In 1978, after his fiancé was killed by a drunk driver, James O'Barr enlisted in the Marines hoping the distraction would help him with his grief. However, when it didn't seem to help, he instead turned to drawing a graphic novel while living in West Berlin. The novel titled, The Crow, revolves around a young man named Eric and his fiancé, Shelly. It was first published in 1989 and became an underground success leading to several reprints and a feature film in 1994. The Crow, starring Brandon Lee (Showdown in Little Tokyo) and directed by Alex Proyas (Knowing) was critically acclaimed, but this year's remake was not so lucky.
Eric (Bill Skarsgård; It) is a recovering drug addict locked in a rehabilitation center when Shelly (FKA twigs; Honey Boy) suddenly arrives. Despite the rules frowning upon fraternization between male and female inmates, Eric and Shelly become friends. When crime boss Vicent Roeg's (Danny Huston; The Constant Gardener) henchmen show up at the rehab facility looking for Shelly, Eric initially agrees to help her escape but decides to go with her. On the run, the two hide out in the apartment of Shelly's friend, where they fall in love.
With Shelly possessing incriminating evidence against Roeg, his henchmen eventually find and murder the couple. While Shelly falls out of Eric's grasp, he ends up in a sort of 'way station' for those who have died but who have unfinished business on Earth. With the help of Kronos (Sami Bouajila; The Siege), Eric is sent back to Earth, with a supernatural crow as his guide, to kill all those who murdered Shelly and him. If he succeeds, the two lovers can be reunited in death according to Kronos.
The Native 4K edition of this release offers 2160p resolution with a 2.39:1 aspect ratio that has some great moments and some horrible ones. The Dolby Vision video quality is fantastic, with details, for the most part, appearing sharp and clean. From the smallest tattoo to the feathers on the crow, everything looks excellent. That is until you get to the "way station." The black and white background as the crows fly through the sky looks unbelievably fake as if the background were a painting with animation CGIed over it. Visually, other than a few punches that don't exactly "land," these are the only horrible moments in the movie, and luckily, they are few and far between.
Unlike the somewhat inconsistent video, the audio is excellent throughout. The Dolby Atmos surround sound has layers of ambient noise, music, and dialogue. This is one film that makes full use of available technology, resulting in a fully robust mix of sounds.
The combo pack includes the 4K disc, the Blu-ray Disc, and the digital download, as well as over an hour and a half of extras. The extras include: True Love Never Dies: Making The Crow, Dark Romance: The Score, Reborn Through Revenge: Main Title Sequence, Every Film is a Miracle: A Tribute to Edward R. Pressman, Deleted Scenes, and the Theatrical Trailer.
The comparison to the 1994 version is obvious, and sadly, the reboot can't hold a candle to the original film. The first one had a comic book-like quality and mystique that this new version lacks, making it difficult to believe the plot. Skarsgård is good, as he typically is; however, some of the other cast members aren't as strong, and with a weak plot and script, this version of the graphic novel just isn't very good.
Grade: D+
