Review of The Crow (1994) by Carmichael D — 03 Jul 2018
Slightly embarrassing to admit, but one of my favorite movies of all time. Perhaps I'm a bit of a slave to nostalgia, vision, style, and theatrics, but, so be it. This movie captures the essence, nihilism, and ultimate themes of love and recognition from its source material and improves on it.
Arguably Alex Proyas' finest and most fully realized fever dream production; the movie delivers on so many levels. Hyper-stylized, it makes its impression felt within the straight forward revenge narrative by utilizing submersive gothic set pieces combined with explosive kinetic performances by its lead and ancillary characters.
Of course the movie is enhanced by the final performance of the late Brandon Lee, but it's so much more than that. Emblematic of the period it was born in, the contrast of the early grunge-goth 90's era was one rooted in disillusionment and the distrust of authority and their institutions.
This movie was the zeitgeist of a generation and it personified their feelings of rejection and the swelling desire to take their collective fate into their own hands while rejecting fear, pain, and abuse.
Despite its altruistic message, it spat in the face of standard concepts of what it meant to be heroic and the traditional ideologies/ motivations of what it meant to be "good". And, even more than that-- this movie just shattered minds with its fierce visual identity.
Fuck the high brow analysis-- Martial Arts, Rock and roll, love, and justice.
This review of The Crow (1994) was written by Carmichael D on 03 Jul 2018.
The Crow has generally received very positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
