Revisiting The Crow, and how it still holds relevance decades later.
The Crow, directed by Alex Proyas and written by David J. Schow and John Shirley was released in 1994. The movie is about a musician, Eric Draven played by Brandon Lee, and his fiance who were brutally assaulted and murdered the day before their wedding by a gang. On the first anniversary of their death, Eric is called from the grave by a crow. After reliving his death, Eric assumes the title of The Crow, gaining powers he didn’t previously have, becoming an invincible vigilante. Eric seeks out anyone who had a part in the murder that happened a year prior to kill them.
The tragedy didn’t end on screen. The New York Times states while Brandon Lee was filming a scene with co-star Michael Massee, who played Funboy, Lee was shot and killed by a firearm malfunction. A bullet fragment was left in a gun that was used in a later scene. The fragment ruptured Lee’s blood vessel and he unfortunately died 8 days before filming was finished. Many scenes had to be rewritten or cut all together to finish the movie without Lee.
The Crow keeps its relevance to this day for a multitude of reasons. The themes discussed in the movie prevail throughout the years such as, love, loss, and redemption. The iconography is also very shocking and unique, as there usually aren’t movies with the same dark gothic style especially from the time it was released. The striking look inspires other films continuing to today. The emotional aspects in the story and behind the scenes is one of the most influential things keeping The Crow in the spotlight, reported on Movieweb. The parallels of Lee’s actual death and the death of the character Eric Draven spark some interesting conversations that can’t be seen in other situations.
Thoughts on The Movie:
We asked WP students for their thoughts about the film and this is what they had to say.
“I feel like it was definitely influential when it came to the idea of a male actor wearing something such as makeup for a role, it was a stepping stone in changing the trajectory of exactly how male actors should be, and although it most likely wasn’t the first case of using makeup as a man for a role it was definitely a popular one. In general I just feel like for its time it was a movie that was built to last, and it clearly does, when you watch it to this day you will still be able to enjoy the film’s qualities” said Ryan Santos, a WP junior.
“I liked the movie but it wasn’t what I initially expected based on the cover page. The storyline was interesting and kinda different compared to ones I’ve seen of that era. The characters acting was like a calm 7/10 but the plot kinda made up for it. Also the fact that Eric and his gf died is crazy” Said Eric Francis a WP senior
The Crow is unlike any movie I’ve seen before. Superhero movies have never been my thing but this movie is so much more than that. Eric doesn’t fight crime for the good of the community, he fights his city’s gang for justice and revenge.The gothic style has always been something appealing to me, the dark gloomy aesthetic mixed with the rock music kept me intrigued due to it being so unique especially for its time. It’s an alternative love story that doesn’t have the fairytale ending you see being overdone in the media. It gives the perspective that love isn’t easy and doesn’t always play out the way you want it to. Finally, Brandon Lee was what I believe made the movie so iconic and meaningful. He was an incredible actor with tons of talent as it’s clear as day that he would’ve been a household name if it weren’t for the tragedy on set.
Rating 10/10 – Chloe Wilcox
The movie The Crow was genuinely one of the best movies I think I have ever seen. The emotional aspect that the movie brings to the table is beyond one’s comprehension. I felt for Eric when it came to his backstory and it gave the film a depressing feeling at the first but as it goes on we see that it turns into an action movie. On top of that Eric’s love for his fiance is so tight and compact that it is easy to relate to and the visuals shown by director Alex Proyas during their initial deaths are hard to watch which makes it even more emotional for the viewer. The cinematography of the film also shocked me for a movie that was filmed in 1994. All in all this movie was so good and It made me excited for what is to come as they do plan to release another Crow movie later this year.
Rating 10/10 – Nixon Leon
