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The original adaptation of James O’Barr’s comic book, The Crow, came out 30 years ago, and the franchise is more famous for the tragic accident that took Brandon Lee’s life than anything else. Regardless, The Crow movie from 1994 does have a cult following and it was largely true to the source material. That’s more than we can say for the new version of The Crow, which features Bill Skarsgård as the title character, Eric Draven. Lionsgate held back the reviews as long as possible, but it doesn’t seem to have helped The Crow’s chances. And one-by-one, critics have lined up to take shots at it.
As of this writing, The Crow has an 19% score on Rotten Tomatoes (based on 54 reviews) and a Metacritic score of 31 (based on 22 reviews). Not every critic hated it, but very few had good things to say about the film.
The Crow
Directed by: Rupert SandersWritten by: Zach Baylin and William SchneiderStarring: Bill Skarsgård, FKA Twigs, Danny HustonPremiere Date: August 23Rating: RRuntime: 1 hour, 51 minutes
Vulture — No Score
“[Skarsgård is] shockingly inert for someone with a career built almost entirely on characters at the intersection of creepy and hottie.” — Alison Willmore [Full review]
Screen Daily — No Score
“Skarsgård intentionally plays this antihero as a relentless brooder. The actor’s approach reflects this new film’s commitment to utter seriousness, leaving no room for camp or dark comedy… This forgettable new version doesn’t just fail to honor [Brandon Lee’s] memory–it never justifies its existence on its own merits.” — Tim Grierson [Full review]
Mashable — No Score
“It doesn’t matter how low your expectations are for Rupert Sanders’ The Crow, because this callous and clumsy remake will still fail to exceed them… This is not the Eric Draven that Crow fans know and love. He’s an inferior imitation that lacks the haunting charm of Lee. Despite his efforts, Skarsgård’s is more a pose than a protagonist.” — Kristy Puchko [Full review]
Variety — No Score
“The performances are effective in ways that are fairly understated given the thin character writing, avoiding overly broad strokes… Even when the violence is very ‘hard R,’ there’s little sense of lurid pulp jollies being had. It’s satisfying enough, but has a semi-detached effect.” — Dennis Harvey [Full review]
The Wrap — No Score
“What’s surprising about Rupert Sanders’ interpretation is that it’s emotionally ineffectual. This new remake takes the simplest story in the world and makes its plot and the mythology weirdly complicated, to the point that it all becomes total nonsense… This remake understands the basic thrust of the original story. but not what made it function.” — William Bibbiani [Full review]
Inverse — No Score
“It’s almost ironic how such a soulful concept can be damned by a lack of material… “It’s hard enough to believe that Eric and Shelly are living, breathing people, much less people that would go to Hell and back for one another. Skarsgård is just slightly wasted in the role; Twigs could be great, but there aren’t many opportunities to prove that… What starts as a compelling love story ends up choked by a gory, gruesome tale of revenge.” — Lyvie Scott [Full review]
Rolling Stone — No Score
“This new Crow flies in a variety of different directions, none of which do much to reinterpret, expand, or improve upon O’Barr’s notion of an avenging angel settling scores… Not even mutating into Death Wish in pancake makeup, however, can salvage what feels like a flailing attempt to reintroduce a cult character from a cult comic/movie into today’s all-superhero-all-the-time entertainment landscape. It doesn’t take long to realize that what was meant to be a franchise-starter is, unlike its hero, permanently DOA.” — David Fear [Full review]
The Crow is now playing in theaters.
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