The Raven is a high concept movie in which author Edgar Allan Poe discovers that a serial killer is copying his literary work. It mixes a traditional Gothic sense of style with postmodern depictions of violence and has a quirky, erudite and fun screenplay. The film has a strong streak of gallows humour running through it and a solid cast. It is however an unbalanced production that never quite hits its stride, despite its fast pace. Like director James McTeigue's earlier film V for Vendetta I suspect that The Raven may be another slow burner, finding its audience over time rather than initially.