'The Crow' Reviews: "I saw the original The Crow not too long ago, and as imperfect as it was, it was a better movie"

         On August 23, 2024, Lionsgate released 'The Crow', which has received predominantly negative reviews from critics, currently holding at 21% on Rotten Tomatoes. In the film," Bill Skarsgård takes on the iconic role of THE CROW in this modern reimagining of the original graphic novel by James O'Barr. Soulmates Eric (Skarsgård) and Shelly (FKA twigs) are brutally murdered when the demons of her dark past catch up with them. Given the chance to save his true love by sacrificing himself, Eric sets out to seek merciless revenge on their killers, traversing the worlds of the living and the dead to put the wrong things right." But what did the critics say? 

Photo by Johnny Briggs on Unsplash

        Matt Neglia of Next Best Picture writes, "Overall, “The Crow” is not only a missed opportunity that fails to justify its existence but an endeavor that should’ve been laid to rest many years ago." Adding, "While the story “The Crow” adheres to the basic plot of the original (for the most part), it adds little to the characters or the world they inhabit. The villain, Roeg, is one-dimensional and does not contain the menacing presence that Michael Wincott’s Top Dollar brought to the first film. Huston sleepwalks through his performance like an aimless soul drifting through the afterlife, as the screenplay seems entirely disinterested in giving him anything memorable to convey or clarity behind his power and motivations, rendering him merely as fodder for Eric’s revenge and nothing more."

       Alan Ng of Film Threat says, "It drags through a slow love story, lacks the original’s dark, gritty atmosphere, and misses the intensity that made the 1994 film a cult classic." Concluding, "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."

        James Preston Poole of But Why Tho? A Geek Community praises the film, stating, "Sexy, tortured, and very gothic, The Crow absolutely lives up to its namesake in its own way." Adding, "By the time The Crow hits a tearful conclusion, it’s clear that this movie was made with the right intentions. The Crow may not always rise above a clear villain problem. The shadow of the original graphic novel, the 1994 adaptation, and proposed versions of this movie that never happened might be too much baggage for some moviegoers to get over. Nevertheless, The Crow is the rare comic book movie that slices open its chest and lays its beating heart bare."

       Robert Kojder of Flickering Myth notes, "Aside from one brutally satisfying action sequence, The Crow is a series of events stitched together with no buildup, logic, or momentum. For a movie about star-crossed soulmates, it has no soul"