The Crow is my favorite film. Quite frankly, it's a lot of people's favorite film. It's been around over fifteen years and it's still as popular as ever. In a few years it will be old enough to be considered a “classic” by all these Top 100 Film countdowns.
For my money it's the best comic book adaptation. Until relatively recently the only competition was Batman, other adaptations going for a fluffier market. Let's face it, Generation X was terrible! The tide turned with X Men, a film that united comic geeks and normal people. It may have messed with the time line, like the Summers Family Tree hadn't enough already, but it had the spirit of the original. So consider the first two X Men films a close second.
The Crow works if you haven't read the comics. It altered some plot details, changed a few names but kept the atmosphere. There's a real anger, a sense that retribution is needed. Without that the violence would just be gratuitous. The viewer doesn't just sympathies with Eric, there's empathy. We want him to succeed. I know I'm not the only one with streaky eyeliner at the end.
The cinematography is lush. Look at the crow swooping along, the set piece where Eric plays his guitar on the roof. The mirror being smashed. The flaming crow. Sarah skating through the rain. The iconic round window. How many other films have so many readily called up images?
The Crow is hard to classify. Is it love story, horror or fantasy? It's a bit of all of them without becoming a mishmash of reference points. There aren't many films that sit happily in all these camps. Fewer still that apply to a wide audience. This isn't just a film for boys.
The soundtrack is superb. The Joy Division quotes from the book are replaced with a Nine Inch Nails cover of Dead Souls. Burn by the Cure, sublime. It Can't Rain All The Time? Well, it's off key but doesn't it capture the emotion of the film? This was the film that made soundtrack CD's for horror/ sci fi/ fantasy a must.
It even manages to have a “kid” character who's not annoying. Most adult films with a child in would only cast an overly cute kid, preferably with a lisp. It's Sarah's hardness that makes her genuinely appealing.
Many people would say The Crow only has its following because Brandon Lee died. Quite frankly, we'll never know what would have happened otherwise. But whatever led you to watch The Crow in the first place, that not the same as the impression you're left with.
So, as far as I'm concerned, you can keep your Spiderman, it's just Dawson's Creek with super powers. Constantine and League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen were unspeakable. And there's still nothing that has bettered The Crow.
Just like the sequels to the movie didn't fly, I doubt the comic will.
I think they should lay The Crow down to rest, The Crow died with Brandon, nobody can replace him and no comic can do The Crow justice as much as it may try, hate to break it to you all.