No recent film – maybe aside from Madame Web – embodies the term “development hell” better than The Crow. Seriously, the history of directors, writers, and actors attached to this adaptation of James O Barr’s cult-classic comic of the same name is quite lengthy. Since it started development in 2008, it’s seen actors like Bradley Cooper, James McAvoy, Luke Evans, and Jason Mamoa enter and exit the project. With so much turnover and turmoil, it’s no surprise that the final product is nothing but an empty experience. 

Now, it’s worth noting that this criticism isn’t spurred by any lingering personal attachment to the iconic 1994 adaptation or Brandon Lee’s beloved performance. Honestly, it’s never been a film I’ve really watched much of or deeply cared about. It definitely has a strong legacy that’s hard to match though and Lee’s performance will always be a pivotal part of this franchise’s legacy. Instead, this adaptation is bad because it rarely succeeds at what it’s trying to be – a modern reboot. 

The story is shaky from the start with some incredibly murky narration that fails to establish Eric Draven’s (Bill Skarsgard) motivations and inner pain. Frankly, he comes off needlessly philosophical and tough to connect with. From there, the film never digs deep into what he’s all about or what continues to make him so secluded. He clearly carries some type of pain from his upbringing, but it’s never dissected meaningfully and ultimately comes off hollow. Then as he meets Shelly (FKA Twigs) – a troubled woman who becomes the love of his life – the film only becomes more consumed by shallowness. 

Outside of a couple conversations they have when they first meet, Eric and Shelly’s relationship is mostly shown through brief montages. There’s nothing all that deep to their relationship and it relies almost entirely on their physical spark. Perhaps that’s because it’s clear that the chemistry between Skarsgard and Twigs is fairly flat, but it totally works against the film when things take a turn for the worst. Due to Shelly having a bad past with a demonic crime lord named Roeg (Danny Huston), both her and Eric are eventually killed. However, Eric is imbued with powers that keep him from dying and he goes on a mission to avenge their deaths. 

Because there’s no care put into developing Eric and Shelly’s relationship, his whole motive lacks any authenticity. It’s devoid of genuine emotion and you never really believe this whole idea of his power staying intact because his love for Shelly continues on. It’s some of the weakest romantic writing you’ll see and completely undermines the movie at important moments. Not to mention, the story is completely watered down in the worst ways possible. 

There’s no narrative direction or any effort to craft anything but a skeletal plot outline. At times, it’s like the film is making up things as it goes along and simply holding Eric’s hand to drag him from place to place. This story is obviously cut to shreds – keeping only essential points to have some sort of structure. It’s the worst type of storytelling to endure – and it’s so boring. It isn’t fun at all to watch Eric aimlessly pick off Koeg’s crew one by one and uncover the truth about Shelly’s past. Plus, the wait to see Eric tap into the full power of The Crow is painfully long – but does become a little worthwhile when the action kicks in. 

If The Crow does anything right, it’s delivering bloody and brutal action. It’s rare to see a comic book movie feature bloodshed like this and it’s a lot of fun to see Eric go into full-tilt rage mode. There’s a sequence at an opera house that lets Eric off the leash and it’s a ton of fun to watch. It plays with his invincibility nicely and provides memorable kills that give this film some sense of an identity. Unfortunately, when it comes to style, that’s all it’s got because it utterly fumbles its cool goth potential. The music is ridiculously soft and doesn’t put any energy into this film – not even in the action. The color palette is wildly tame as well with the updated look to Eric’s Crow persona being the only notable use of color. The Crow should be bursting with goth aesthetic in every way, but here it’s barely noticeable. 

What’s most disappointing though is that these performances are totally lifeless. Twigs’ line delivery is stilted from the beginning and never recovers. For the most part, it does feel like Skarsgard and Huston are trying to bring something to their performances, but are thwarted by the reality that they have nothing to work with. Even when the film finally gets into the nitty gritty of their characters, they remain bland as hell. Koeg might be one of the worst villains in a movie this year simply because his motivations and powers are so uninteresting. He barely comes off like a legitimate threat and isn’t terrifying in any way. As for Eric, there’s nothing complex about him. He’s totally one-note and never shows a vulnerability that allows audiences to really connect with him. 

The Crow is a mess anyone could’ve seen from miles away. It’s a remarkably hollow adaptation that’s been stripped of the source material’s basic traits – aside from its bloody brutality – and totally succumbs to the development hell it endured for so long. It’s another failed reboot of a genuine classic that doesn’t understand what makes the original so special and sadly gives no one a reason to seek it out. 

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