The original "The Crow" was and is one of the greatest comic to screen films of all time. It is in my top 10 best films as well. So when a reboot was announced, I was skeptical and then my skepticism was realized.
Since the reboots official release date was officially announced just a few days back, people have been scratching their heads wondering why no one covered it or shown any stills before.
Well yesterday it was proven why.
Pictures from the film, likely production stills were released online. They were met with an astounding and not surprising negative reaction. Looking nothing like the original film or even the comic by James O'Barr, instead looks more like a rap rocker white trash look that many self titled singers look like.
There weren’t a lot of positive reactions, with many fans comparing Skarsgard’s look – which Sanders said was a mixture of his own look in the ’90s, “when we were squat-raving in London,” with modern influences like Post Malone and Lil Peep – to Jared Leto’s poorly-received version of The Joker in Suicide Squad.
One person who took to social media to blast the look of the new Eric Draven was Alex Proyas, who directed the ’94 version of The Crow.
Sharing one of the images, Proyas said, “Eric Draven’s having a bad hair day. Next reboot thanks.” In the comments, he continued to mock the look: “I guess he’s supposed to be a bad mofo with all those tats and werewolves and skulls on his jacket. (crying laughing emoji)” “Samuel Adams! Jesus! He could at least drink something more bad-ass. (crying laughing emoji)” “Well at least the stills gave me a good laugh. I thought they were going to take a dump on Brandon Lee’s legacy for a moment.”
Directed by Proyas from a screenplay by David J. Schow and John Shirley (with uncredited rewrites from Walon Green, Terry Hayes, René Balcer, and Michael S. Chernuchin), the original The Crow has the following synopsis:
The night before his wedding, musician Eric Draven and his fiancée are brutally murdered by members of a violent inner-city gang. On the anniversary of their death, Eric rises from the grave and assumes the gothic mantle of the Crow, a supernatural avenger. Tracking down the thugs responsible for the crimes and mercilessly murdering them, Eric eventually confronts head gangster Top Dollar to complete his macabre mission.
Brandon Lee, who was tragically killed during the production, turned in an incredible performance as our hero Eric Draven and was joined in the cast by Rochelle Davis, Ernie Hudson, Michael Wincott, Bai Ling, Sofia Shinas, Anna Levine, David Patrick Kelly, Angel David, Laurence Mason, Michael Massee, Tony Todd, and Jon Polito.
Director Rupert Sanders said he wants young boys to look at the film and identify with the films lead...uh ok. Modern audience filmmaking at its finest. Fantasy has now been replaced with trash realism.
And per that, mainstream media is on board with it.
CNN (no surprise) did an article on the film and I have a few tidbits from it:
CNN — Haunting first-look images of Bill Skarsgård and FKA Twigs in the upcoming remake of the 1994 noir thriller “The Crow” were released on Wednesday, bringing renewed focus and honor to the classic’s original star, the late Brandon Lee.
Honor?!? In what way? At first glance it looks nothing like the original and instead takes the source material and throws it into a meat grinder to serve up a stew for modern audiences, but listen to this.
“Brandon was an original voice and I think he will always be synonymous with The Crow,” director of this year’s “Crow” remake Rupert Sanders said in an interview with Vanity Fair on Wednesday. “I hope he’s proud of what we’ve done and how we’ve brought the story back again.”
Proud? How can Brandon be proud? He's dead. Oh wait was that some kind of he's looking down proud at us reference? For Christ sake.
The first-look photos released on Wednesday showcase Skarsgård’s version of Draven, with a punk haircut and methodically-placed tattoos from head to toe. His signature black makeup is an eerie reminder of Lee’s Draven. Singer FKA Twigs is also seen in the photos, playing Draven’s love interest Shelly.
While the 1994 film has become something of a cult classic, Sanders’ version of the film is a modern reimagining and veers from O’Barr’s source material. Despite the differences, the “Snow White and the Huntsman” director told Vanity Fair that his take is still a tribute to the memory of Lee.
FKA Twigs? Don't know who that is and her name makes me laugh and Sanders referencing "modern reimagining" is all I need to know for my blood to continue to boil in this era of shit Hollywood.
Sanders’ “Crow” follows Eric Draven (Skarsgård) and his fiancée Shelly, who are brutally murdered when Shelly’s dark past catches up with them.
Her dark past?!? What the fuck?!? She was fighting tenant eviction in a bad neighborhood on the original film. She was doing something positive for others, trying to help her community, all of these characters have to have a dark past these days.
“Given the chance to save his true love by sacrificing himself,” an official synopsis reads, “Eric sets out to seek merciless revenge on their killers, traversing the worlds of the living and the dead to put the wrong things right.”
He gives his life for her? We all know that wasn't in the original and tells me that Shelly could very well be alive in this one and take center stage as the main character in some form or fashion.
What do you think of The Crow director Alex Proyas blasting the look of Eric Draven in the remake? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
I see a bomb on the horizon this summer as this shit fest debuts in cinemas in June.
We shall see...we shall see.