Poe for help when a serial killer starts using Poe’s published writings as inspiration for murder scenes. Even with Poe’s help, however, the killer seems to always be one step ahead of the two and when Poe’s lover becomes a target, the stakes get raised even more. Will they be able to stop him before Poe’s girlfriend becomes his latest victim?
The director from V for Vendetta (James McTeigue) combined with John Cusack (2012) and Luke Evans (Immortals, Clash of the Titans) in a fictional movie about the last days of Edgar Allan Poe which pitches the famous writer as a clever detective hunting a serial killer. The idea seems great, but unfortunately the end product fails.
John Cusack does an excellent job as Poe, and the parts where he and detective Fields put pieces of the puzzle together show signs of brilliance, but unfortunately these are scarse and feel as floating on their own while the movie as a whole lacks cohesion and actually makes you wonder what Poe’s strengths are other than being able to identify how a murder scene is related to one of his writings. The fact that Poe’s character is also all but likable doesn’t help either.
The movie starts off pretty well, but the middle part drags on too long without having enough substance, and the ending is a bit of a letdown. If it weren’t for Cusack’s performance, The Raven would score even lower than it already does. What we’re left with in the end is a rather straightforward whodunnit with some gory scenes in the middle.
As with most recent movies, the transfer onto Blu-ray is done very well with very good image and sound quality. There a few instances where the level of detail slips a tiny bit, but overall it’s very high while black levels are deep and inky, contrast is perfect and textures are lifelike. Sound-wise we’re getting a dialogue-driven movie that does get surround support when necessary, creating an ambient and satisfying atmosphere. Just like the movie, the extra’s are a bit of a letdown with only a commentary track and some deleted/extended scenes.
5.0
BLU: Werewolf: The Beast Among Us
BLU: 21 Jump Street