The Raven is gearing up for a mystery laden Blu-ray and DVD release on October 9. To celebrate, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment has put together one of the coolest apps I’ve ever seen—an interactive map that connects scenes from the movie with the Baltimore locations where they occur. All you have to do is hover your mouse over different areas of the map, and voila, different scenes from the movie will appear.
I think my favorite touches are the little raven icons that appear when there is a video audiences can watch. Most of the scenes are pretty short, and definitely are better for fans who have already caught the film and know about the sleuthwork Edgar Allan Poe (John Cusack) is accomplishing alongside a detective (Luke Evans). There are a few spoilers in the clips, but they also help us to understand the importance of the locations and the scenes we are privy to. The only thing that could potentially make this app better would be including clips from the Blu-ray bonus features. As it stands, though, I’m not sure how that would work with the map aspect (the trailer is included).
Luckily, we do have an exclusive Blu-ray bonus feature about Edgar Allan Poe’s life and works, that may be helpful if you are thinking about purchasing the set. The Blu-ray set will come with plenty of extras, including audio commentary from director James McTeigue, deleted and extended scenes, and several featurettes, including the aforementioned extra discussing Poe. You can take my word for it, or check out the full list.
