Genres

Visitors Review

2012-05-25 15:58:06

This has it all

This DVD has it all, and is well worth the extra price. First of all there is a great movie. The Crow is a cult classic, but I don't mean to demean it at all by calling it one. Based on the comic book of the same name, The Crow has a great premise (a man comes back from the dead to avenge the death of the woman he loves) and is made well. It's a dark film made in muted, dark colors, almost black and white. The action sequences are great (after all, Brandon Lee is Bruce Lee's son). This would have been Brandon's break-out role if he hadn't died. It also has one of my favorite fight scenes, the shoot out at Top Dollar's. And Ernie Hudson is surprisingly good in his role in the film. And a great soundtrack. The DVD is loaded with extras. There is commentary by Jeff Most (producer and executive music producer of the Crow movies) and John Shirley (co-writer of The Crow). Their commentary is almost as good as the film. You get a lot of insight into the movie, how it was made, and why certain choices were made. This is what DVD commentaries should be like. (It is a shame that Brandon Lee was unable to do a commentary, it would have been very interesting to see what he had to say about the film). Most's commentary is very informative and very entertaining. My only fault with the commentary is that there wasn't much on Brandon's death. I really expected to hear more about it, since it is such a huge part of the mythos of the film. Also on disc one is the DVD-ROM extras. There is the script that you read the same time the film is playing. There is a trivia game (which really isn't that great and is about the entire Crow franchise and not just this movie). You can also watch the "enhanced playback track" which has trivia and other features as the film plays. In addition to the usual production stills, posters, and (five) story boards (one of those is the story board for the Shoot Out at Top Dollar's and it is very interesting to see), Disc 2 contains a Behind the Scenes featurette that runs about 15 minutes. It is not a making of, rather those involved with the movie (including Brandon Lee) discuss the movie and concept. There is a 30 minute Portrait of James O'Barr (creator of The Crow comic book) which is O'Barr in his basement talking to someone holding a video camcorder. You get a lot of insight into his life, his work, the movie, Hollywood, and where many of his ideas for The Crow came from. There is something called the Deleted Footage Montage, but it really isn't deleted footage. There is some deleted footage in the montage, but most of it is outtakes, alternate takes, behind the scenes footage, and what looks like scenes that weren't deleted from the movie. It's a touching `tribute' to Brandon Lee, but not what it should have been. And finally there are three extended scenes (The Arcade Bombing; Fun Boy Fight; Shoot Out at Top Dollar's). What makes these so interesting is that you see what the original footage was and how they edited the scene to make it move so fast paced. You see the decision process in removing unessential footage to keep the movie from bogging down. So you have a great movie and some really good extras on this DVD. Definitely one that should be in your library.

2012-05-25 04:08:05

"There Ain't No Coming Back" ~ "Then Sometimes, Just Sometimes"

Create a dark, foreboding urban wasteland, shroud it in an ambience of depression and hopelessness and then add a cutting edge rock/goth soundtrack and what do you get? Answer, a cult classic that has captured the angst of a generation and given us the quintessencial anti-hero of the twentieth century. Not bad for a small budget movie with a cast of unknowns. Eric Draven (Brandon Lee) and his fiancee Shelly (Sophia Shinas) are brutally murdered on the night before Halloween, the Devil's Night. However their love for each other proves to be so strong that even death cannot prevent Eric from seeking revenge against the four men responsible for the homicides. With the help of an animal familiar, the crow, he digs his way out of the grave a year later and returns to the scene of the crime. As another Halloween approaches the Devil's Night is about to take on a whole new meaning. 'The Crow' is without a doubt the ultimate gothic/romance movie of all-time and quite likely the most revered film adaptation of a comic book hero. This is an amazing work of cinematography coupled with a deeply touching story. Despite the high degree of death and brutality in this film it's first and foremost a love story. Now eleven years since its release we can see in retrospect the profound effect this '94 movie has had in influencing the Goth Movement so prevalent today. A true classic to be enjoyed over and over again!Cast: Brandon Lee (Eric Draven), Sophia Shinas (Shelly), Rochelle Davis (Sarah), Ernie Hudson (Sergeant Albrecht), Michael Wincott (Top Dollar) and Ling Bai (Myca).

Edward VanMacho 2012-05-16 05:24:54

Great movie & great soundtrack

It's a shame this movie does not get the credit it deserves. "The Crow"is one of the best comic book movies ever made, and it still standsstrong today. This is one of the movies that I see every time it's onT.V. and sometimes I pop it on DVD. Great hero, great villain, greatgraphics, (for the time and money spent) and yes even a greatsoundtrack! Not many movies can say that, I also feel very stronglythat this was Brandon Lee's breakout film. It's a shame that the workthat he did in this movie not only turned out to be his best work, butalso his last. They were a number of sequels made after this but theywere nothing like this one, this movie was and is one of a kind.VanMacho

2012-05-15 06:03:12

A Great Tale Of Love&Revenge

This is a great movie, E.Draven(B.LEE) comes back after year from his murder to kill all the people that killed him and his wife to be Shelly(Sophia Shinas, which she does a great job in, she had more of role, but due to the death of Brandon she did not get to show off her acting skills). Some people may say its to violent but really why are you going to pay for 20 dollars for a movie that you really do not know about. This movie is like a Machiavellian tale, which Nicolo Machoveli came back in real life after 7years and killed all his enimes, he was a great Italian philsopher. A lot about this movie is great, it fells real because the acting is good and Brandon Lee died filming this movie. Their is 2 other Crow movies, City of Angels(Vincent Perez, and The Crow Salvation (with some guy and Kristen Dunts) which those movies are not even good. Now they are going to make another Crow movie The Crow:Last Preyer staring the kid in T2 and American History X. Dont waste your time, just watch this tale. R.I.P. Brandon Lee, we still miss you.

2012-05-05 03:02:26

Greatest Film Ever Made

"The Crow" is the one film of all time that I actually like more than the book it is based on. "The Crow" is based on a comic book written, drawn and created by James O'Barr. The Crow was an underground comic book made into a film. Brandon Lee did wonderful portraying the part of Erik Draven. The music most of all is the most "Crow like" music being jazz and blues. Besides the rock n' roll, the jazz and blues set the mood for the movie with the gothic atmosphere of graveyards, churches and the ghetto of Detriot. The movie is fresh and deserves an Oscar for its cinematagraphy and production designs. And most of all, what makes this movie good is how it is rated R. If it were PG-13, it would be terrible over terrible. The bad language and violence set the mood of a gritty ghetto and the tortured soul of the Crow. The brief nudity is just opinional."The Crow" is probably one of my most favorite movies of all time. I enjoyed it fullly and I hope you do too.

2012-05-04 23:14:03

Touching with a twist of goth

The Crow is a truly beautiful movie, with a wonderful story line, and just twisted enough to spark my interest. That got me to see the other two, which are not as good but not bad either. Each movie has just enough of the goth sense, to really allow me to enjoy it, so if you're into that sort of thing, the crow is definately for you. Its a much treasured element that gives me a new and different look on the world. (BUY THIS SET!)

SPaS 2012-05-02 09:35:58

Aaahh!

I like impossible equations that work. Hear me out - how about... a serious,dark movie about a guy coming back to take revenge from the dead. Eh... Arock'n'roll-dude, even, whose SOUL is carried on earth by a CROW, which actsas his companion throughout the movie. Yea, right... Well, you don't hearany "yea, rights" when this flick plays. See, THIS is what happens, when thedirector knows his sh*t, and you invest on the atmosphere - who saysphotography and lightning are trivial in an action flick? The result is justlike the comic-book: almost looks like it (almost black & white), dark, andfull of energy; looks like "a beautiful nightmare". And kicksass!

FlashCallahan 2012-05-01 21:35:38

Dead Souls......

A poetic guitarist Eric Draven is brought back to life by a crow a yearafter he and his fiancée are murdered.The crow guides him through the land of the living, and leads him tohis killers: knife thrower Tin-tin, drug-tec Funboy, car buff T-Bird,and the unsophisticated Skank.One by one, Eric gives these thugs a taste of their own medicine.However their leader Top-Dollar, a world-class crime lord who willdispatch his enemies with a Japanese sword and joke about it later,will soon learn the legend of the crow and the secret to thevigilante's invincibility.....We all know that a lot of the success of this movie is based on thetragic accident on set, but even so, this movie proved that Brandon Leewas going to be a huge star, and had the talent to rival any Cruise,Ford, or Reeves.The film is poetic and on many levels, maybe one of the greatest lovestories ever told, in a bizarre macabre manner.Editing is seamless here, and there are only one or two occasions whereyou can see the body double, and the settings are gloomy and catch theessence of the graphic novel and its connotation.Kudos to Wincott for putting in another stunning performance as the badguy, and it's strange that he hasn't really been in anything 'big'lately, because he too, is a great actor.The soundtrack compliments the mood, as does the brooding atmosphereduring the film.Setpieces are stunning, and the final act lets it down slightly,because it reminded one of the Batman finale, a film a million milesaway from this.All in all, it's one of the biggest cult movies out there, and it willalways leave Lee a recognised star, just like Enter the Dragon did forhis dad.Iconic doesn't even begin to describe this movie.

Prolox 2012-04-30 14:40:55

A great movie!

An black crow resurrects the soul of a dead man in order to avenge hismurder & that of his fiancée one year after they were murdered by agroup of thugs in their apartment. Dressed in black leather & wearingkabuki make-up, he subsequently stalks & kills the men responsible. THECROW wasn't you're typical revenge film, rather than have a hero whocomes back from the dead to crush & mash the villains in gruesomefashion, this film shied away from the gore & actually came up with afew original ideas, the film is dark looking & unpleasant at times, butit's never boring & always has something going for it, the action,suspense, directing & acting were well done. Definitely worth a look.Remade into a TV series & followed by three sequels, who's only realconnection to this is the black crow, the title & the revenge plotline, but the sequels were no where near as good as this one. Firstsequel, THE CROW: CITY OF ANGELS **** stars

psychobitchua 2012-04-30 00:08:32

The best movie adaptation of a comic book

Surreal dark atmosphere, that was created, combined all the charactersinto one storyline perfectly. Simple story spiced up with vividcharacters, scenes and retorts, no extra pieces, no stereotypes whichlook stupid. Everything is just like a perfect melody. There is one wayto make a good man be a bad man. There is one wound that hurts themost. There is one law that works in any religion and any universe:everything pays off. The Crow gave birth to many stereotypicalcharacters, like a never-ending river of copies made with very badxerox machine, and the worst ever TVshow, but original of it reallyworked. And will work for a long time ahead.

MarkoRi 2012-04-27 18:57:10

this is it!

Quote:"People once believed that when someone dies a crow carries that soul totheland of the dead. But sometimes something so bad happens that terriblesadness is carried with it. And the soul can't rest. And sometimes thecrowcan bring that soul back to put the wrong things right."unbelievable movie. See It!

2012-04-27 01:14:15

A timeless emotional thriller

A mysteriousness follows throughout this whole film because of the death of Brandon Lee on the set. This movie is in the top 5 list on my collection. The justified revenge, the awesome soundtrack and the dark scenes will leave you begging for more. This should have been the only Crow movie made. The 2nd and 3rd crow offered nothing more than insult to Brandon Lee's great sacrafice upon making this film.

Mr Ben 2012-04-25 23:29:41

A high flying Gothic masterpiece - 91%

My flatmate buys a number of DVDs on a regular basis. Quite a lot arewrestling PPVs but sometimes, she buys an absolute gem. "The Crow" isone such film, having been seen by myself only once before many yearsago on a very old TV with poor reception. But thanks to DVD, thedarkness is crystal clear and the static has gone. Mind you, so has thefuzzy picture of Dutch TV and everything that entails. Maybe that's anEaster egg on the second disc!"The Crow" is famously the last film completed by Brandon Lee, killedin an accident during filming. Indeed, this film will be forever linkedto Brandon just as "Enter The Dragon" will be linked to his father,Bruce Lee. Make no mistake, this movie is a masterpiece of Gothicfilm-making. Everything, from set design and lighting to the nearendless rain and black leather costumes, adds up to make a very darkcinematic experience. The film is almost in black-and-white - colour isdrained from the present while abundently vivid in flaskbacks scenes.The film focuses on Eric Draven, a rock musician killed with hisfiancée on Devil's Night (the night before Halloween and Draven'swedding). He returns from the grave a year later to exact revenge onthe thugs responsible, seemingly immortal and guided by a mysteriouscrow. The story, based on comics or "graphic novels" if you prefer,isn't this film's strong-point. The film is sold as a brooding andviolent love-story and is one of the best fantasy films I've ever seen.Lee plays Draven exceptionally well. It is, as he says in an interview,an incredible role - a supremely powerful warrior whose only weaknessis his emotional scars from his ordeal. He is utterly believable in anunbelievable role, though I was reminded ofstraight-to-video-specialist Mark Dacascos in some scenes. Other thanthis, the only other faults I could think of are few are far between.The over-reliance of darkness obscured much of the film's fantastic setdesign (the city skyline is incredible, reminiscent of Gotham City in"Batman") and some CGI is detectable, though not much. The editors dida fantastic job of completing the picture after Lee's demise and mustbe congratulated.Other highlights include yet another baddie appearance by Tony"Candyman" Todd and the soundtrack, a mixture of heavy rock andorchestral mood pieces. Though it is ten years old, the film feelscontemporary and is probably the ultimate Goth-teenager picture after"Naked Vampire Lesbians IV" (which might even exist). I have nohesitation in recommending "The Crow" at all. As an action film, it isa little on the slow side but at least it is something different.Probably the best ever film based on a comic (sorry, "graphic novel").

superjaneyjane 2012-04-25 00:17:42

What makes this great

Had this been done by anyone else, director, cast, crew it would havesucked massively. Period. The lackluster sequels are evidence enough ofthat fact. On face value, the script is really just anotherrun-of-the-mill revenge story with a supernatural bent. BUT - thiswould have to be one of the best movies of the 90's. I can say that noweven after analyzing the f*** out of it this past year as part ofschool. Even after watching it a zillion times, it still sends tinglesdown my spine.The plot concerns Eric Draven (the late, great Brandon Lee) beingraised from the dead by a mythical crow, given supernatural strengthand invincibility, and sent on a mission to avenge the rape and murderof his fiancée Shelly (Sofia Shinas) by a gang of thugs. As he picksoff the criminals on his hit list, he attracts the attention of thecriminal kingpin Top Dollar (Michael Wincott), who becomes determinedto kill him. Like I said, it is the people who cause this film to transcend theordinary. Much of this is due to Alex Proyas, who uses an effectivelystylized setting, clever editing, camera angles, etc. The villains ofthe piece are also excellent, particularly Wincott and David PatrickKelly as head thug T-Bird. No Bond-style villainy is present here,these guys are evil, intimidating and cliché-free.But of course, the person who really transcends the ordinary is BrandonLee. Lee was one of the few actors who could combine that sort ofmartial arts talent with acting talent, so evident here. He brings outthe violent and sadistic elements of Eric, as well as the painfullyhuman side as well. You can't help but feel sad when you realize thatthis was his last movie. A plus to this movie is that it has an awesome soundtrack, with stufffrom the Cure, the Violent Femmes and Rage Against the Machine. Aparticular highlight is a Nine Inch Nails cover of Joy Division's DeadSouls.All in all, an awesome movie.

martin_hay 2012-04-25 06:12:59

After all the hype...

This film shot to fame before release due to the untimely death of BrandonLee. Subsequently it was launched to a frenzy of media hype, and I avoidedit like the plague.Well, 6 years later I was finally persuaded to watch it. Brilliant.Fantastic. It's funny, fast and loud, dark, moody and violent (butstylishly violent). I wish I'd seen it in the cinema in the firstplace.Don't ask why it's good - just watch it and see.Now if someone could arrange a widescreen transfer for Region2DVD?

renaldo and clara 2012-04-24 18:36:37

an old comment

I found this in my old stuff; a review from 5 years ago for thismovie...though I already commented on The Crow; I feel this may bethe most honest review for it:Once upon a time-not so long ago- Halloween was something more magical.Upuntil the early 90's kids were happy to be frightened because it wasaboutbeing alive and honest, without the fear that evil truly did reign theEarth. It was optimism and how it related to human darkness. Moreover itwas about how "Goth" had come back in style, the education in literarybackground that came with it. There was a lot of culture behind blackattireand make-up of this time- whether it was referenced to writers, music,religion, or just pure romantic love.That's where this film comes in. Its theme-"love conquers all"- is notaboutromance-but about true LOVE. This film is all about staying true to theessence of its theme. If you're talking about "love" during thistime(1992-4), you're not talking about any "areas" around it- likeromance,lover's quarrel, jealousy, self-doubt. It's not about enhancing the facesofyour film's attractive leads; Brandon Lee's face is mostly covered inmake-up and similarly Sofia Shinas is barely shown, but when she finallyisit is only her face-she is more like an angel than an attractive woman.Point being that everything needed to make an action/horror film wasthere.But it's like the director wanted to show how he deliberately ignoredtheseaspects and remained loyal to his theme.Sarah and Officer Albrecht are plot thickeners and serve to give thefilma modern perspective, so they are shown as realistically as possible. Butall the "bad"-guys are purposely unrealistic, they are shown as symbolsforyou to HATE-out of pure emotion. You don't want them in the slammer, youwant their evil out of this world.This film is like a landmark in a temporary (American-I can't speakforother countries) pop culture between 1992&4. Kurt Cobain's suicide, RealWorld London, Live, Pearl Jam's zenith of pop influence, Nine Inch Nails,STP...this is the era when some young kids today (and older folks whopassedby this era) complain we took ourselves too seriously. It was rightbeforegrunge supposedly"died" and before humour and obsolete issues came backintorap and rock; before new-wave "punk". Financial gain/monetary value wasshunned during this short-lived culture, because it didn't have to dowithhuman emotion. Incidentally the "bad guys" of this film aren't out formoney, just for the glory of madness, anarchy, and hate.There is a line in The Crow where Eric tells Albrecht, upon fondreflection:"Little things used to mean so much to Shelly. I used to think they werekind of trivial. Believe me-nothing's trivial."There was a little gap in pop culture history, reminding us how importantlove and classic literature was, and how youthful optimism and love couldbecombined with negative attitudes(like anger,sadness, and vengeance) tocreate a character everyone could identify with. This is the time when"nothing was trivial"-the "important" stuff mattered, a feeling to whichmusic of the time consequently made a huge impact. Nothing was donewithoutthought, so words could make you fall in love or cry.If there ever was a film that could reflect this confusing and beautifulrevival of the Romantic Period, The Crow is the movie. It will takeyou back. This is the only film that I wish could've lastedlonger.

Uther1 2012-04-24 04:05:27

Decent action film, but not much more

The Crow had been recommended to me by a few friends of mine, so Ifigured I'd give it a try. I read a few reviews online before watchingit and was pretty excited. They said it was a deep movie with a lot tosay. After watching it, I have no idea what the hell they were talkingabout. It was a pretty decent action movie, but the only depth was thatrevenge is good. In fact, it's so important that you might come backfrom the dead for revenge. That's not very deep to me. The fact that hewas so mad because the love of his life was killed as well doesn'treally add depth.But the real problem with this movie is a lack of tension. For theentire time he's eking out his revenge one death at a time, he'sinvincible. The main character who we're supposed to be worried aboutcan't be hurt. Every fight he gets into is a foregone conclusion. It'sa bit satisfying to see him get his revenge, but really, it's not veryexciting, even with gratuitously large explosions. They find an excusefor him to become vulnerable at the end, but the final show down withthe head bad guy doesn't make any sense plot wise. It seemed veryunnecessary, I even found myself asking aloud "Why is this movie stillgoing?"There isn't much else to say. The atmosphere the movie created wasgreat, but it was just the same way movies have created atmosphere fordecades, it was raining all the time. Blade Runner did it and did itbetter. The city felt despondent, but it didn't feel like that wasnecessary. The action was fun, but the lack of tension stopped thismovie from being great. As it is, it's a decent action flick with anodd sort of ambiance and characters from a subculture. 6/10, watch ifit's on TV, but I wouldn't bother searching it out.This was a snippet of my full review, read the full article atdocamos.blogspot.com

AwesomeWolf 2012-04-23 20:17:56

Excellent

'The Crow' - the final movie of Brandon Lee and his finest hour, andone of the best movies ever. Brandon starred as Eric Draven, a musicianliving with his fiancée, Shelley. Life for them was perfect, but onDevil's Night, everything changed. Eric was murdered, but Shelley wasbeaten and raped, and the last thirty hours of her life were filledwith nothing but pain. Exactly one year later, Eric is brought back toseek out and gain his revenge on those responsible.The story is great, despite simplicity. The atmosphere is very dark andsad, yet also hopeful, bringing a message of eternal love. Brandonfinally got to showcase his skill as an actor, as well as a martialartist, and he was brilliant as both. Despite numerous one-liners, theviolent tone, and some great action scenes, Brandon was able to provehe was also a great actor.I could talk at length about how great this movie, and how much I enjoyit, but I won't. I will just re-iterate that it is an excellent movie,and urge you to see it. 'The Crow' definitely deserves a 10/10. Bewarned, it is obviously not for everyone - it is the kind of movie thatwould scare children, and get disapproving comments from others unableto stomach the violence and drug use.

moviefan2k4 2012-04-21 15:31:43

A Wonderful Dramatic Actioner with a Romantic Twist...

In 1996 I first saw "The Crow", starring Brandon Lee, Ernie Hudson, &Michael Wincott. It wasn't until later that I learned of Brandon'stragic death, and the notoriety this film gained because of it.In 1981, James O'Barr's life was altered forever when the love of hislife was killed by a drunk driver. Seeking to overcome this tragedy, heput all of his pain, guilt, anger, and vengefulness into a graphicnovel which took him 8 years to write. "The Crow: A Love Story" waspublished in 1989, and immediately started a phenomenon.The film, closely adapted from the novel, tells the story of strugglingrock musician Eric Draven and his fiancé' Shelly Webster, who arebrutally massacred by murderer T-Bird and his gang of ruthless thugs.One year later, Eric is mysteriously resurrected by a hypnotic crow.Completely devoid of a conscience, Eric's soul has returned to seek theultimate retribution and poetic justice...the men responsible for heand Shelley's murders must die. Then, he will be reunited with Shelleyin the afterlife.Although not as dark as the novel, this film is rated "R", for scenesof violence, sexuality, sexual abuse, language, and thematic elements.At the core of this film is a poetic love story, and I would recommendit to anyone who believes in everlasting love. =)

2012-04-20 23:44:54

The saddest movie ever

This movie makes me genuinely sad. In Other movies when someone dies it is sad for a moment but then I realize it's just movie and that actor is still alive and I'm not as depressed. You can't do that with this movie, though, because Brandon Lee really did die and in such an easily avoidable way. It seems like this movie wanted to have that effect on you. All the messages really fit what really happened to him. This may upset some people but I found the movie sadder than Titanic. The Crow is also a great movie with good action and the setting is great.