Action
Crime
Review: ‘The Crow’ is an Unnecessary and Utterly Forgettable Resurrection of a Cult Classic Superhero
August 22, 2024Ben MK
|
A brutal tale of revenge and redemption that helped pave the way for the golden age of comic book cinema to come, 1994's The Crow was no ordinary superhero movie. Based on James O'Barr's graphic novel of the same name, director Alex Proyas' visionary adaptation about a man raised from the dead to wreak bloody vengeance was groundbreaking for its time. Starring the late Brandon Lee, who tragically passed away while making the movie, the film was a rousing success, and would go on to attract a faithful cult following. And now, 30 years later, director Rupert Sanders is endeavoring to bring The Crow to the big screen once again — only this time, with Bill Skarsgård in the titular role. Set amid a nameless and sprawling urban landscape that could be virtually any major metropolitan city, the story follows the sullen Eric Draven (Skarsgård), a recovering drug addict at the Serenity Park Rehabilitation Center with a dark past, who finds himself suddenly entangled in the schemes of a powerful man who has made a deal with the Devil for eternal life. It's the sort of trouble Eric never imagined getting caught up in when he meets the sweet and kindhearted Shelly (FKA Twigs), a fellow patient at Serenity Park. However, when both he and Shelly are viciously murdered by thugs working for the villainous Vincent Roeg (Danny Huston), Eric is forced to quickly familiarize himself with his new situation. Awakening in the limbo between the world of the living and the afterlife, he's informed by a mysterious guide that Shelly's soul has been eternally damned. There is, however, one way to bring her back to life — and if Eric is to make that happen, he'll have to kill Roeg. Armed with this newfound knowledge and imbued with a deadly array of supernatural powers that allow him to survive any and all violence his enemies can inflict upon him, Eric embarks on his own personal mission of revenge. But if he's to locate Roeg and try to put the wrong things right, he'll first have to do a little detective work of his own. Unable to trust even the police, whose ranks have also been corrupted by Roeg, Eric must get the answers he needs by paying a visit to the key figures in Shelly's life, as well as Roeg's henchmen who played a role in his and Shelly's murders. But even with the power of a god, will Eric succeed in his bloodstained quest to put an end to Roeg and save Shelly's soul? And even if does manage to achieve what no one else has had the courage to attempt, will he be able to do so without making the ultimate sacrifice himself? Written by Zach Baylin and William Josef Schneider, the result wisely doesn't try to be a note-for-note replication of the 1994 original. Still, despite trying to bring a fresh new tale to the source material, The Crow never quite gels as its own thing. Whether it's Skarsgård and Twigs' bland portrayals of the film's leads, the fact that Huston's Roeg doesn't make for a particularly intimidating adversary, or the downgrade from the original's all-timer of an alt-rock soundtrack to one comprised almost exclusively of emo and electronic tracks, the movie wastes no time racking up unfavorable comparisons to its predecessor. Where it does partially redeem itself, though, is with its extremely bloody and insanely gory action sequences, even though those are few and far between. Suffice to say, fans of Brandon Lee's portrayal of this cult classic superhero needn't worry about his performance being overshadowed. For while this 2024 iteration of The Crow isn't an outright abomination, it still doesn't make much of an impression once the credits start to roll. Make no mistake, The Crow could have been a welcome addition to the small but growing sub-genre of R-rated comic book films. As it stands, however, audiences are better off without this forgettable and completely unnecessary cinematic resurrection. The Crow releases August 23rd, 2024 from Lionsgate Films. The film has an MPAA rating of R for strong bloody violence, gore, language, sexuality/nudity, and drug use. Its runtime is 1 hr. 51 min. |
0 comments