The Crow 20th anniversary

[Hordakfan]

This year is the 20th anniversary to one of the coolest comic book films, one of the finer 90s action films and a nice mix of gothic horror, realistic crime drama and dark fantasy.

This is Alex Proyas's best film with Dark City and what a nice cast this has like Brandon Lee (RIP), Ernie Hydson and David Patrick Kelly, atmosphere, gritty dark themes, grim violence and good storytelling.

I saw this movie 4 times in theaters when i was turning 13 and loved it, i even bought the graphic novel with the cards, t-shirt, mug, poster and CD soundtrack as it became one of my favorite movies ever.

The film has became an influential cult classic after being a box-office hit and critical hit and some directors like Christopher Nolan, Zack Snyder, Guillermo Del Toro and some others liked this one.

Who thinks this predates Nolan's Batman trilogy, Sin City, Watchmen etc. in terms of dark gritty atmospheric comic noir films?

 

[I'm Old Greg]

The Crow is an Amazing Film.

 

[CountOrlok]

Batman '89 was the first to give us a dark gritty noir style comic book movie, however The Crow took it to the next level and still hasn't been beaten to this day.

 

[Batmannerism]

Batman '89 (no disrespect, a great film in its day) is like the three stooges
compared to the Crow.

The Crow is pure awesomeness. I was a Brandon Lee fan from way back (saw it in the cinema when I was 22) , and this movie always gives me chills, right from the opening music.

Wow ! It's an emotional watch, but I try and see it once every other year or so.

A terrible shame that the sequels were awful, but I thought Mark Dacascos did the character proud (in a much less gothic and scary version) in the short run TV show.

However, no one could compare to Brandon Lee for his eerie charm in the film.
Probably one of the all-time greatest CBM's in my opinion. I love the Dark Knight movies, but nothing gives me the same thrill as the Crow -the tragedy surrounding the
film just makes the story that much more compelling.

As the OP said, it's the total package, incredible action, strong performances, a simple but compelling story, and possibly the best rock n' roll soundtrack ever.

Personally, I hope they don't remake it. Leave it as a classic, it's worn the test of 20 years, and doesn't need to be recrafted - I just don't think they could make it better, but as Robocop showed us, they sure as hell could make it worse.

The only comparison I can think of in terms of action, grit and soundtrack is the Matrix (which took the sci-fi genre to a whole new level). The Crow might not have been as influential as the Matrix in the overall world of cinema, but it's still a classic.

 

[CountOrlok]

Batman '89 (no disrespect, a great film in its day) is like the three stooges
compared to the Crow.

Yeah but The Crow is R rated while Batman is PG-13. No way Batman could get away with the violence, cursing and sexuality present in The Crow. But for a PG-13 movie, Batman still has plenty of violence and darkness in it. Also consider that at the time Batman was made, no other comic book movie was like it, so Batman paved the way for The Crow to be made, with it's ultra-violence and gritty themes.

 

[BlackFox]

Damn, 20 years. I remember this back in the day.

Loved it but the graphic novel was even better.

 

[Naked Shia]

I love both the movie and the GN. Each one has its own identity.

 

[Naked Shia]

Batman '89 (no disrespect, a great film in its day) is like the three stooges
compared to the Crow.

The Crow is pure awesomeness. I was a Brandon Lee fan from way back (saw it in the cinema when I was 22) , and this movie always gives me chills, right from the opening music.

Wow ! It's an emotional watch, but I try and see it once every other year or so.

A terrible shame that the sequels were awful, but I thought Mark Dacascos did the character proud (in a much less gothic and scary version) in the short run TV show.

However, no one could compare to Brandon Lee for his eerie charm in the film.
Probably one of the all-time greatest CBM's in my opinion. I love the Dark Knight movies, but nothing gives me the same thrill as the Crow -the tragedy surrounding the
film just makes the story that much more compelling.

As the OP said, it's the total package, incredible action, strong performances, a simple but compelling story, and possibly the best rock n' roll soundtrack ever.

Personally, I hope they don't remake it. Leave it as a classic, it's worn the test of 20 years, and doesn't need to be recrafted - I just don't think they could make it better, but as Robocop showed us, they sure as hell could make it worse.

The only comparison I can think of in terms of action, grit and soundtrack is the Matrix (which took the sci-fi genre to a whole new level). The Crow might not have been as influential as the Matrix in the overall world of cinema, but it's still a classic.

The original is a stuff of legend. Brandon gave such a powerful performance. Some of the deleted scenes are incredible as well. I love the one with the skeletton telling him not to enter the church because he will be alone in there, and he answers "i'm already alone". And you can really feel that loneliness and how him not being really dead is such a tragedy.

In the meantime, I don"t think City of Angels is awful. Granted, it bears too much ressemblance to the first movie, and Vincent Perez is no Brandon, but there is a surrealistic feel that I really love, and the setpiece are really interesting. Also, using dia de los muertos as a recurring theme was a brilliant move imo.

 

[Hordakfan]

Batman '89 (no disrespect, a great film in its day) is like the three stooges
compared to the Crow.

The Crow is pure awesomeness. I was a Brandon Lee fan from way back (saw it in the cinema when I was 22) , and this movie always gives me chills, right from the opening music.

Wow ! It's an emotional watch, but I try and see it once every other year or so.

A terrible shame that the sequels were awful, but I thought Mark Dacascos did the character proud (in a much less gothic and scary version) in the short run TV show.

However, no one could compare to Brandon Lee for his eerie charm in the film.
Probably one of the all-time greatest CBM's in my opinion. I love the Dark Knight movies, but nothing gives me the same thrill as the Crow -the tragedy surrounding the
film just makes the story that much more compelling.

As the OP said, it's the total package, incredible action, strong performances, a simple but compelling story, and possibly the best rock n' roll soundtrack ever.

Personally, I hope they don't remake it. Leave it as a classic, it's worn the test of 20 years, and doesn't need to be recrafted - I just don't think they could make it better, but as Robocop showed us, they sure as hell could make it worse.

The only comparison I can think of in terms of action, grit and soundtrack is the Matrix (which took the sci-fi genre to a whole new level). The Crow might not have been as influential as the Matrix in the overall world of cinema, but it's still a classic.

What about Heath Ledger? he died too and it's odd how TDK and Crow are cursed.

And I wouldn't say a new Crow movie would be a "remake", I would call it a separate adaptation of the graphic novel, it's like saying Dredd is a "remake" of Judge Dredd but nope it's a separate adaptation that has nothing to do with the earlier film

 

[Batmannerism]

What about Heath Ledger? he died too and it's odd how TDK and Crow are cursed.

And I wouldn't say a new Crow movie would be a "remake", I would call it a separate adaptation of the graphic novel, it's like saying Dredd is a "remake" of Judge Dredd but nope it's a separate adaptation that has nothing to do with the earlier film

Just my opinion, but I don't think they can make it better -they can only make it worse. It's a one of a kind, in fact, I'd say the same for TDK, in my opinion the definitive Batman film.

 

[hitmanyr2k]

Damn, 20 years. I remember this back in the day.

Loved it but the graphic novel was even better.

I'm a fan of both and combined them together in a video tribute....

[YT]-wafYt9dOY0[/YT]

 

[Batmannerism]

I'm a fan of both and combined them together in a video tribute....

[YT]-wafYt9dOY0[/YT]

Great video ! The GN was awesome, but I liked the screen adaptation better, a bit less gothic, but the action sequences were expanded significantly, which really showcased Brandon Lee's grace and talent, RIP.

 

[bluerayer]

This year is the 20th anniversary to one of the coolest comic book films, one of the finer 90s action films and a nice mix of gothic horror, realistic crime drama and dark fantasy.

This is Alex Proyas's best film with Dark City and what a nice cast this has like Brandon Lee (RIP), Ernie Hydson and David Patrick Kelly, atmosphere, gritty dark themes, grim violence and good storytelling.

I saw this movie 4 times in theaters when i was turning 13 and loved it, i even bought the graphic novel with the cards, t-shirt, mug, poster and CD soundtrack as it became one of my favorite movies ever.

The film has became an influential cult classic after being a box-office hit and critical hit and some directors like Christopher Nolan, Zack Snyder, Guillermo Del Toro and some others liked this one.

Who thinks this predates Nolan's Batman trilogy, Sin City, Watchmen etc. in terms of dark gritty atmospheric comic noir films?

You forgot Michael Wincott! I love this film. The Crow=

[YT]hyr5WdrEvGI[/YT]

 

[Tony Stark]

There was a thread on the TASM2 boards about TASM2 being the most underrated CBM film ever. I said that I disagreed and said I thought the Crow was the most underrated CBM movie ever. Someone seemed shocked that I said that, and said, "that film is beloved, how can it be underrated?"

I never got a chance to respond because the thread closed, but the Crow is without a doubt the most underrated CBM movie in my mind, and it has nothing to do with it being beloved. It's a cult film that only made 53M at the box office, but in my mind this film deserves to be in a top 10 list of CBM films.

It most certainly is better than 90% of the CBM films out there, yet whenever anyone does a list of top 10 CBM's I never see this film listed. That's how it's underrated.

 

[Batmannerism]

You forgot Michael Wincott! I love this film. The Crow=

[YT]hyr5WdrEvGI[/YT]

Totally, Michael Wincott was at his best as a gravelly voiced evil mastermind. Every great action film needs a great villain, and Wincott
totally delivered !

 

[Batmannerism]

There was a thread on the TASM2 boards about TASM2 being the most underrated CBM film ever. I said that I disagreed and said I thought the Crow was the most underrated CBM movie ever. Someone seemed shocked that I said that, and said, "that film is beloved, how can it be underrated?"

I never got a chance to respond because the thread closed, but the Crow is without a doubt the most underrated CBM movie in my mind, and it has nothing to do with it being beloved. It's a cult film that only made 53M at the box office, but in my mind this film deserves to be in a top 10 list of CBM films.

It most certainly is better than 90% of the CBM films out there, yet whenever anyone does a list of top 10 CBM's I never see this film listed. That's how it's underrated.

Yeah, I get your point. I guess it didn't have the mass appeal of Avengers or The Dark Knight, but in terms of quality, it really has to be one of the best CBM"s ever. Totally stands the test of time. I watched it 3 months ago, and it was just as good as when I saw it in the cinema in 1994.
In terms of cult CBM's its got to be right up there, probably misses out on the lists because it's sort of a borderline super-hero film.
Anyway, still a real masterpiece.

 

[bluerayer]

Totally, Michael Wincott was at his best as a gravelly voiced evil mastermind. Every great action film needs a great villain, and Wincott
totally delivered !

Top Dollar:

"Greed is for amateurs. Disorder, chaos, anarchy: now that's fun!"

 

[BlackFox]

I'm a fan of both and combined them together in a video tribute....

[YT]-wafYt9dOY0[/YT]

Great work man, good music choice too, fine work

 

[Hordakfan]

Would anyone consider this a cult movie and quite forgotten in terms of comic book movies?

And who agrees it predates those 3 movies i mentioned?

 

[henry_9305]

Just watched it again. What a great film.

 

[bluerayer]

Just watched it again. What a great film.

 

[Travesty]

It's a great movie. One of my favorites of all time.

But I dunno, I think The Crow: Wicked Prayer is the most underrated CBM of all time.

 

[Hordakfan]

I met and spoke with Ernie Hudson and James O'Barr 3 years ago at one of my city's annual comic cons and comic expos, they were great to speak with and i got their autographs.

 

[bluerayer]

I met and spoke with Ernie Hudson and James O'Barr 3 years ago at one of my city's annual comic cons and comic expos, they were great to speak with and i got their autographs.

Cool!

 

[Rorschach2012]

So what's going on with the remake with Luke Evans? is that not happening anymore? based on what i heard about it, things didn't sound too great. They were saying it was going to be less visually stylized and less gothic.. dumb ideas imo.

if they're going to remake The Crow, they need to utilize today's advancements in special effects. Alex Proyas' first movie was a visual achievement, and a new Crow movie is an opportunity to be another visual achievement.

I loved the blend of rock music and gothic imagery from the original. In the new movie, Eric was going to be a cop, and the rock music would likely be much less of a focus.

The director described the movie as "realistic and almost documentary like"... what?! no!

i'm not really the authority on The Crow though, i've never even read any of the books, but the original movie is one of my favorite movies ever.

But i don't even know if they should remake this. Luke Evans is actually a decent choice, but we'll see if he can deliver a performance that's on the same level as Brandon Lee's...

And who else out there loves the soundtrack from the first movie? there were some amazing songs on there...

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