‘The Crow’ is a dark and fascinating adaptation

I am someone who has never seen The Crow (1994), and now, thirty years later, a new take on the comic book story is coming to life from director Rupert Sanders. Bill Skarsgård stars as Eric (a.k.a. the Crow) and what we see in the film is an ill-fated love story come to life.

Shelly (FKA Twigs) and Eric meet in a rehab facility and their whirlwind romance ends in tragedy when Shelly’s past catches up to her. The entire first act of the movie is setting up Eric’s love of Shelly. From what I know of the original movie, that was the part that they could not film after the tragedy with Brandon Lee happened on set. It felt, in a lot of ways, like this take on The Crow wanted to give audiences that time to really live with Eric and Shelly.

The Crow is something that feels like your emo phase never left. You know, that time in your life when Hot Topic consumed your every waking moment. And while you might think that makes this movie just an aesthetic choice, what I will say is that the heart of the story and Skarsgård’s approach to Eric really is captivating to watch. So you get to live that emo fantasy that is synonymous with a property like The Crow while still enjoying what you’re watching.

Spoilers ahead, if you don’t already know the story!

A story worth telling

On the one hand, I don’t love the concept of a woman being fridged for a man’s benefit. Without Shelly (and Eric’s) death, you don’t have the story of the Crow. But it is given to Eric. He’s the one who has the power and uses his love of Shelly to push himself forward in the world. He has to use his revenge to get Shelly back. That’s his entire motivation.

It’s beautiful; I am not discounting that. But it is a classic case of fridging a woman. I do like what Sanders did with his take on The Crow because it allowed me to spend time with Shelly and understand her relationship to Eric. But still, I wish this wasn’t a necessary part of Eric’s origin as the Crow.

But this story of love and the desperation one feels to get it back makes The Crow a worthwhile movie to see. I think Skarsgård taking people out wearing a black leather jacket is cool all on its own, but when he is doing it motivated by his own love? It makes those “cool” moments even better.

There were so many moments later in this film that had me cheering. They still have those really iconic shots, the darkness that makes a story like The Crow interesting to an audience. That being said, it isn’t only those images without any substance. We get to see a real love story happening along with an aesthetic that people love.

I don’t think this take on The Crow is going to make or break anyone’s opinion on the story. It did make me really interested in this viewing gap of mine, and I want to go and explore other stories in this universe, and I think that’s where this is going to really shine.

It’s worth it to see in theaters, and honestly, Twigs and Skarsgård are so perfect.