A Case For Better Action Movies: Shy Of The Original, THE CROW Flies High Enough For Its Own Ambitions

“People once believed that when someone dies, a crow carries their soul to the land of the dead. But sometimes, something so bad happens that a terrible sadness is carried with it and the soul can’t rest. Then sometimes, just sometimes, the crow can bring that soul back to put the wrong things right.”

I remember the first time I watched The Crow (1994). I enjoyed everything about the movie: the story, the action, the visuals, the vibe, the music. It wasn’t until the post-movie discussion with my friends that it was explained to me that the movie wasn’t just another revenge movie: it was about love. So I rewatched it and noticed Eric and Shelly’s love (told in flashes since they were murdered before their wedding) Eric explaining a mother’s love to Sarah’s mom, Eric and Shelly helping Sarah out. Love. And some vengeance, too, mixed with gothy vibes and how can I write anything about The Crow and not mention Brandon Lee?

Fast forward to the present day, when I went to the nearly empty theater to watch The Crow (2024). Let’s start with a few reminders: you know how I feel about remakes. I was taught (through creative writing classes) that if you are going to do a remake or a retelling of any kind, it is because you have something new to add, a different way to tell the story. The story of The Crow is tricky because while it easily lends itself to a remake (How closely did the original follow the source material? We all know that the first movie left out a lot that they had wanted to film) because there is more to tell, doing another version of The Crow that is not added to the list of sequels (City of Angels, Salvation, Wicked Prayer) and is an actual redo of the original is not easily done because of the beloved status of not just the first film itself but also because of Brandon Lee.

Let me pause here and give kudos where they are due: Bill Skarsgård deserves all the props for agreeing to take on this role. When I was able to look at him as The Crow and not compare him to Brandon Lee (and look past the too many tattoos that I just did not vibe with), I did like his portrayal. He has the goth vibe, passion, and intensity needed to be The Crow. Well done, Bill.

The visuals! It was a beautiful film. There are some shots I’d like to pause and frame to hang on my wall. The murder scenes were brutal in a way the original film’s murders were not, but they worked because they showed Eric’s anger and grief. I especially enjoyed the movie more toward the ending, after Eric faltered in his journey because, for me, that was the turning point. That was when the film showed what a good remake could be and Bill truly did become Eric Draven.

The soundtrack. I loved all of the music and it matched every scene perfectly, especially the scene at the opera. Sounds like a good time so far, right? So what didn’t work?…

Let me preface my list of notes by saying I appreciate the fact that they just didn’t copy the 1994 version and plug in the scenes that were not able to be filmed. The people behind this remake did try to make the story modern and their own version. So I appreciate the changes. But some of them just did not work for me.

The attempt to show Eric’s childhood. Seen in one full scene, we see a moment that has clearly stayed with Eric but are not told more. This was a missed chance to tell us about his life before Shelly, to show us why he needed Shelly so much. Instead, he comes off as just another troubled kid that I had no sympathy for.

The bad guys. The present-day story starts with Shelly getting a phone call about some video and how she and her friends are in trouble, forcing Shelly to try to run away. Okay, this had potential, but the conversation about the video did not make me feel very worried about these people’s well-being. I just kept wondering what the video was about, distracting me from some of what was happening on screen. Vincent himself is (spoilers!) revealed to have sold his soul to the devil, which works because it adds to the supernatural element that is already in this story. However, it again takes away from Eric’s original mission: instead, in this film, he is just trying to kill Vincent and his people in order to save Shelly. Oh, did I forget to mention that in this film, Eric’s journey, if successful, will bring Shelly back?

The “love” story. When I realized that Shelly and Eric were going to meet in rehab before they were murdered, I was excited. I thought I would see more of their love story, which was only shown in flashes in the first film. No. What I saw instead was two troubled people who are attracted to each other, and they run away and crash at some unknown character’s home and have sex all over the apartment while doing drugs. Then we get a montage of maybe a couple of days of them being together and partying before they die together. Where is the love? Not just love, but where is the true love? This version of their story together felt more like the glorified version of Romeo and Juliet, you know, the one that people (who either did not read it or understand it) talk about it as if it were a story about soulmates instead of hormonal teenagers that do not realize there are so many other people to meet in their lifetime.

The setting and some of the characters. In the original film, the city was troubled with crime and bad guys. Eric and Shelly had Sarah that they were helping out. In this film, yes, the city has its share of bad guys but you don’t get the sense that all the citizens are struggling, just those who fall into Vincent’s world. Even though Eric originally came back for vengeance for what happened to him and Shelly, I got the sense that he was making the city safer for people, especially Sarah. In this film, Eric’s sole focus is Shelly. And the other characters are just there when they are needed (a place to stay, to give Eric a gun) and are not shown to have any other importance.

So there you have it. My thoughts on The Crow (2024), the good and the not-so-good. What’s my conclusion? Hmm… Will I see this movie again? Not in theaters. Will I buy it in some sort of physical form? Probably; I do own all the other films. Will I watch this again at home? Maybe. It has earned its place in The Crow franchise. But I definitely will not rewatch this as often as I do the original.

Christina Ortega

Writer, bookworm, geek in too many fandoms to name, Indianapolis Colts and Chicago White Sox fan.

Christina Ortega

Writer, bookworm, geek in too many fandoms to name, Indianapolis Colts and Chicago White Sox fan.

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