Thirty years later, “The Crow,” released in 1994 and directed by Alex Proyas, still holds up. From the moody atmosphere to the perfect soundtrack, I highly recommend it for anyone’s autumn rotation.
Based on a comic book by James O’Barr, “The Crow” follows rocker Eric Draven as he comes back to life on the one-year anniversary of his death to avenge his and his fiance’s death.
The movie deals with some harsh topics but is unfortunately still relevant 30 years later. For example, Shelly Webster, Draven’s fiance, is killed and assaulted because she dared to speak out against forced evictions.
Webster’s death is violent, and while it may be easy to write this movie off as merely gruesome, it is about the process of grief.
Often I see pain and healing separated, but many wise people have told me that you have to feel your feelings to come to terms with what has happened to you. This movie beautifully illustrates that messy, disorienting process.
Despite these hard topics, the story is centered around love — both undying and living — and justice. Draven’s love for Webster and semi-adopted kid Sarah are what motivate him to seek vengeance.
Draven is the perfect antihero. Extremely quotable, he throws out one-liners as he serves justices and tries to right wrongs as he sees them. The movie has points that are genuinely funny, which add balance to dark subject matter.
To complement the writing, the soundtrack and scoring for the film elevate the experience. With songs by The Cure and Nine Inch Nails, it is easier to become grounded in the world of “The Crow” and Draven.
From a technical standpoint, the movie balances atmosphere with watchability quite well. Although most of the scenes and costumes are dark, you can still see the actors. The lighting serves to hide what needs to be hidden while allowing the viewer a place in the movie.
Most of the film utilizes practical effects, which led to the untimely death of actor Brandon Lee, who plays Draven. After this unfortunate accident, the team was one of the first to use a computer-generated image of Lee’s face on a body-double in order to complete shooting.
Overall, this movie is one of my favorites.
Although “The Crow” is hard to watch at points, I always finish it feeling hopeful.
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Like Draven says throughout the movie, “It can’t rain all the time.”
Marcela Johnson is a beat reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo
Marcela Johnson is a beat reporter for the Daily Lobo, and the editor-in-chief of Limina: UNM Nonfiction Review.
