The Crow: A Visually Stunning but Slow-Paced Reboot

The rain-soaked streets of Prague glisten under the neon glow of a broken city, a man rises from the dead, his wings spread wide against the night sky. This is the opening image of Rupert Sanders’ The Crow (2024), a film that wears its gothic influences on its sleeve. Based on James O’Barr’s cult comic series, this reboot stars Bill Skarsgård as Eric, a man resurrected to avenge his own murder and that of his girlfriend Shelly, played by FKA twigs. The premise is ripe for a dark, stylish revenge tale, but Sanders’ adaptation struggles to escape the long shadow cast by its predecessor.

The Crow (1994) was a landmark film, a blend of horror, action, and romance that captured the zeitgeist of the ’90s with its grimy aesthetic and emotional core. It’s a high bar to clear, and Sanders’ version trips over it almost immediately. The film’s first half is a slog, taking far too long to deliver on the promise of its opening scene. Instead of diving headfirst into the revenge fantasy it teases, The Crow (2024) gets bogged down in exposition and setup, introducing a litany of characters and plot points that serve little purpose beyond padding out the runtime.

One of the few bright spots in this otherwise dull stretch is the opera scene. It’s a visually stunning sequence that blends horror and action with a gothic sensibility, showcasing Sanders’ ability to craft striking images. The soundtrack, featuring tracks from artists like Ozzy Osbourne and Gary Numan, adds an industrial edge that complements the film’s dark aesthetic. This scene is nearly worth the wait, but it’s not enough to salvage the rest of the first half.

The performances in The Crow (2024) are a mixed bag. Skarsgård, known for his chilling turn as Pennywise in It, brings a similar intensity to Eric. However, his performance lacks the charisma and depth needed to anchor the film. Eric’s journey from grieving lover to vengeful specter feels hollow, a collection of brooding looks and violent outbursts that never coalesce into a fully realized character. Skarsgård is hamstrung by a script that struggles to balance its themes of love, loss, and redemption with its more exploitative elements.

FKA twigs, on the other hand, brings a raw intensity to Shelly. Her performance is one of the film’s highlights, a haunting presence that lingers long after her character’s untimely death. However, like Skarsgård, she’s let down by a script that fails to give her character the depth and development she deserves.

The supporting cast fares little better. Danny Huston chews scenery as Vincent Roeg, the film’s primary antagonist, but his performance is more camp than menace. Josette Simon, Laura Birn, Sami Bouajila, Karel Dobrý, and Jordan Bolger all turn in forgettable performances, their characters reduced to ciphers in service of the plot.

The film’s biggest sin is its inconsistent tone. The Crow (2024) oscillates between gothic horror, supernatural fantasy, and action-revenge thriller, never settling into a cohesive identity. This tonal whiplash is exacerbated by a script that struggles to balance its themes of love, loss, and redemption with its more exploitative elements.

Despite these flaws, The Crow (2024) does have moments of brilliance. The visual style is undeniably striking, with Sanders employing a mix of practical effects and CGI to create a nightmarish world. The action sequences, when they finally arrive, are choreographed with a brutal efficiency that pays homage to the original film’s gritty aesthetic.

However, these moments are not enough to save The Crow (2024) from its ultimate fate: a disappointing misfire. It has the bones of a great film, but Sanders and his team fail to bring it to life in a way that honors its source material or stands on its own merits. The film’s negative reception and box-office bomb status are well-earned, a testament to its many flaws.

The Crow (2024) is a film for die-hard fans of the original series, those willing to sift through the dull stretches and inconsistent tone in search of the occasional gem.