just wanted everyone to know

Rating: Null/10 (16 December 2002)

i haven't found anyone's mention of this, so i thought i might make one. anyone who has a problem with this movie's script, and especially those who have naysayed it due to knowledge of its genesis in comic book form, you're all considered to me numb from the neck up unless you actually read the comic before uttering such statements. the comic itself, though, grantedly, nothing altogether new, is a brilliant meditation on the ripper murders. the concept that held the comic strong, for some reason, was lost in the transition to film, namely William Gull's hallucinations of our society, and Abberline was not an absinthe addict. watching the movie, you can tell they threw a lot of what's in there simply to create an eyepleasing nineteenth century gothic video shawl. the actual people (remember, these are actually supposed to be real people, not fictional characters) don't look two clicks like depp or graham. holm is class, but the character's a miss. if filmmakers who were more devoted to the story had actually spearheaded this effort, they would have had something special.
as the film was, it was mostly decent. i remember leaving the theater entertained but hardly impressed. but again, you all should read the comic before you mock it. if you do, you'll find a challenging tale, often too practical to be mere mythwriting. the worthwhile Alan Moore penned it, and fellow brit Eddie Campbell laid down some clean, methodical artwork, that at times turns grisly and disconcerting. it's really a fine example of contemporary literature. basically, what all this gabbing is trying to say, is don't knock it till you try it.