Films to see

From Hell is a film that tries too hard. It has its merits, but falls short overall. However, if you like conspiracy theories and pseudo-historical films, then you might enjoy it.

The way the film's plot fits into what we know about the historical events is quite clever, but it is rather shabbily executed. It is way too obvious to be a murder mystery and not direct enough to be a thriller. The vast majority of the characters featured are too two-dimensional, including the protagonist. It's nearly impossible to forge any emotional attachment to any of them, and so the film doesn't produce any real impact. The ending feels somehow unnecessary. A more open ending could have saved this film.

To mention some of the positive aspects of this film, the gory scenes are tackled in a relatively tasteful manner. Enough is shown to portray the gruesomeness of the matter, but the film doesn't revel in it. However, a lot of the CGI in this film is very obvious - especially the cityscapes - and somehow spoils the finished product.

From Hell might be the right choice of film for some, but most people will probably do perfectly well without it.