Are You With Us?
The Crow
By Ryan Mazie
May 11, 2011
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Now, with a lot to look forward to, Hollywood is allowing audiences to catch their breath this weekend with the release of Bridesmaids (a must-see; it is absolutely hilarious) and Priest. Some of the lesser-caliber films in terms of studio investment, it is not surprising to see comedies or B-action flicks to be put in this frame like the comic book adapted Priest. Studio moguls don’t like their product playing second fiddle so the second weekend of May is used as a martyr, taking the brunt of the big summer kick-off film aftershock that jolts audiences back into a popcorn-flick mood.
Like Priest, 17 years ago this weekend, another low-level comic book superhero entered the summer fray – The Crow. Never having seen the original until now, my interest was piqued when the film turned into a rather hot property with Bradley Cooper rumored to reboot the franchise until some nasty legal entanglements arose.
Not knowing what to expect, I was intrigued while watching The Crow. With a color palette so dark and monochromatic, it looks like the film was shot in black-and-white (actually director Alex Proyas’s intention before the studio quickly nixed the idea), and a grim opening, The Crow definitely flew into theaters before its time. With the titular hero being a musician (Brandon Lee) resurrected from the dead by a crow to seek vengeance on a group of psychotic criminals who raped his girlfriend and brutally murdered the both of them, this wasn’t exactly your typical superhero pic at the time.
Darkly themed superhero movies are the rage nowadays, but in the ‘90s, a more adult-skewing comic book adaptation was a relatively new concept. The Crow’s rave response (it is 83% positive on Rotten Tomatoes) started motioning things in a new direction with more adult comic book adaptations taking place (ie. Spawn and Blade).
Alex Proyas, one of the most stylistic directors around, does a fantastic job, bringing the world of The Crow to life. Enjoying his unlimited vision, as seen in Dark City, and his control of suspense with Knowing (love it or hate it, I am in the former camp), The Crow was Proyas’s first Hollywood feature film, which makes this effort all the more impressive. I was worried at first that the darkness and shadows in the film would lower my visibility of what is going on. However, Proyas expertly handles the lack of lighting with an assortment of angles for a unique look. Also, the intensely choreographed fighting sequences, shot in such a style, make the film certainly rank up there with us. The Crow reminds me of an ideal version of the abysmal franchise attempts for The Punisher.
Now, on to the elephant in the rom: The Crow star Brandon Lee. Son of the legendary Martial Arts star, Bruce Lee, The Crow was Brandon Lee's last film. With a mishap on set, Lee was killed during a scene by a gun that was supposed to be shooting blanks. The footage was never developed and promptly destroyed. With a few scenes involving Lee left to be filmed, they were achieved by body doubles shot from the back as well as computer-altered and digitally composited images of Lee’s face (quite the feat for the mid-‘90s). Having the presence to be an action star, Lee’s clear passion and soulfulness he brought to the role immediately elevated the movie from a basic revenge saga to something more (especially comparing his performance to the cardboard villains).
Released by Miramax, The Crow was the first time that the studio found mainstream success outside of one of its art house picture comfort zone. The Crow was Miramax’s widest release and biggest opening weekend success yet, reaching number one the opening weekend of May 13th-15th. Out of the gate with a big $11.7 million weekend against a speculated $15 million budget, Miramax immediately added an additional 546 theaters the second weekend on top of the initial 1,573 venues. With low declines and spectacular word-of-mouth, The Crow wounded up with $50.7 million ($95.3 million adjusted) when all was said and done. That's quite spectacular for a movie with a hard R-rating, no star power, a small source following, and everything else considered.
Quick to cash in by casting a new hero for the magical Crow to resurrect, 1996’s The Crow: City of Angels, could not even finish with double the original’s opening weekend. Two years later, The Crow resurrected itself on Canadian TV yet couldn’t make it past season one. Brought back to life in 2000 by Eric Mabius and Kirsten Dunst, due to horrible test screenings, the film went direct-to-video. A 2005 effort followed a similar path.
Needing a magical crow to breathe theatrical life back to this franchise with a current messy legal battle, I don’t think that The Crow would do all that well today. While the film holds up, I don’t think the audience would be big enough to care. Dark action movies have become a certain norm (just look at this weekend’s Priest) and with a revenge-driven C-list comic book character, I doubt it would stand out from the crowd. However, the original film still has a certain charm that makes it playable to today's audiences. With more humor than you’d think and a daring style, only a newbie director working on a shoestring budget could possibly attempt without studio interference, The Crow is worth checking out. Mixing smarts with popcorn fun, The Crow effortlessly takes flight.
Verdict: With Us
7 out of 10