The Crow

I'm trying to be as impartial as possible about this film. The original movie had such a deep gothic atmosphere that really resonated within the 90s. The current rendition of The Crow is a true showing of giving a property to a group of people who just don't get it. We definitely need to commend those who worked on the film because it's frankly beautiful, and you can tell a lot of care was put into the making of it. Sadly, a beautiful picture doesn't make up for crap storytellings or characters, and this is where the film ultimately fails. You remember in Austin powers when Dr. Evil asks if he's hip and cool? It felt like the studio was doing a vote on what would make the main protagonist "edgy" with giving him a bunch of tattoo's and problems to show he's really in some deep times. This is precisely what they do, but yet the main characters honestly give you little to no reason to care about them because they aren't likable In my honest opinion (I also couldn't tell you the antagonist's character name because that's how little I cared). At the end of the day is this movie a 1 star? No! However anyone who says this is an 8 or above are the same folks that would argue borderlands had heart. Judge as you will fellow rockers of the free world.

The original was good but not brilliant. Then again, which movies are? That said, it deservedly became a cult classic.

It's one of those movies that are almost begging to be made, with a new spin, bigger budget, more character development, and with CGI and better special effects available, yes please!

Unfortunately, this reboot falls flat and is no way near as good as the original.

The director's character development seems to focus solely on the intensity of the love between a couple. However, there is no intensity but only spoilt, shallow, brooding, and unsympathetic characters who don't seem to know the actual meaning of love. So as to why Eric was sent back to avenge but not others I clearly don't know.

Then the director fills the rest of the film with uninteresting no-meat-on-the-bones characters and by-the-numbers, weak script..

At some point, I cynically wondered if the director was one of those who cut their teeth making music videos. It seems I was right.

You're left feeling disappointed and quite angry that they screwed this up.

This is the story of a relationship so powerful, so intense, that it brings a man back from the brink of death to revenge his fallen loved one. Yet, here, in this new iteration of the story the relationship between Eric and Shelly lacks so much chemistry and intensity that about halfway into the film I'd almost forgotten it happened.

The script is stilted and clichéd. The performances are wooden and feel massively dialled in. Most of the action is poorly choreographed and doesn't work well. On the plus side some of the effects, and occasional slices of action, do work decently, but that's about it.

I really like Bill Skarsgård, but I do not like this at all. The director has said it's not a remake, or a sequel, and that it he 'wanted the evolution of Eric to The Crow to be fresh but rooted in the graphic novel. Now, I haven't read the graphic novels, but I'm sure those that have will make their voices heard.

Overall? It's a lacklustre movie, with poorly written dialogue, uneasy performances and almost zero chemistry between two people who are supposed to have an incredible 'love eternal'. The saving grace is the soundtrack which does include some awesome music. 2/5...I'll never watch it again...

Horrible remake. I gave it 3 stars for Skarsgard's performance. I thought he did a good job of a pure but tortured soul. Nothing else redeeming in this movie. The director did a very poor job. He chose to concentrate on artsy film takes of graphic violence that left no room for the essence of the storyline. This director was way too in love with himself to get the story translated to the screen.

The original movie with Brandon Lee was before its time. It captured the story of pure love of good souls who are so wrongly violated that it needed to be avenged.

Save your money and watch the original which stands up to the trial of time. Just like all good movies.

The trailer for this looked terrific, and it made me want to see it as soon as I could, but it is a case of here we go again, a great looking trailer, a disappointing film.

I'll start off with the positives, and there are a few of them. It looks stunning, this is one beautiful looking film, so dramatic, the costumes, the birds, the action sequences, and that place beyond.

The music is terrific, it worked so well, we even get some Enya, a voice made for moody and atmospheric scenes.

Eric certainly looks the part, and I can imagine plenty of youngsters with pictures of him on their walls, the tattooed, hipster looks cool, and there's no denying that Bill Skarsgård plays the part very, very well, but something was missing. I didn't care about Eric, or his fate, or his romance.

As soon as Eric got his powers, it was essentially game over, the villain of the piece was powerless to stop his dark eye shadowed up adversary.

Danny Huston was good, and I loved seeing Josette Simon in a big movie release, a talented actress who's been around for so long, yet never seems to age.

Atmospheric and moody, but ultimately lacking in soul and substance.

5/10.