FROM HELL, Yeah right.

Rating: 6/10 (23 October 2001)

FROM HELL 6/10
THESE COMMENTS CONTAIN SPOILERS. PLEASE DO NOT READ IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW SPECIFICS ABOUT THE FILM
FROM HELL was better than say SLEEPY HOLLOW, but that isn't saying much. Like that other film, this was all style and no substance. What is the point of having a pretty picture when it means absolutely nothing to the viewer? This oft-told tale needs something fresh to get a jaded, *UH-HUM*, experienced viewer, such as myself interested.
The Hughes brothers went to obsessive-compulsive lengths to get the historical details of the murders right and to create a unique Gothic sense of 19th century London, but they did so at the cost of involving the audience with an actual story.
I don't mind the fictitious elements, in fact, I welcome them, because despite what is known about the Ripper murders, a lot remains a mystery. But what I cannot stand is the conspicuousness of someone like Heather Graham in this kind of film, much like Milla Jovovich in THE MESSENGER. I simply could not get over the incongruities of Graham's perfect white teeth and statuesque body with the absolute wretched squalor of her environs and prostitute friends. My other technical quibbles have to do with the directors themselves. Specifically, I'll certainly be glad when the Hughes brothers mature, because right now (through either naiveté or insecurity), they feel the need to use every camera shot they ever learned in film school to show how clever they are. All of that gets old very quickly.

As for the story itself, like I said, nothing new or interesting is presented in FROM HELL. The choice of the Ripper is anybody's guess and frankly does not matter. (Although, I have to admit that making the Ripper a Mason was certainly fresh and different.) The relationship between the Inspector (Johnny Depp) and Graham is surprisingly rushed, cliché, and truncated. And finally, this film just isn't gory or scary. Maybe that one's just a horrible reflection upon me or the times in which we live, but MTV-like flashes of blood and horror do not register well with me.
In all, I found FROM HELL to be well-made but nothing more than that. It was certainly worth the $4.50 I paid but I strongly recommend not paying more than that.

FROM HELL 6/10
______________
--Hypotheses
______________