Starting August 22, Ukrainian cinemas will be able to watch the film «The Crow», based on the comic book series of the same name by James O’Barr. The newest version is a reboot of the «The Crow» franchise, which previously had four feature films and a TV series with different performers in the title role (once even Edward Furlong from «Terminator 2» was featured). This time, the mission of bloody retribution against the villains was entrusted to Bill Skarsgard. In the review below, we will find out how the former Pennywise feels in yet another infernal role and what the newest adaptation offers in general.
Genre mystical action movie
Director Rupert Sanders
Starring Bill Skarsgård, FKA Twigs, Isabella Way, Danny Huston, Laura Byrne, Sami Bojila
Premiere movie theaters
Year of issue 2024
Website IMDb
One day in a drug rehab center, Eric Draven, a tattooed kid from a dysfunctional family, meets a girl named Shelly Webster, who is hiding from armed bad guys. They fall in love, escape from the rehab, and begin to enjoy each other’s lives and company. But this fairy tale doesn’t last long (actually — long, more on that later), and soon the hostile muzzles are literally crushing them both to death.
But instead of a peaceful rest in a cemetery, Eric finds himself in a bizarre afterlife, where a strange old man surrounded by birds assures him that a raven will help solve all problems. Having acquired the ability to regenerate almost instantly, Eric is given the task of destroying the criminal mastermind Vincent Rogue and his gang of thugs responsible for the deaths of lovers. In this way, the newly minted John Wick will not only be able to take revenge on the offenders and break one deal with the devil, but also save his beloved. During the mission, he will be constantly accompanied by a raven black as pitch.
The main thing you need to know about «The Crow» 2024 — is that it is a completely separate movie that differs from the original film not only in style and mood, but also in genre, being a fundamentally different story.
Alex Proyas’ simple content literally dissolved in the despair-filled gothic atmosphere and expressive style, supported by the melancholic sound of the legendary «The Cure». Sanders, on the other hand, is engaged in some dubious melodramatic passions and meaningless flirtations with mystical nonsense in the spirit of «Ghost Rider», and a couple of shots with night rain remain of the concentrated Gothic.
Where Brandon Lee’s Eric Draven saved the girl’s clumsy mother Sarah from drugs, the local Eric and Shelly are already complete party animals themselves. They are unpleasant marginalized people whose fate, for some reason, should be of interest to the viewer. What can we say about the ominous image of Crow himself, who fits Brandon Lee like a glove, while Skarsgård, pardon the pun, has been turned into a clown with a teenage wardrobe.
In addition to the fact that this ridiculous love story is full of bubblegum wrapper-level lines «Love is…», it also looks infinitely boring. The fact that we have a story about a terrible punishment for villains is only mentioned in the final act. The bored viewer is finally convinced that it is better to watch an old movie.
The local miracle action risks completely killing the viewer when it begins to resemble an opera performance in its editing — a clear example of how to use trickery to hide the lack of sane production thought in battle scenes.
In terms of realization, this «The Crow» resembles naive opuses from Sony’s Spider-Man Cinematic Universe, like some «Morbius» — minus the children’s rating, plus rivers of artificial blood. But it’s probably for the best. After all, Brandon Lee deserves to be completely unreachable here.