NOW IN THEATERS! Let’s be honest. Brandon Lee’s The Crow was not perfect by any means. As tragic as the events surrounding the production and its subsequent cult following were, The Crow was a borderline movie…in my humble opinion. But it had charm. With Bill Skarsgård now headlining, will a more modern version elevate the shortcomings of the original?
Bill Skarsgård plays Eric—a young man incarcerated in a psychiatric prison…or something. Dealing with the trauma in his life, Eric just exists. Then there is Shelly (FKA twigs), whose party-girl lifestyle has gotten her into trouble. She witnessed a horrible incident with her friends, Zadie (Isabella Wei) and Dorm (Sebastian Orozco). In fact, Dorm caught everything on video and when Zadie later sends the footage to Shelly, all hell breaks loose…literally.
Bill Skarsgård and FKA twigs in THE CROW. Photo Credit: Larry Horricks for Lionsgate
“Seeing his new love in danger, he helps break her out.”
Realizing they are in danger, Zadie and Shelly decide to run for it. However, when Zadie arrives at her apartment, she is greeted by the evil Marion (Laura Birn) and her thugs. Marion incapacitates Zadie and meets an untimely demise at the voice of uber-boss Vincent (Danny Huston).
When Shelly arrives at Zadie’s, she is also subdued by Marion, who drugs her and sends her to the same psych prison as Eric. When Eric and Shelly meet, it’s love at first sight, and when Marion realizes Zadie has a copy of the video, she goes after her in the prison. Seeing his new love in danger, he helps break her out. After finding shelter, they make love only to come face to face with Marion and the gang, who promptly murder the pair…and this is where Eric becomes immortal Wolverine-like Crow to seek vengeance on the death of Shelly.
I’ll just admit it right now. I saw the original The Crow not too long ago, and as imperfect as it was, it was a better movie. I have been so bored with a movie like this since Madame Web. In fact, I’m tempted to watch Madame Web again as a palette cleanser. Let me get the comparison out of the way.