“The Crow”: The crow man as a black clown

If Clown Pennywise into one vengeful crow man transformed, sadistic criminals have nothing to laugh about. When this figure first returned from the afterlife came Main actor Brandon Lee – Bruce Lee's son – tragically died during filming because a weapon was loaded live. Luckily, this time the safety precautions were adhered to at “The Crow” because Bill Skarsgård is still in good health.

“The Crow” completely different

The earlier work resembled a fever dream bathed in dark red. The new director Rupert Sanders (“Snow White and the Huntsman”, “Ghost in the Shell”) does not maintain this look and in other respects he almost completely separates himself from the previous film. The template is officially used again famous graphic novel by James O'Barr, but apart from the initial idea there isn't much left of the original story. The backstory of the two tragic main characters Eric and Shelly (FKA twigs) has been completely changed and it takes a little longer for the narrative to even get to where the original begins.

Long history of the tragic lovers

While the 1994 film quickly got into the action, here we see the circumstances under which the couple met and it becomes understandable why Eric is later prepared to make the greatest sacrifices for his love. That's why the first 40 minutes of the film are by no means wasted time and we're not just waiting for the two of them to finally be murdered so that the crow can appear (but when the time comes, entire flocks of crows appear in the dark intermediate realm, which is reminiscent of a depraved one industrial area).

Danny Huston as the new Faust

A feeling of threat is created right from the start, and we soon get to know the antagonist. This is not a gang boss who has a group of violent punks working for him, but a cultured older gentleman who says he was born in Vienna and appreciates classical music. We can only guess how old he actually is, but it's probably a few hundred years since he made a pact with the devil, whom he regularly supplies with fresh souls. Danny Huston portrays this new Faust with a sense of theatricality and can be downright scary even without doing much.

Exaggerated fighting action in Wick style

As expected, the blood content is high and Eric's acts of revenge become increasingly brutal. At the climax, he slaughters his way through the magnificent staircase of an opera (filmed in Prague), but this scene goes way over the top, as the Crow Man becomes a sword-wielding John Wick and cleans up among an army of bodyguards.

Do they really want to tell us that all the shots fired will not be heard by anyone and that no panic will break out among the opera guests? (And why are the heavily armed men even present when their boss isn't in the house?) At least the director ends this sequence with an ironic wink and offers Eric a real stage appearance.

Symbolic visual violence

Fans of the graphic novel may not be able to come to terms with the many changes, but the new “Crow” version has its strengths and should not be dismissed as a superfluous reboot. Sanders delivers a fascinating and visually stunning reinterpretation of the material, using numerous symbols and leitmotifs – such as a wounded horse, barbed wire and water. He can also fully rely on his main actor, who uses make-up again, but this time only appears as a dark clown with a bright soul (while Pennywise was the exact opposite).

3 ½ out of 5 mortal wounds that heal instantly.