The fashionable thing with reboots these days is to label them as “reimaginings”. The aim is, seemingly, to allow for familiarity without inviting too many close comparisons. Well, for once that label feels apt for The Crow, which bears little resemblance to both James O'Barr's 1989 comic book and its cult-classic 1994 adaptation.
Instead, this new version from director Rupert Sanders (Snow White and the Huntsman) leans into the origins of the story’s ill-fated lovers. Bill Skarsgård’s Eric is a recovering addict who meets FKA Twigs’ Shelly in a rehabilitation centre, before the pair fall madly in love.
At first, it works well – the duo has chemistry, and Skarsgård, in particular, brings both action-hero gravitas and vulnerability to the role of the eyeliner-sporting avenger. But they're ultimately let down by cringey dialogue. Shelly bears the brunt of this, including one bizarre moment when she croons to her love while contemplating death, “Do you think angsty teens will build little shrines to us?”
The story does eventually veer into familiar territory when Eric is brought back from the dead to avenge his lost love after they’re both brutally murdered. It’s here that The Crow finally takes flight, along with its gothic superhero. Unlikely character choices like the Suicide Squad-era Joker tattoos make a bit more sense in this context, and there are moments of grandeur as Eric stalks through New York City on a path of vengeance, leather coat blowing behind him.
An ultra-violent opera killing spree gives Skarsgård the action role he skirted in John Wick 4 too, as blood, arias, and dark eyeliner make a surprising synergy. Yet, it’s all over too quickly – just as The Crow is really spreading its wings, it abruptly ends, thanks to a rushed conclusion involving Danny Huston’s incongruously demonic Vincent Roeg. It's all enough to make you wonder if this is a flight that should have stayed grounded.
The Crow is in US theaters and UK cinemas now.
For more upcoming movies, check out our guides to upcoming horror movies and 2024 movie release dates.
