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Parents' Guide to

The Raven

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Tell-tale Poe thriller has heavy gore, drinking.

Movie R 2012 110 minutes
The Raven Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 17+

Based on 2 parent reviews

age 18+

Great Adult film, John Cusack did great!

I don't think this movie is for kids, tweens, or even early teens at all. Why are parents so lenient with movie content? Let's be a bit more restrictive about what they are hearing, watching, playing, listening to, etc. This movie is an R for a reason, parents! It contains drinking, smoking, an opium reference, murders, violence, etc. Don't be afraid to say NO to a movie.

This title has:

Too much violence
age 16+

LOVE

This movie is good i love Edgar Allen Poe and his stories they are really cool. The only thing i will say is not recomend it to young kids .

This title has:

Too much consumerism

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (7 ):

James McTeigue -- of V for Vendetta fame -- directs THE RAVEN with an eye mostly on art direction: wet cobblestone streets and foggy woods, as well as the occasional raven dotting the landscape. He adds tremendous amounts of gore, despite the fact that gore isn't really what drove Poe's original tales. And even if the story itself isn't particularly Poe-like, Poe is a great character, and even if the mystery isn't exactly brilliant, it's perfectly serviceable.

The Raven's biggest problem is that the ranting, tormented Poe in the movie's first half is more fun than the heroic Poe of the second half. Cusack is fine in the role, but even he can't seem to tie the two sides together. Additionally, Eve seems wrong for period fare, and Evans is a bit wooden. They're all aided, however, by sparking dialogue; Cusack especially savors each delicious word as he delivers them into the ether. Overall, the enjoyable elements outweigh the disappointing ones, and The Raven works.

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