Rating: ««
out of ««««
Running Time: 111 minutes
This film from Lionsgate is currently at theaters.
It’s been some 35 years since the release of the cult comic book The Crow, and 30 years now from the equally adored film adaptation starring Brandon Lee. The movie made quite an impression on audiences at the time. While the revenge plot wasn’t particularly original, the project did feature remarkably stylish visuals and a charismatic cast. Additionally, the horrible tragedy surrounding the death of lead actor Lee added an unfortunate but compelling aura to the final feature. A weak 1996 sequel followed, as well as a few direct-to-disc follow-ups.
Now, a new take on The Crow has arrived at theaters. Alas, this effort is a mess and doesn’t fare much better than the previous group of awkward continuations.
Eric Draven (Bill Skarsgård) is a troubled young man who meets Shelly Webster (FKA Twigs) in rehab and falls for her immediately. After telling him that a mysterious party is trying to track her down and slaughter her, Eric helps Shelly escape from the institute and the two enjoy a whirlwind romance.
Unfortunately, the villains do suddenly appear and murder the pair. Eric immediately finds himself in a strange purgatory. He meets a man named Kronos (Sami Bouajila) who explains that Shelly is on her way to Hell. Since Eric is so deeply in love with the woman, he is given the opportunity to return to the world of the living and enact revenge on their killers.
As it turns out, Vincent Roeg (Danny Huston) is the sinister mastermind behind the slayings. He is a servant of Satan who corrupts the pure for his underworld boss in return for eternal life. Eric is told that a “crow” will lead the way and help him find his targets.
Skarsgård is a good choice for the role, certainly looking the part of a tortured soul lashing out in fury at those who took his true love from him. Additionally, there is also a clever idea introduced into the story. While Eric can regenerate from bullet hits, stabbings and other nastiness, he can still feel it all, adding to his agony.
The action is very graphic and there are some well edited confrontations. His first few attempts to fight back against his killers are brutal and result in painful injuries for both parties. In particular, a battle in a car racing through a tunnel does result in some unique combat. The same goes for the finale, which involves a samurai sword being used in a number of creative ways.
Alas, that’s about all that works in this redo. The movie is surprisingly slowly paced, with early scenes straining to create an authentic, gritty and realistic environment for its characters. And yet, given that so much of the story involves supernatural elements, the attempts at stark realism feel out of place.
The first act doesn’t do a great job of selling Eric’s intense adoration for Shelly. She is keeping secrets from him, and the lead has barely gotten to know the woman before they are eternally separated. One can’t really feel the chemistry or the deep attachment they are supposed to possess for each other. A villain even notes Eric’s lack of knowledge about Shelly’s past late in the movie. It’s almost as if the screenplay is trying to address this flaw and it never manages to sell why their love is so special.
There are also plenty of plotholes. Eric is told to follow his crow to the baddies, but doesn’t really do this at all. Instead, he’s interviewing Shelly’s friends for personal details about her life and then interrogating various thugs. Despite being told to wipe out those responsible for his girlfriend’s death, the lead ends up taking down a lot of random security guards. As mentioned, it results in some creative slayings, but doesn’t seem like a mandatory part of the mission. Villain Vincent could be an interesting foil, but doesn’t interact with the hero until late in the film. It doesn’t result in a memorable clash.
In the end, The Crow is a misfire. A few bits of action work well and there are a couple of interesting ideas, but the story doesn’t do enough with them or feel very cohesive in general. Most importantly, the film struggles to sell the central relationship. This trip to purgatory ends up only making the audience suffer.
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By Glenn Kay
For the Sun
