The Crow
(Brandon Lee, Michael Wincott)
Alright, first lets start off with one of the biggest and baddest granddaddys of CBM's, the original Crow. The film portrays a young rock guitarist who comes back from the dead to avenge the murders of himself and his fiancee. Even as a kid I always enjoyed watching it, as I found Lee's Crow to be easily watchable and I couldn't help but sympathize with the character, thanks to Lee's performance. He truly shined as the character, and captured what James O' Barr worked hard to create in his graphic novels. The atmosphere of the film was damn perfect, and even though some of the dialogue was a bit hit-and-miss(Mainly Rochelle Davis as Sarah), the cast worked and went great together. Michael Wincott as 'Top Dollar' was easily one of the best villains interpreted on-screen, and had some of the best dialogue and scenes besides Lee. To touch up a bit about Brandon Lee as The Crow, the way Lee portrayed the title character was what made the film so great, with his powerful yet gentle charismatic presence, he made one of the best superheroes to ever hit the screen. The action in the film was alright, but without the film's good performances, it might not have carried as well. The direction of the film was practically flawless, and everything clicked just fine. Alex Proyas as director of the film was a fine choice.
CLOSING COMMENTS: Needless to say, The Crow does have it flaws, as does every film. But those select flaws become irrelevant when matched up with Brandon Lee as The Crow and Michael Wincott as Top Dollar. Their performances in the film really carry it in my opinion, and always make the movie easily and thoroughly powerful and enjoyable. Besides Blade, it is my favorite CBM. For any fan of The Crow, this film is strongly recommended.
Final Rating: 5/5 stars
The Crow: City of Angels
(Vincent Perez, Mia Kirshner, Richard Brooks)
The follow up to
The Crow on the other hand really didn't pan out so well.
The Crow: City of Angels saw a man and his son die, and in classic
Crow tradition, revived by the mystical crow, the man returned to take revenge on the gang who brutally murdered him and his little boy. Now I will give Vincent Perez props for really trying to step up his performance after Brandon Lee's interpretation, but he just didn't quite make it. For his own take on the character, I feel he did fine, but it just wasn't the same. The direction was goofy, and the film in all just wasn't powerful and gripping like the first. The idea of a sequel probably didn't sound good to most people in the first place. But it happened and as much as the film itself tried, it was just too underwhelming and like the other
Crow sequels, was just a mere shadow of the first. Some special things to note about the film, was that it did try to establish continuity by adding Sarah from the original film, and Thomas Jane made his first CBM appearance, but besides that, the film really gives nothing special. It is as forgettable as the rest of the films that followed. The action didn't really fare that well, and the rest of the cast played their parts to the number, and did what they were supposed to do: Play bad people.
CLOSING COMMENTS: The Crow: City of Angels shoots and misses. While keeping the same tone as the previous installment, it just doesn't own up to what the original film did. It is an easily forgettable film but for what it's worth, it tried. Vincent Perez as The Crow was an average performance at best. I do not recommend it as a suitable
Crow film.
Final Rating: 2/5 stars
The Crow: Salvation
(Eric Mabius, Kirsten Dunst)
A theatrical release of this film was originally planned, but was cancelled and sent straight to video due to overwhelming negative reaction of the second film. This installment follows Alexander "Alex" Frederick Corvis(Mabius) who is framed and executed for the convicted murder of his girlfriend, who was brutally stabbed at a reported 53 times. He is Resurrected as the wicked avenger to clear his name and find the ones actually responsible for his girlfriend's death. I actually enjoyed this version more than City of Angels. Mabius put his heart into the role, and he made you feel sorry for the situation he was placed in. I actually really did enjoy Mabius as The Crow. I was surprised at his performance. I felt that even though this film was as underwhelming and forgettable as the second film, it was a damn good sequel for what it was. Don't get me wrong, Mabius was by far no Brandon Lee, but his performance truly helped carry the film, and made it easy to sit through. I feel however, that it isn't a film for everyone, as it requires an acquired taste to really get into. Kirsten Dunst and Fred Ward's roles were average and predictable, but what truly makes this film is The Crow himself. The action as with other films in the series, is okay, and the direction is good. The story was well thought out and I think this film deserves a watch or two.
CLOSING COMMENTS: I personally recommend this one as a good, not great, but good Crow film. Mabius shines as his own take as The Crow, and even though it's not Eric Draven, Mabius's Crow had heart. That's all that really matters, and that's what made the film. You might find yourself annoyed by Kirsten Dunst's performance, but Mabius helps to distract the viewer from that. As it is, it is nothing compared to the first, but when viewing it with an open mind, you might be surprised. If you haven't seen this one, I recommend giving it a try at least. It deserves that.
Final Rating: 3/5 stars
The Crow: Wicked Prayer
(Edward Furlong, David Boreanaz, Tara Reid, Emmanuelle Chriqui)
This film was a mess in all aspects. The romance between The Crow and his girlfriend was done okay, about the only silver-lining I can find. The film would have been just
a little better, if not for the movie-ruiner Tara Reid. She has not done one good performance, and any film with just her name in it automatically suffers. Her performance was not only terrible, but just downright annoying. Edward Furlong as The Crow is probably the worst interpretation of the character yet. He had no passion, no substance, and was about as hollow as wooden log. David Boreanaz really just failed as the villain, and should've just stuck to
Angel. The plot made absolutely no sense and and the direction was just unbelievably terrible. Like I said, the film was a mess. The action in the film was brutal, but even that couldn't even come close to saving the film. The film was gone before it even began. The film was a lazy film with no effort, and it's obvious to tell. Usually every
Crow film has tried, but this film simply just disgraces the novel and graphic novle for which it was based upon. It is one of the worst CBMs ever made, right alongside
Elektra and
Steel.
CLOSING COMMENTS: The chemistry between Edward Furlong and Emmanuelle Chriqui was decent, the action was good, and the ending was satisfying in my opinion, but none of those silver-linings could redeem this disaster. I strongly do not recommend it as a
Crow film. It is the worst sequel to any film series I have ever seen, and I'm pretty open-minded when it comes to films. In all seriousness, this film just does not work...it doesn't even really try. You can tell it was just something thrown out there for money, and that's all it ever was.
Final Rating: 1/5 stars
I hope you liked my reviews of
The Crow films and found them useful. This is a series that went slower and slower downhill, and just couldn't find that strength to climb back up that hill. Many people don't like the idea of the reboot that is getting ready to be made, and honestly, Eric Draven should never be redone, but it's Hollywood and they are gonna do it anyway unfortunately. We'll just have to wait and see what happens in the future of everyone's favorite gothic hero.