“Goth John Wick”: The Crow Remake Is Missing The Point Of The Original Movie
Despite its best efforts, the divisive trailer for the 2024 The Crow remake doesn’t bode well for the upcoming action movie reboot of the 90s classic.
SUMMARY
The Crow remake’s trailer prioritizes violence over storytelling, drawing comparisons to John Wick.
Concerns arise over the remake’s focus on shocking visuals rather than the original’s themes.
Bill Skarsgård’s role and the excessive violence in the trailer raise doubts about the film’s success.
The trailer for the upcoming The Crow remake is already drawing harsh comparisons to the Keanu Reeves-led John Wick series, which raises concerns regarding the remake’s understanding of the source material. Although The Crow‘s trailer offers viewers more insight into the remake’s aesthetic and atmosphere, it also seems to miss a few crucial elements that made the 1994 movie so great. In addition to the trailer’s cavalier displays of violence and gore, The Crow remake also shows more of Eric and Shelly’s relationship, which also doesn’t bode very well for its success.
The overall feeling gleaned from the trailer is that the filmmakers are more interested in shocking visuals than compelling storytelling, which goes almost completely against what the 1994 version accomplished.
Strong negative reactions to Bill Skarsgård’s appearance in The Crow remake was already concerning, but the trailer further complicates things with its style over substance presentation. The overall feeling gleaned from the trailer is that the filmmakers are more interested in shocking visuals than compelling storytelling, which goes almost completely against what the 1994 version accomplished.
While The Crow remake could turn out to be an impressive entry in the franchise, its early comparisons to the John Wick franchise coupled with the strong reaction of Skarsgård are already very concerning.
The reboot of The Crow is back from the dead after 15 years of changes to the crew, cast, and screenplay. Let’s see how far it has come.
While the 1994 The Crow wasn’t without its fair share of bloodier moments, it ultimately was an exercise in artful depictions of death, loss, and grief.
The Crow Remake Looks A Lot Like Another John Wick-Style Movie
The trailer’s emphasis on action and violence draws inevitable comparisons to the John Wick franchise.
As seen in The Crow remake’s trailer, Eric Draven/The Crow is both a victim and purveyor of extreme displays of graphic violence, death, and destruction. While the 1994 The Crow wasn’t without its fair share of bloodier moments, it ultimately was an exercise in artful depictions of death, loss, and grief. Perhaps the best way the film gets across its heavier themes is through its effective use of scenery, sets, music, and atmosphere, all of which contribute to the film perfectly recapturing the same themes prominently featured in the late 80s comic books by James O’Barr.
The remake demonstrates a greater focus on brutal displays of violence that are more shocking than they are an exercise in getting across the upcoming movie’s themes. Furthermore, the trailer’s narrator exclaims that Eric is enacting violence against the men who killed him and his girlfriend for love rather than revenge. However, the manner in which he dispatches criminals with minimal resistance not only gives off strong revenge themes, but it also perfectly hearkens back to the same visual flair seen throughout the John Wick franchise. The Crow could benefit from action, but too much could also be problematic.
Why Being Too Much Like John Wick Is Bad For The Crow Remake
The Crow should lean more into the source material’s heavy themes and moody atmosphere more than action.
The action seen throughout each of the John Wick movies works so well for the series because of its inventiveness, and the fact that few Hollywood blockbusters of its kind exist.
While the 1994 The Crow features some impressive action scenes and fight choreography, its greatest strength lies in its effective use of shadows, colors, music, and rain to better engage audiences with its unique world. The Crow remake features some interesting locations, but they ultimately feel more like afterthoughts than the central focus, which makes it feel even more like a John Wick clone.
In addition to the setting, the memorable performance of Eric/The Crow by the late Brandon Lee also helps distinguish it from any other superhero movie of its time, and even still to this day.
The 1994 The Crow‘s depiction of Detroit, Michigan felt otherworldly, which was crucial to convincing audiences that the supernatural elements were possible. In addition to the setting, the memorable performance of Eric/The Crow by the late Brandon Lee also helps distinguish it from any other superhero movie of its time, and even still to this day.
In many instances, a particular glare or even smile from Lee’s Eric was enough to instill fear into the hearts of his killers and, by extension, viewers, which is noticeably absent from the remake’s trailer. Nevertheless, there is still hope for The Crow‘s success.
Is There Still Hope For The Crow Remake When It’s Already So Divisive?
It’s possible the movie could retain many of the elements that made the 1994 movie great.
The Crow remake can still become a success in its own right because of Skarsgård’s performance. As demonstrated with his performances as Pennywise in both It movies and Kro in Eternals, Skarsgård is more than capable of delivering memorable performances, which turns relatively obscure characters into more memorable ones. Even though Skarsgård’s The Crow has drawn comparisons to The Joker, he still looks like he’ll deliver one of the better performances in the movie. Moreover, the trailer only provides a general overview of what the movie will provide.
While many of the key elements to the story are shown in the upcoming superhero movie’s trailer, it still remains to be seen just exactly how The Crow will handle the nuances of the movie’s themes. Aesthetically, the movie could still provide interesting depictions of the afterlife that might help further distinguish it from other entries in The Crow franchise, and from other superhero movies in general. While The Crow could be a surprise hit after it opens in theaters, the divisive response to its aesthetic and action don’t bode well for its future.
