“The Crow” is pretty good for the average moviegoer.
Director Rupert Sanders’ “The Crow”, a rewrite of the 1994 original directed by Alex Proyas, has been out for more than three weeks and it is not what many people will expect.
Both the 1994 original and the current version were adapted from the 1989 comic book written by James O’Barr. In the comics Eric Draven, known as The Crow, is a violent antihero who dishes out street justice for the brutal murder of his fiancée, Shelly Webster, portrayed by British singer-actress FKA twigs. His character arc is very similar to that of The Punisher or Ghost Rider.
With that said, audiences should expect something similar to the 2019 “Joker” movie or the 2007 “Ghost Rider” movie starring Nicholas Nicolas Cage, something with a dark, gritty setting with elements of the supernatural including the mysteriously spooky afterlife.
The big problem with this movie is that it is one big work-up. The romance scenes are a work-up to the turning point where Eric, portrayed by Bill Skarsgård, loses the love of his life. Instead of Shelly playing the role as Eric’s fiancée, she is his newfound love and supposedly the only woman he ever truly loved. Their relationship mirrors that of Mickey and Mallory Knox in William Oliver Stone’s “Natural Born Killers” (1994). Two anti-social, societal outcasts experiencing a forbidden love which ultimately serves as the basis for a tragedy that sets the stage for the second half of the movie. Yes, you heard that correctly, half of the movie is spent on their romantic relationship. Not something to be desired in an action-fantasy film that has been adapted from a popular comic book. It is clear that the makers of the film were exploring the theme of love and relationships among young people, particularly those who do not fit in with traditional society.
The second part of the movie did well in portraying action. Advances in the area of cinematography allow for much more violent and bloody carnage to be depicted. Something for moviegoers to keep in mind if they or a member of their party is faint of heart. The action scenes were few but well filmed up until the ending which was very bland and left a lot to be desired. Audiences get to see Bill Skarsgård’s Crow fight Danny Huston’s Vincent Roeg, a crooked businessman who sends innocent souls to hell in exchange for immortality.
Casting Danny Huston as the villain was a good move and his character does make the film more entertaining to watch since Huston has always been good at playing the role of the subversive, manipulative and deceptive villain.
“The Crow” lacked action and depth.
