The Crow (2024) is both a remake of the 90s original film, and an “adaptation” of James O’barr’s 1989 comic series of the same name. However, this retelling wears the name alone, deviating heavily from what The Crow is inherently about.
The film follows the love story of Eric and Shelley, two struggling people who find solace in one another. As the couple are finally starting to settle down, a dark figure from Shelley’s past returns and kills them both. But Eric lives on, returning to seek vengeance on those who killed him and Shelley in an attempt to bring Shelley back to life.
Plot wise, it’s not dissimilar to previous iterations of the story. However, in execution, the new plot fails to understand the tragedy of Eric’s mission and the point of the story.
Instead, subtlety is traded for spectacle in this shiny, gory and mostly pointless story.
“I thought you were quite brilliantly broken”
Image credit: Lionsgate
The Crow (2024) opens with a flashback to a young Eric. It’s a confusing moment that is never elaborated on, but it’s also one of the only moments the film feels like The Crow. This is largely because of the symbolic nature of Eric’s situation, harkening back to the comic, for the only time.
Despite director Rupert Sanders claims that this film would be an adaptation of the comic, The Crow (2024) is neither an adaptation of James O’Barr’s comics or a remake of the 1994 film. Instead, Sanders version of The Crow is largely its own film, lacking important aspects a Crow film should have.
The murder of the couple doesn’t occur until almost half way through. Instead, the first half is devoted to how Eric and Shelley met and subsequently fell in love. This is a jarring deviation to every other version of the story considering the couple are supposed to die in the beginning.
But, The Crow (2024) isn’t a story of forgiveness and survivors guilt. Skarsgård’s Eric is on a journey to save Shelley, not avenge her. A plot point like that would feel important if the romance between Eric and Shelley was believable.
Bill Skarsgård and FKA Twigs have almost zero chemistry together and it makes the first half of the film a slog to get through. Even how they fall in love feels forced and completely unbelievable. As the audience, we should be rooting for Eric to save Shelley and put his soul to rest. However, with the way this film plays out, there’s nothing to root for.
“What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?”
Image credit: Lionsgate
The Crow as a franchise is goth to its core. From Eric’s white makeup to how bands like Joy Division and The Smiths influenced the comics identity. The Crow (2024) is not goth, not at all. Eric is just some skeezy bloke who has clearly listened to too much Lil Peep.
The change to Eric and Shelley was done to modernise The Crow for a new audience. Brandon Lee’s Eric was shaped around the goth scene during the 90s. Bill Skarsgård’s Eric is supposed to represent emo-rap culture, but this attempt is unsuccessful and unfortunately leads to 2024s Eric looking like a Jared Leto Joker cosplayer.
What makes The Crow (2024) so insulting is how it tramples on the legacy left behind by Brandon Lee. On the set of The Crow (1994), a prop malfunction led to the untimely death of actor Brandon Lee who played Eric Draven. The loss came to define the film’s legacy and its identity.
There were multiple sequels that followed the success of The Crow (1994), but none had anything to do with Brandon Lee’s interpretation. The Crow is a mantle passed on to those who died unjustly, this is why Eric Draven was never seen again. But this begs the question, why not just make a Crow film that isn’t a remake of the original?
It’s clear that the director Rupert Sanders had an idea for another film. If he was given the chance to do another film that wasn’t this, the idea could have actually worked.
Another huge issue with this remake is how it handles the killers. Unlike The Crow (1994), Eric and Shelley are killed by a group of people that corrupt innocent people to live longer. There’s a weird supernatural element to The Crow (2024) that feels really out of place.
The supernatural complaint is solidified by the film’s main villain, Vincent Roeg (Danny Huston). Roeg is painfully forgettable and yet well played by Danny Huston. His plot isn’t too interesting and it leaves Eric’s motivation feeling confused and pointless, especially in the second act.
“It’s not anger, it’s love”
Image credit: Lionsgate
It’s unfortunate this reboot is as bad as it is. A new take on The Crow could have been very interesting. Bill Skarsgård does his best with what he is given, but his flip-flopping accent and weirdly timid take on the confident Eric Draven falls flat. It also doesn’t help that Eric doesn’t become The Crow until the last 30 minutes of the film.
The Crow (2024) has not been doing well in the box office since its global release last Friday. It’s unlikely the film will make enough money to profit.
I can only hope this is a taken as a sign for Hollywood to stop remaking films that don’t need it. If you’re itching to watch The Crow, just go watch the original film, the remake isn’t worth your time or your money.
Featured image credit: Lionsgate
Fourth year Film and Journalism student
Deputy editor
Contact - deputyeditor@brignews.com
