Summary
You can’t go a month in 2024 without some kind of legacy sequel andThe Crowis August’s contribution. Even by the standards of the current movie industry, to haveTwisters,GladiatorIIandThe Crowcome out within months of each other is overkill. That’s to say nothing of new legacy sequels likeKingdom of the Planet of the ApesandFuriosa: A Mad Max Saga. The Crowhas therightidea but suffers from all the classic pitfalls of the worst version of all these films.
Cast
Fans of the original 1994 movie, directed by Alex Proyas, might not even be aware the newCrowmovie exists due to the strangely sparse marketing campaign. Casual audiences have no reason to seek it out. Director Rupert Sanders (Ghost in the Shell)and writer Zach Baylin’s (King Richard) adaptation of James O’Barr’s comic falls flat on its face.
When Eric (Bill Skarsgård) and Shelly (FKA Twigs) escape rehab, they instantly form a connection. The two love birds enjoy a substance-fueled fling and think they have found a soulmate in each other. However, when tragedy takes Shelly away from Eric, his undying soul is brought back with a single purpose: Kill the ones who killed his beloved. He eventually gets the hang of being immortal and begins his quest for vengeance in earnest. Reality itself is shifted when he’s thrust between life and death and must decide his soul’s worth. Either way, no one is safe from Eric’s ire.
All The Crow Movies, Ranked Worst To Best
The Crow movie franchise began back in 1994 and here’s all four entries ranked from worst to best; the films are based on the cult graphic novel.
The Crow Remake’s Action Is Great
Though it’s what also hold the film back
The action inThe Crowis solid and the film is not scared to get gory. The modern gun fighting and slasher-style knife work make the movie sing. In a scene cut against an opera, Skarsgård double skewers two goons and cuts another one’s face in half. Though this doesn’t make up for an average film with a lackluster screenplay, it does provide for a few spectacular scenes.
… [The Crow] reveals the lack of emotion at the center of the plot. That’s a problem if we’re meant to invest in Eric’s revenge to begin with.
Visual effects technology has made it possible to regrow limbs in a far more realistic way. It cannot be denied that the CGI in the film is both good and deployed at the right times. Credit to all the stunt performers who really sell some of the more wild kills involving broken bones and blood splatter. Skargsård himself does a great job selling his character’s healing factor. When his leg breaks and he snaps it back into place, we feel his screams of anguish and we’re grossed out by the reality of what is onscreen.
Ironically, it is also the action-oriented approach that truly keeps this film from being great. TheJohn Wick-ification of action filmspermeates through all revenge films these days, but in the case ofThe Crow,it also reveals the lack of emotion at the center of the plot. That’s a problem if we’re meant to invest in Eric’s revenge to begin with.
If the film had a different name and was just another action movie, it would likely come and go — forgettable and inoffensive. But with so much history attached to the film’s title, the expectations and standards are much higher. Sadly, those standards are not met. Worse, they’re disappointing.
The Crow Remake Still Lives In The Original Movie’s Shadow
Bill Skarsgård’s performance is good, but can’t top Brandon Lee’s
Skarsgård is good as the titular character, but Brandon Lee’s work is not the kind of performance that can be replicated. That’s no one’s fault but Hollywood’s, though, as the industry aims to revisit so many classics. As we move past remakingmovies likePoint Breakand enter the realm ofcult classic movieslikeThe Crow,it is on us to recognize that nothing is sacred. That said, it is still the responsibility of these legacy sequels to deliver a good product, regardless of how we feel about it.
If we’re extremely lucky, we get a movie likeTop Gun: Maverick. Otherwise, what we’re left with is 2024’sThe Crow— a movie that means well, looks solid and is brimming with acting talent, but has neither the script nor the soul to bring home the bacon.
The Crowis now playing in theaters. The film is 111 minutes long and rated R for strong bloody violence, gore, sexuality/nudity, and drug use.
The Crow
The Crow (2024) is a dark and gritty reimagining of the original graphic novel. It follows Eric, who is resurrected from the dead to avenge his and his soulmate’s brutal murders. Armed with supernatural abilities, Eric seeks justice against the killers responsible, navigating through a corrupt city that is as much a character as he is. This adaptation introduces new elements to captivate the modern audience!
