There has been some serious umming and awing about the upcoming The Crow 2024 remake, particularly with plenty of fans (and even the director of the original movie) being upset about how different the leading actor, Bill Skarsgård, looks compared to the lead actor from the original, Brandon Lee. No one is asking you to put aside your love for the original film. Still, The Crow‘s 2024 remake is already better than the original for one crucial reason.
To Many, Brandon Lee Is The Only Crow
It is easy to understand why there are die-hard fans of the original 1994 film. Not only was it the first time that Eric Draven was seen on the big screen, but it was also the last time that Brandon Lee was seen on the big screen.
The movie marked his last performance after a tragic accident with a prop gun caused his death. As a film about death, this catapulted the movie into a cult classic. It is for these reasons that, to many, Brandon Lee’s The Crow can never be replaced.
The Crow Is A Concept, Not Just One Actor
Although it is agreed that Brandon Lee did a fantastic job portraying Eric Draven in the 1994 cult classic, fans should remember that The Crow is a concept. I don’t mean a concept as in he is just the fictional character Eric Draven, but that The Crow can be just about anyone that the spirit of The Crow chooses to be their avatar at that given moment in time. If you don’t believe me, let’s quickly walk through The Crow’s history to prove it.
When the original author, James O’Barr, created the concept of The Crow and brought it to life in the original comics, it’s said that it was his own way of dealing with the tragic accident that took his fiancée from him.
The character first appeared on the back cover of Deadworld #10 in 1988 and didn’t appear in his own comics until 1989 through Caliber Comics. The original story arc walked readers through four comics: Pain, Fear, Irony, and Despair. It wasn’t until much later that the arc was concluded when Tundra Publishing managed to reprint the last volume, Death.
Once the original character arc was concluded, however, Kitchen Sink Press managed to collect The Crow into a graphic novel in 1993, just a year before the first live-action film was created.
From 1996 to 1998, however, Kitchen Sink Press published five mini-series and even a one-shot comic based on the concept. Each mini-series had a new avatar of The Crow, sticking to the original idea that the guide to the afterlife could choose anyone who had passed to enact revenge rather than fulfil its normal duties of leading the soul to the beyond.
The Crow Remake Is A Comic-Inaccurate Story
As all comic book movies eventually do, The Crow (1994) took some creative liberties. According to this excellent article by Jessica Jalali at ScreenRant, there are several differences between the comics and the original movie. This includes details as small as changing the nature and names of supporting characters to details as important as the reason why Shelly is killed in the first place and why Eric Draven goes on his quest for revenge.
RELATED: Yes, Bill Skarsgård’s Look As The Crow Is Different From Brandon Lee’s – It Has To Be
Regardless of the changes, the 1994 The Crow movie was excellent in portraying the concepts from the comic books. That being said, the 2024 The Crow remake offers another opportunity for director Rupert Sanders to portray the character in a possibly more comic book-accurate manner.
Not only does the 2024 remake of The Crow challenge the idea that only one actor can play the iconic character, but it also helps us remember that reinvention, adaptation, and modernisation are the only ways that concepts like The Crow can survive.
Do you think the 2024 The Crow remake is better than the 1994 original film? How are you celebrating The Crow‘s 30th anniversary?
The Crow |
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Soulmates Eric Draven and Shelly Webster are brutally murdered. Given the chance to save his true love by sacrificing himself, Eric sets out to seek revenge, traversing the worlds of the living and the dead to put the wrong things right. |
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| Studio: Davis Films, Hassell Free Productions, Electric Shadow Co., Pressman Film, Ashland Hill Media Finance |
| Running Time: n/a |
| Release Date: June 7, 2024 (United States) |
| Cast: Bill Skarsgård, FKA Twigs, Danny Huston |
| Director: Rupert Sanders |
| Writers: Zach Baylin, Will Schneider |
| Genre: Action, Crime, Fantasy |
| Box Office: n/a |
