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From Hell

From Hell

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Jack's truely FROM HELL
Review: This movie is one of the best movies of the year! Its very graphic, chilling and keeps you guessing. The movie is definitly worth viewing.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: From Hell
Review: Johnny Depp is superb as Inspector Abeline and the man who plays the Ripper does an equally good job as well. This movie takes time to build it's plot, too. So if you want a good creepy story, I highly recommend seeing this, you won't be disappointed.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: From Hell
Review: Johnny Depp is superb as Inspector Abeline and the man who plays the Ripper does an equally good job as well. This movie takes time to build it's plot, too. So if you want a good creepy story, I higjly recommend seeing this, you won't be disappointed.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Important note, this is not a documentary!
Review: To clear up a misconception about the title to the film - "From Hell" is a quote from a letter that Jack The Ripper sent to the police. It is the one letter that most experts agree is actually from the Ripper. This is briefly shown in the film as part of the evidence. There are some excellent surprises in the resolution of the story that are extremely plausible leading to a bittersweet ending.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great movie overall
Review: I sawthis movie in theaters when it first came out and I only have one word to say...WOW! This movie was great overall. The acting was great, the murder scenes were awesome, bloody nevertheless, and ending was shocking, a very important part of any movie. SO I would recommend this movie to anyone who would want to see a movie about Jack the Ripper.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Jack the Ripper movie!
Review: If you have any interest in Jack the Ripper than you will like this movie. It is based on the book From Hell. Although not all of it is fact it is pretty close to what actually happened. You actually get to see who Jack was. Although it is the authors opinion and theory of who the killer really was. A must see if you like the subject of Jack the Ripper.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Still Troubling
Review: In the catalog of unsolved murders, the crimes of Jack the Ripper reign supreme. In all probability, they have inspired more speculation and creative work than have all the others combined. Inspired by a graphic novel series, this effort by the Hughes brothers is another in a long history of productions, each seeking to draw us into the terrors of a century past, leaving us once again chilled and bemused.

One of the things that set 'From Hell' apart is its efforts at authenticity. Costumes, characters and locale are minutely recreated. We are granted a long glance into the squalid realities of life in places like Whitechapel with very little candy coating. The conflicts between the bleak lives of London's prostitutes and the posh upper classes underline the fact that whatever the real motivation for the crimes, they were also symptomatic of a deeply divided culture. Characters like Inspector Fred Abberline (Johnny Depp) must tread the borders of both realms seeing only the worst that either has to offer.

It is only fitting that Abberline is a frequent user of opium who often has 'visions' that show him glimpses of the crimes. Fitting, because his opponent, the killer also lives in a dream world of his own. Abberline is a spectator forced to witness the inexorable artwork of the madman, desperately trying to puzzle out the motivations that set his nightmares in motion. We the onlookers shift out viewpoints from killer, to investigator, to victim, and beyond. For all that we have more information than Abberline; we come no closer to a solution.

Depp gives Abberline a certain fragility that contrasts with both the characters of the prostitutes he is struggling to save (led by Heather Graham as Mary Kelly) and the overwhelming self-confidence of those he serves. As such he is a bit of a phantom when compared to the likes of Sir William Gull (Ian Holm). This works quite well given that Abberline's own story can only begin to peak as The Ripper's draws to a close.

The film's explanation of the murders is one popular with many Ripper aficionados, and has been used in films before. The Hughes do find a way to twist this in their own way at the end, providing a bit of a surprise for the most jaded. While the production has more than its share of the grim and gory, the Hughes rarely indulge in purely gratuitous violence. Horror, when it comes, is swift and sure. We are not so much frightened as kept in a state of nervous anticipation.

The two discs of this set provide a beneficence of additional materials. Features about everything from Ripperology to the use of Absinthe. There is a tour of the recreated Whitechapel and full-length commentaries on the film. The Hughes brothers really did go to extremes in their production and the extras provide much insight into compulsive filmmaking.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Weak, underwhelming
Review: I had hoped for this film to be great, considering the subject matter and the fact that Johnny Depp was to play the lead role. But I was very disappointed. About the only good thing about it is how it looks, but even that is somewhat overrated by many internet reviewers. The story is simple, the plot unimpressive and lagging. Some of the dialog/scenes border on unintentionally laughable. Heather Graham is ridiculously out of place playing this drop-dead gorgeous prostitute amidst other prostitutes who have crooked teeth and hair falling out. No great effects, mediocre dialog. Depp brings dignity to his role but can't save the film from bombing. Pass this one up, folks, and see "Session 9" or "American Psycho" instead.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: So Bad...
Review: This movie was a miserable disappointment, especially to anyone who had read Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell's superb graphic novel "From Hell." What Moore and Campbell created was a staggering work, breathtaking in its details and scope. What the Hughes brothers turned it into was a subpar clone of Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow.

My biggest complaint would have to be the...way in which the characters were handled, especially Sir William Gull, aka The Ripper. In the book, we knew Gull was the ripper from the beginning, and so we were priveleged to the innermost details of his actions, from his relationship with his driver Netley, to his bizarre hallucinations as he killed. The movie tries to make this a mystery, even though it is blatantly obvious from the first killing. Also, the ridiculous black contact lenses were distracting and unintentionally hilarious.

Heather Graham was the worst actor of the principles in this movie, and her character is by far the most ludicrous. Picture this: An Irish immigrant prostitute with no accent who never has sex with anyone. That's Graham. Her character is wholly unbelievable, and the "love" story is thoroughly [unbelievable].

And last but not least, Johnny Depp's portrayal of "Fredrick Abberline." An opium addicted "psychic"... This just oozes stupidity. This whole plotline was included to give the movie some flashy visuals and a "marketable" lead character. I'm not even going to go into how unfaithful this is to the book and reality.

This movie tries to have an original style, but there is really very little that has not been done before. The art direction is liberally lifted from The Crow and various other gothic action movies. The hallucinations offer some degree of originality, but as they contribute nothing to the plot, they don't outweigh the many faults of the movie. And the "Elephant Man" scene was [not needed]. Anyone wondering why this was included in the movie should read the comic. This was one plot thread that really should have been fully cut from the movie but wasn't, and as a result, it harmed the overall continuity.

Anyway, considering the source material, this movie would have worked better as a 12-hour BBC miniseries remaining faithful to the book. This may sound a tad extreme, but if you have actually read the comic, you'll know what I'm talking about.

If you are considering renting this, I would recommend either Sleepy Hollow or Ravenous, both of which are far more enjoyable 19th-century horror films.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Johnny was great,,,but
Review: This film had alot going for it when it started but fell apart terribly at the end. I have termendious respect for Johnny Depp as an actor and he has come a very long way. Even though he was excellent in this film and he gave it his best shot the film itself died.I give Johnny 5 stars the movie 1.


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