1994’s The Crow holds a major place in pop culture. The action thriller became iconic with its original soundtrack featuring exclusive tracks from bands like Pantera and Violent Femmes, its stylized violence, and a message that cut through the noise about the cruelty of the world.
The 2024 adaptation has been criticized as disrespectful to Brandon Lee’s memory, since the original star died in a tragic on-set accident involving a prop gun. Others see it as a cash-grab. The filmmakers insist it is not a straightforward remake but a reimagining of James O’Barr’s original comic.
The plot remains simple. A couple is murdered by a crime boss and the man is resurrected to avenge their deaths. Bill Skarsgård and FKA Twigs turn in solid performances, and their relationship is charming enough, even if it feels thin. The makeup and costuming have style in isolated moments. The standout sequence is the climactic fight, which channels Kill Bill energy with sharp choreography and genuinely brutal moments.
These strengths are not enough to redeem the film. The camerawork, sound, and color grading are flat, giving the movie a dull and uninspired look.
The bigger issue is the tone. The movie leans so far into angst that it borders on parody. Much of the dialogue sounds like fanfiction, weighed down by constant declarations of sadness or devotion. The characters have the depth of stock teen archetypes. Their brooding feels forced rather than meaningful.
This would be merely irritating if the movie did not abandon the core message of The Crow. O’Barr wrote the comic after his fiancée was killed by a drunk driver. It was never meant to be a story glorifying revenge. It was about trying to correct a wrong that cannot be corrected, a fantasy of cleansing a violent world even though such healing is impossible. In the original, Eric Draven is not a heroic figure. He is a broken man swallowed by grief. The villains are not supernatural monsters but ordinary criminals who kill without motive. Eric and Shelly are victims because they are in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The new film rejects this foundation. It shifts toward supernatural mythology, Satanic possession, and stylized masculinity. Eric Draven is refashioned into a near antihero similar to the Joker in the 2019 film, complete with dramatic makeup and costuming. Both characters become symbols rather than wounded individuals. This framing misses the point. They are not meant to be icons or champions. They are murderers, and their actions are not supposed to be transformative or triumphant.
What every adaptation of The Crow must deliver is a great soundtrack, and this version falls short. Without it, the movie loses the emotional core that once made the story resonate. Hollywood will likely revisit The Crow again someday, but this attempt fails to understand what made the original so enduring. Final score: 3/10.
lets go leo