THE STORY – Soulmates Eric Draven and Shelly Webster are brutally murdered when the demons of her dark past catch up with them. Given the chance to save his true love by sacrificing himself, Draven returns to seek bloody revenge against the killers, traversing the worlds of the living and the dead to put the wrong things right.
THE CAST – Bill Skarsgård, FKA Twigs & Danny Huston
THE TEAM – Rupert Sanders (Director), Zach Baylin & William Schneider (Writers)
THE RUNNING TIME – 111 Minutes
“The Crow,” Alex Proyas’s 1994 film, became a cult hit and was forever immortalized by the tragic passing of its leading star, Brandon Lee, during production. It’s not the greatest film ever made, but it is certainly a product of its time, with devoted followers who love it for its story of a tortured soul seeking revenge for his lover. The 2024 film is a disappointing attempt to reboot the original 1989 comic book series for a new generation, falling short of capturing the enchantment and passion that made the original film a favorite amongst audiences. After lingering in development hell (or purgatory, take your pick), the film finally found a director in Rupert Sanders (“Snow White and the Huntsman” and “Ghost In The Shell“), and its star Bill Skarsgård (“Boy Kills World” & “IT“). However, this latest revival attempt struggles to find its foundation early on, ultimately failing to live up to the legacy of its predecessor and spitting on its grave in the process.
Eric Draven (Bill Skarsgård) is a loner who remains haunted by a disturbed childhood and now resides in a mental facility with no direction as to where he’s going in life until he meets and formulates a deep bond with Shelly (FKA Twigs) a young woman fleeing from a powerful and mysterious crime lord named Vincent Roeg (Danny Huston). As their connection deepens, Eric and Shelly’s love becomes a sanctuary for their painful pasts as they hope to begin their lives anew together as one. However, Roeg’s enforcers close in on them following Shelly’s discovery of his true identity. The two intertwined souls face tragedy, leading Eric into a supernatural world where he must confront his past, face those who have hurt him, and make a difficult choice that could determine whether he and Shelly can ever find peace together in this life or the next.
Stepping into the role of Eric Draven, the tragic hero resurrected from the dead with supernatural powers to seek revenge, Skarsgård is 100% committed to the role and certainly looks the part. He remains a talented actor, but his portrayal of Draven lacks the depth and emotional resonance that Brandon Lee brought to the role. Much of this can be laid at the feet of Sanders, though, who stumbles in crafting a performance that could even come close to Lee’s, as Skarsgård’s performance feels more like a pale imitation than a fresh interpretation, leaving the character feeling bland and unengaging. FKA Twigs, the famous British singer, songwriter, and dancer, has a fleeting presence that never quite establishes the emotional connection needed to make the love between her and Skarsgård’s Draven work. This early into the film, such a fumble creates a broken connection with the audience that it’s virtually impossible for anything that comes after to mean anything. It doesn’t help that nearly every line delivery from them is wooden, with a pace in the first act that is excruciatingly slow for what should be such a thrilling and emotionally gripping story.
Visually, “The Crow” tries painstakingly to replicate the dark, gothic atmosphere of the original film, but it often feels forced and overly stylized with a reliance on CGI to overcompensate. While technically proficient, it lacks the gritty, raw, and tactile atmosphere that defined the 1994 film and feels more concerned with looking cool than serving the narrative meaningfully. Similarly, though competently choreographed, the action sequences (the only moments of the movie that may jolt audiences out of their slumbers) are missing any visceral impact that should accompany Eric’s vengeful journey due to the narrative shortcomings of the first act. There is one well-staged sequence at an opera house drenched in blood where Skarsgård might as well be a horror movie slasher killer, unstoppable in his bloodlust and just cutting through henchmen like they’re nothing. It’s an undeniably slick visual, seeing the young actor drenched in blood, with his black leather coat and eight-pack abs going on a killing spree to get to his ultimate goal, but it’s all for naught if you don’t find yourself invested in the story.
While the story “The Crow” adheres to the basic plot of the original (for the most part), it adds little to the characters or the world they inhabit. The villain, Roeg, is one-dimensional and does not contain the menacing presence that Michael Wincott’s Top Dollar brought to the first film. Huston sleepwalks through his performance like an aimless soul drifting through the afterlife, as the screenplay seems entirely disinterested in giving him anything memorable to convey or clarity behind his power and motivations, rendering him merely as fodder for Eric’s revenge and nothing more.
The soundtrack, a crucial element of the original film, is another letdown. It feels stripped straight out of the early to mid-2000s, with some baffling choices that don’t fit the mood the rest of the film seems to be going for. Its attempts to capture a dark, alternative rock vibe remind me most of the original “Daredevil” in this regard, which is not a fond memory one wants to conjure from the dark bowels of nostalgia.
Overall, “The Crow” is not only a missed opportunity that fails to justify its existence but an endeavor that should’ve been laid to rest many years ago. Instead of creating interest in what a follow-up may look like, it may invigorate new viewers to seek out the 1994 original, for at least that film contained a heart and soul. Despite its polished visuals and a physically committed performance from Skarsgård that might even impress his “John Wick: Chapter 4” co-star Keanu Reeves, “The Crow” is everything your friends likely despise about hot emo hero worship and should be sent back to the cold, black underworld where it belongs.
