Lionsgate waited as long as possible before lifting The Crow's review embargo. Seeing as it sits at 21% on Rotten Tomatoes with a Critics Consensus that calls it "dreary and poorly paced," it's not hard to see why.
Now, though, regular moviegoers are chiming in with their thoughts and...well, they're seemingly no better.
The Crow has been awarded a B- CinemaScore, putting it on par with the likes of Dark Phoenix, Hellboy, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, Hulk, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and Punisher: War Zone.
In some respects, it feels like the odds have been stacked against The Crow from the beginning. The response to news of a reboot was met with largely negative reactions and the trailer received a surprising amount of scorn, particularly for Bill Skarsgard's appearance as Eric.
Talking to Entertainment Weekly, director Rupert Sanders responded to some of the backlash. "I think a lot of people are very active online and not so active in life," he stated. "Get out and do something and have less time throwing stones."
The filmmaker added, "I think it would be great just for people to know that this is a reimagining and wildly different from the original and that the original's still there. I haven't recorded over anyone's VHS. You can still go and see that movie, and I hope this movie resonates with people who loved that movie when they were in their teens. This is my version of that text. It was my adaptation of James's graphic novel, which I loved."
Telling upset fans to go and touch grass doesn't seem like the smartest way to win them over, though Sanders is right that this take on The Crow is very different from its 1994 predecessor (now considered a cult classic).
How would you rate The Crow if you've seen it?
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.
The Crow is directed by Rupert Sanders from a script by Zach Baylin and Will Schneider. Producers include Edward R. Pressman, Samuel Hadida, Victor Hadida, John Jencks, and Molly Hassell.
Bill Skarsgård plays Eric alongside FKA Twigs as Shelly, his ill-fated love. The supporting cast includes Danny Huston, Isabella Wei, Laura Birn, and Sami Bouajila.
The Crow is now playing in theaters.