News culture Remaking this 30-year-old feature film was the worst idea: it is being destroyed by critics and has the potential to be one of the worst films of the year
As in the world of video games, remakes of cult films are the difference between success and failure. And as for this feature film, which hits theaters this Wednesday, August 21st, well, it’s broken, and not just a little bit…
Does The Crow mean anything to you? It is not only the literal translation of “crow”, but above all a a cult film from 1994, directed by Alex Proyas (I Robot). The feature film, inspired by the comics of the same name by James O’Barr, marked its era thanks to its deliciously dark atmosphere | its plot was skimmed, but also by the death of its leading actor, Brandon Lee, while the film was still being shot. And a few years later, the idea of a remake germinated in the mind of Stephen Norrington (director of Blade). Thus begins a particularly complicated journey for the project, between legal disputes and changes of filmmakers! Finally, “The Crow 2.0” was released a few days ago in August 2024. But suffice it to say that the praise is not there.
Deadly reviews
If it is still too early to discuss the first numbers at the box office, The Crow debuts in 2024 on the reference site Rotten Tomatoes with a press rating of 21% … On Allociné, at the time of writing, it is just as gloomy – a 2.5 from the public and a 1.7/5 from the specialized media. The site Écran Large compares the remake of Rupert Saunders (Ghost in the Shell from 2017) to a “long Evanescence clip”Le Figaro, on the other hand, speaks of a “vulgar and raunchy” film, while Filmsactu affirms that the franchise is now “more buried” than before.
A sad story
Death is also at the heart of The Crow – beyond the tragic fate of Brandon Lee. Here we follow the story of Eric Draven, guitarist in a rock band. One day, a tragedy befalls the man and his fiancée: they are attacked and then killed by a gang… Shortly before joining the other side, Eric helplessly witnesses the execution of his lover. Then, months later, our hero is revived by a crow and wants revenge on his tormentors. A story whose secret only comics know and which will turn to gold in the hands of Alex Proyas. If you want to see what it’s like, the first version of The Crow is available in the Apple TV+ catalog.
