The Crow

The opening shot of “The Crow” (1994) tells a story of an avenging soul in about eight minutes. Within a few minutes we know what happened to the film’s main protagonist, Eric (Brandon Lee). He rises from a grave, reaches an apartment, and recollects the events of one fateful evening. Standing close to a broken window, Eric, through a series of flashbacks, remembers how his girlfriend was brutally raped and murdered by a group of four thugs on Halloween--a day before their wedding. He is shot by them and accidentally falls through a window. The flashback sequence is fast paced, and it interweaves rapidly the past and present. The entire scene appears messy, but it is not. The point of the sequence is to highlight a transition in Eric’s memory and the sudden awareness that he is back from the dead. Indeed, Lee makes his presence felt in this remarkable opening scene, and it sets up the film’s dark tone perfectly.

The theme of a hero rising from the dead serves as an allegory of Lee’s life. Brandon Lee died of a fatal, accidental gunshot wound suffered eight days before the film’s planned finish. Surely, Lee’s death was a tragic event, and what’s more, Lee and his girlfriend, Eliza Hutton, were to be married a week after finishing the film’s shooting. Who would have thought Eric’s death and the loss of his girlfriend in the movie would resemble Lee’s real life events in the aftermath. Tragedies follow Lee’s family, and Brandon Lee’s father, Bruce Lee, also died while shooting “Game of Death,” although he died of medical complications. Brandon Lee was a promising action star at the time, and “The Crow” was his first mainstream movie, bringing him to the limelight. The film was made on a thin budget and was a smash hit at the box office, probably because of Lee’s death.

Based on an underground comic-book series, “Crow” by James O’Barr, director Alex Proyas creates a visually-stunning film. Looking at the set designs, it is hard to believe that the film was made with a budget of only $8 million. Although I have never read the comic book, after going through the interviews and audio commentary, I get the impression that Proyas has truthfully adapted the comic book for the screen. The film features stunning cinematography, considering the scenes are mainly composed during the night, giving it a dark look. With minimal light, the dark aerial photography impressively captures an apocalyptic world. The set design looks marvelous and massive, partly attributed to aerial shots in which we see a perfect mix of close-ups and long shots, artistically juxtaposing the city’s tranquility in the midst of street violence. In addition, a few shots exhibit weird oblique camera angles in which the filmmakers deliberately skew the perspective so they can preserve a comic-book look. As such, these shots feel like carefully composed panels. This is how the comic-books should look, and Proyas has, indeed, made sure the intricate comic-book details are captured in the film.

Our hero, Eric, can be called a superhero since he possesses supernatural powers to heal himself. But he differs greatly from other superheroes in one respect: He is not out to save the world or the city. Popular superheroes like Superman, Batman, Fantastic Four, and X-Men have super powers, but they are also created to save the world from dangers. Eric’s sole mission is to avenge the death of his girlfriend, and even though his revenge in some way cleans up the streets, he is not shown as the city’s savior, at least not in this edition of Eric’s tale. In fact, there are elements in this film that reminded me of the “Dark Knight” series created by Frank Miller. Eric’s face smeared with a layer of white cream resembles the Joker’s visage--a villain in the “Dark Knight” series. Eric’s character is cartoonish at times, but he’s never a psychotic like the Joker. Batman trusted Gotham city’s chief of police to clean up the streets, and in “The Crow,” we see Eric getting assistance from Sargent Albrecht (Ernie Hudson). Being a loner, Albrecht understands Eric’s awakening from the dead, and decides to provide help in bringing down the villain, Funboy (Michael Massee).

“The Crow” is an entertaining ride, yet despite of the positives, the film is not without issues. Eric’s superhero image lacks depth, unlike other superhero characters in “Superman,” “Batman,” and “X-Men.” His character is rather simple, with too much focus on the revenge angle. The moments of superhero conflict are absent, even when Eric tries to understand the meaning of his powers. It is never fully explained how Eric gains his powers from the crow. I see “The Crow” as an action movie first, with interspersed moments of superhero elements. The film’s plot moves at a very fast pace, and I never found it boring. Nonetheless, the story unfolds in a predictable fashion, plus, the climax feels too contrived. Still, “The Crow” is technically a solid piece, thanks to Proyas for successfully rendering a unique comic-book style to the film.

Video:

“The Crow” flies on Blu-ray in a nice-looking 1080p transfer that is encoded in an AVC format, framed in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. This is a dark-looking film, without even a single scene shot in daylight. Shot entirely at night, or shot resembling night, the film pushes the limits of 1080p, and with good results. Right from the opening sequence, the blacks are solid and consistent for the most part. There are some scenes where the blacks are not as solid as I hoped for, along with uneven contrast in dark scenes. This, however, only occurs for a brief period. The close-ups are tight and smooth looking. Likewise, the skin tones are natural, as well. The print is mostly free of dirt, specks, or other damage, thereby making the transfer crisp and clear. In a few scenes, the specks pop-up, but it’s not distracting. The detail is generally good, if not remarkable, and the sharpness stays fairly consistent, although there are times when the objects have soft focus, which is probably intentional. The grain is retained, making the 1080p transfer filmic. Overall, this transfer improves on the previous DVD release.

Audio:

For a revenge-action flick, the lossless 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track sounds superb. The dialogue is crystal clear, especially the solid midrange. During conversation, the front channels remain active. In the action sequences, the surround channels provide an immersive experience. The gunshots are heavy, packed with deep bass. LFE is triggered in action scenes, as well, and we hear ambient noises on the streets. Also, the movie can be watched with English and Spanish subtitles.

Extras:

This Blu-ray edition ports almost all the extras from the previous two-disc edition, but with one notable omission. The original commentary track, featuring producer Jeff Most and screenwriter John Shirly, has been dropped for this release. We get a new audio commentary track with director Alex Proyas. He talks about the set design, the film’s look, and the original comic book. He discusses the character of Brandon Lee, and how he fully fits the character that he envisioned.

Following this, we get a regular “behind-the-scenes” featurette. Here, we learn about several techniques used by filmmakers to create a unique look for the film and differences between the comic book and film.  Up next, a profile featurette, “A Profile of James O’Barr,” takes us inside the mind of the artist who created the original comic book “The Crow.” He talks about the differences between underground comic art and mainstream comics.  O’Barr mentions his childhood events that in a way shaped his life and motivated the “Crow” series.

Next, we get a set of three extended sequences, followed about five-minutes of deleted scenes. We also get original poster concepts, storyboards, and a theatrical trailer. Finally, Lionsgate has included a digital copy of the movie on a separate disc.

Parting Thoughts:

Over the years, “The Crow” has developed into a cult superhero movie. The film succeeds in its visual aspect, as the filmmakers have crafted a believable apocalyptic city, considering the minuscule budget they had at their disposal. Brandon Lee perfectly fits the bill as an action hero, and he is entertaining to watch, even if he is corny at times. The Blu-ray edition is an easy recommendation that excels in its audio and visual qualities.