It will be tough for devoted fans of Alex Proyas’ 1994 original to put aside their biases and go into the update with an open mind. If audiences will give this new version a chance, they will find Rupert Sanders’ The Crow an interesting, stylish, occasionally thrilling, and well-crafted take on James O’Barr’s beloved graphic novel. This is a film that has been in development hell for years, scrambling to find the right script, director, and star. Jason Momoa was the latest actor to drop out before the film finally went into production with Bill Skarsgård in the lead. Of course, internet chatter by those who will judge a film before they see it (the definition of today’s fanboy culture) branded this a failure before cameras began to roll. 

Rupert Sanders has done something unique in this era of catering to the masses. The director refuses to pander to the fanbase. This new film is not a clunky and insulting cash-grab, but a wicked Faustian horror tale of doomed love, redemption, and violent revenge. Zach Barkin and William Josef Schneider’s screenplay is a restructuring of the source material. The writers cleverly expand on both the tragic love story and how Skarsgård’s Eric Draven and his soulmate Shelly (FKA Twigs) become tethered to the supernatural. 

The smartest change is letting the audience experience the beginnings of Eric and Shelly’s love affair. We are introduced to these two broken characters when they meet in a rehabilitation facility. In the 1994 film (and graphic novel) Eric and Shelly were already a happy couple sharing a regular life. It is interesting how this new version crafts the two as broken and cursed souls. Eric, is scarred from a tragic decision in his youth, while Shelly is plagued by the ramifications of her mother’s macabre alliance with the sinister Vincent Roeg (the great Danny Huston, having devilish fun). 

The adjusted story lets Eric and Shelly’s love bloom, allowing viewers to experience the power of their connection; achieving a deeper feel for the strength of their bond. Their Poe-like declarations of forever (“True Love Never Dies”) work very well, as the impact of their deaths hits harder than the original. 

As Eric and Shelly, Bill Skarsgård and FKA Twigs do very good work. The two play out the gothic romance with commitment; using their characters’ complex pasts to give emotional profundity to the piece. The two actors have heat (both emotional and sexual) and it burns off the screen. 

Once the two lovers are brutally murdered by Roeg’s minions, Eric enters the limbo between heaven and hell. It is here he meets Kronos (Sami Bouajila), the watcher between the two worlds who tells Eric, “Kill the ones who killed you and you’ll get her back.” After a failed attempt at revenge (his love is perceived not to be strong enough), Eric is returned to limbo and must prove his worth by striking a final deal to save Shelly from Hell. Fully charged with the spirit of the crow, Eric puts on the black eye makeup, dons a black leather coat, and grabs a katana sword; becoming the undead messenger of bloody vengeance. 

Sanders gives The Crow two of the best executed action sequences in some time. One takes place in a car going top speed, as Eric dives backwards through the windshield while four baddies try to stay alive trying to throw him back out. 

The other is the film’s “money moment”. Eric strolls through an opera house during a performance, slicing limbs, faces, and heads of those who dare get in his way. As Eric turns the opera into a slaughterhouse, the film cuts back and forth to the demonic performance that echoes his actions. Both action moments are deftly edited by Chris Dickens and Neil Smith. The editors thankfully stay away from shaky-cam sloppiness, allowing the audience to take in every blood-splattered moment. 

To be fair, the film isn’t perfect and wears the wounds of a few flawed decisions. Huston’s villain is fun because of his performance, but the character is presented as another tired rich socialite with a dark secret. Michael Wincott’s villain from the Proyas film is greatly missed. The Prague locations don’t add much to the moody visuals. While Steve Annis’ camera does well using the rain and darkness to accentuate the goth atmosphere, this version can’t escape the brilliance of the 1994 version’s stunning architectural design. Finally, the film has a few narrative threads that put the film in danger of spinning its wheels. 

The good news is that these imperfections do not hurt the final product. While the original was more narratively efficient, both versions share in the atmospheric pull of their Gothic-Industrial design and soundtracks. The chosen songs for this film (Joy Division, Gary Neuman, The Veils, Enya) work extremely well. 

Of course the 1994 version looms large over this production, but it says a lot that Rupert Sanders and his screenwriters have kept the essence of the source material while making this its own entity. The Crow is (as was Proyas’ original) a dark, rain and blood-soaked tale of revenge from beyond the grave crafted with style and executed with skill.

The Crow

Written by Zach Barkin & William Josef Schneider (based on the graphic novel by James O’Barr)

Directed by Rupert Sanders

Starring Bill Skarsgård, FKA Twigs, Danny Huston, Sami Bouajila, Laura Birn, Jordan Bolger

R, 111 Minutes, Lionsgate, Hassle Free Productions, Davis-Films, The Electric Shadow Company