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Editor’s note: This article includes mention of violence and suicide.

In a year where “Deadpool & Wolverine” dominated the summer box office and “Madame Web” fell flat on its face, the studio Lionsgate wanted to throw its name into the superhero hat. The result was a putrid and bland affair that makes you question why Lionsgate even tried in the first place.

“The Crow,” a reboot of the 1994 gothic superhero film and second adaption of the 1989 comic book series, has long been in the works. Development started in 2008 and featured various casting options over the years, including Bradley Cooper and Jason Mamoa. Despite this, the film still feels underdeveloped, with a storyline chock-full of underwhelming action.

Starring Bill Skarsgård and FKA Twigs, the film follows Eric (Skarsgård), who resurrects and turns into The Crow to avenge the deaths of himself and his girlfriend Shelly (Twigs). It’s your standard and cliche revenge story that feels like a crumbier, gothic version of the “John Wick” movies.

After Eric dies, he gets sent to a purgatorial trainyard full of crows. He meets Kronos (Sami Bouajila), a spirit who tells him his rage will keep him alive long enough to revive Shelly by killing his enemies. It’s poorly explained, to say the least, and it only gets worse from here.

This violent revenge story tries to show the protagonist brutally killing all the bad guys along with bits and pieces of his past trauma. At the film’s opening, we see a young Eric fail to save a wounded horse. The attempt scars his hands and gives him nightmares which lead to his drug addiction.

With this sliver of backstory, “The Crow” tries to demonstrate how Eric overcomes death and his trauma through the power of his love for Shelly. However, the trauma is barely mentioned throughout the rest of the film, making the whole decision pointless. It could be argued that Shelly helped Eric overcome his trauma and addiction, but the movie rushes through the romance and the two’s relationship feels vastly underdeveloped.

For Eric to truly risk his life and return from the dead to save Shelly, the relationship must feel genuine for viewers. But neither Skarsgård nor Twigs give compelling enough performances to attract the audience. This is more the problem of the script, which focuses on getting to the action as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, the action doesn’t even come close to making up for the rest of the film’s flaws.

Dakota Dorsey | Design Editor

Director Rupert Sanders, known for stinkers like “Snow White and the Huntsman” and “Ghost in the Shell,” does little to excite the audience in the numerous action sequences. Shot mainly in the dark and featuring shaky camera work and quick cuts, the film relies on these tired techniques throughout the runtime. The action scenes are violent for the sake of being violent.

The one sequence that overcomes some of the film’s blandness is when Eric, who has fully transformed into the immortal Crow, kills henchmen in an opera house in the midst of a performance. Even so, “The Crow” goes over the top by walking on stage at the show’s end and throwing decapitated heads into the crowd. The film tries so hard to look edgy, but ends up falling short.

The real testament of mediocrity comes at the end when Eric has an action-less showdown with the film’s villain, Vincent (Danny Huston). Vincent is a demonic crime lord who can whisper incantations into people’s ears that make them want to commit suicide. But, get this, Eric turns the tables by sending Vincent into the trainyard where he lets demons take him to the underworld. It’s hard to imagine how much actual thought went into this ending.

With the lack of a cohesive, convincing or interesting story, “The Crow” is a complete waste of time. Lionsgate might have known this when they dumped the film at the end of August, when there were few blockbusters and even fewer moviegoers. The sun is still shining in Syracuse, so spend time outdoors while you still can instead of seeing one of the weaker superhero films of all time.

Published on September 4, 2024 at 12:20 am

Contact Henry: henrywobrien1123@gmail.com