The Crow. 2024.
Directed by Rupert Sanders.
With Bill Skarsgård, FKA Twigs, Danny Huston, Laura Birn, Jordan Bolger, Isabella Wei, Sami Bouajila, David Bowles, Dukagjin Podrimaj, Paul Maynard, Josette Simon, Karel Dobrý, Sebastian Orozco, Trigga, Darija Pavlovicová, Solo Uniacke and Brian Caspe .
SUMMARY:
Soulmates Eric and Shelly are brutally murdered. When Eric gets the chance to save the love of his life, he must sacrifice himself and traverse the worlds of the living and the dead in search of revenge.
A “modern reinterpretation” of the original 1994 film and comics (created by James O’Barr), Rupert Sanders The Crow is a series of events strung together without any structure, logic or momentum.
Take, for example, the meeting of gothic lovebirds Eric Draven (Bill Skarsgård) and Shelly (FKA twigs): He’s already in rehab after what seems like decades of trauma that the film vaguely alludes to at the beginning and then forgets to explore, while she’s on her way to exposing her filthy rich tormentor Vincent Roeg (Danny Huston in pick-the-bad-for-a-paycheck mode) as not just a criminal but a supernatural monster who brainwashes women into murdering for him (which sounds cooler than it is, because in reality it’s a silly-sounding warble he blows into their ears) and himself as part of an ambiguous pact with the devil in exchange for eternal life.
Along the way, Shelly succumbs to a contrived set of circumstances that result in cops finding drugs on her and landing her in the same rehab facility as Eric. This sounds silly on paper, but in execution it’s unintentionally hilarious. Even more puzzling is that Shelly is the only woman here. There seems to be minimal effort (to put it mildly) to separate men from women (which seems to be a default priority in an environment where people are supposed to heal themselves without distraction), and they instantly fall in love. Shelly also has incriminating video evidence of Vincent’s strange crimes on her phone, meaning she’s in danger. Fortunately, none of the staff here seem to care about keeping an eye on the residents (it’s unclear how much freedom they have on the facility’s grounds, as this film fails to convey even the most basic information), meaning they can easily escape.
From there, the film spends an inordinate amount of time convincing us that these two drug addicts are in love with each other, spending time stoned, making love, and exploring the city for what seems like days despite Shelly being in their crosshairs. Frankly, it’s all a bit boring and contrived. There’s no need for the ridiculous getting-to-know-you or rapprochement to convey that these two people love each other. The fact that the film spends about 45 minutes on this and still fails is pretty embarrassing (Bill Skarsgård’s accent changes and awkward fashion choices don’t help). Why waste so much time on this aspect when there’s a divide where there should be chemistry?
Finally, the basic assumption is put into action. For those who are not familiar with The CrowEric and Shelly are murdered (greatly toned down here, as opposed to the edgy nature of the original). In this version, Eric ends up in a limbo where a gatekeeper tells him that crows are special creatures that can grant rebirth to someone who died under tragic circumstances, with the expectation that they will do anything to get revenge and make things right again. This interpretation of the lore also states that Eric can see Shelly again if he does so (everything in Hollywood has to have some sort of happy ending these days).
Eric discovers that he is immortal and that his body regenerates any damage sustained (from bullets to being run over), setting him off on a tedious and lame quest for revenge. The film remains an editing disaster, jumping from one setting or exchange between characters to the next with no logical structure. There’s a scene where Eric approaches Shelly’s mother at her funeral and casually admits that he knew her daughter, only to cut to another conversation where they talk as if they’ve known each other for months. It’s a bizarre, clumsy, and nonsensical way of telling a story.
Admittedly, the film doesn’t hold back on the gore once Eric embarks on his mission, particularly in a gnarly opera house scene where he stabs and dismembers thugs in clever and disgusting ways. If only Rupert Sanders (working with screenwriters Zach Baylin and William Josef Schneider) had recognized their strength in constructing brutal violence (Bill Skarsgård also embodies the quiet rage well, and delivers a convincing portrayal of terror) instead of muddled characterization and half-hearted backstories, perhaps something worthwhile could have been created here. The Crow but also immediately destroys that temporary goodwill by coming to an ending that makes little sense and doesn’t seem to capture the purpose of the original. For a film about ill-fated soulmates, The Crow has no soul.
Assessment of the flickering myth – Film: ★ ★ / Cinema: ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the reviews editor at Flickering Myth. Find new reviews here, follow me Þjórsárdalur or Letterboxd, or email me at [email protected]
