A fresh take on ’The Crow’: Nostalgia meets modern storytelling
Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for the entire plot of “The Crow,” now playing in theaters.
Revisiting a cult classic
Director Rupert Sanders steps into the challenging role of reimagining “The Crow,” a film that has held a special place in the hearts of many since its 1994 release. Sanders acknowledges the weight of nostalgia but is determined to bring a fresh perspective to the story.
“I just wanted to make something new,” Sanders explains. “I knew there would be people who didn’t want it to happen. But I didn’t record over someone’s VHS — that movie’s still there and those people are still going to love that movie.”
A new vision for the antihero
In this latest adaptation, Eric (played by Bill Skarsgård) and his fiancée Shelly (FKA Twigs) are brutally murdered by crime boss Vincent Roeg (Danny Huston). Eric is resurrected as a dark vigilante known as The Crow, seeking vengeance against Roeg’s organization. This modern retelling aims to balance the epic love story with intense action scenes.
Inspirations and influences
Sanders drew inspiration from films like “Jacob’s Ladder” and “Angel Heart,” which are known for their visually compelling and psychologically complex narratives.
“I love this idea of a darkly romantic love story, like a Cure song that has this beautiful broken melancholy,” Sanders says. “It’s about love, loss, and grief. I just wanted to talk to people in that way.”
Crafting emotionally resonant action scenes
One of the key challenges Sanders faced was ensuring that the action scenes were not just visually impressive but also emotionally engaging.
“It’s about making sure that your character is present and emotionally working within those action scenes,” Sanders notes. “Bill did this incredible job, especially in the climax of the movie. He’s covered in blood, he’s exhausted from the killing, and he stops for just a minute of breath — he’s almost crying inside.”
The role of choreography
The film’s stunt coordinator, Adam Horton, emphasized the importance of grounding the action scenes in reality.
“We realized, ‘Wait a minute. This guy is a normal guy that, within the transition from being Eric, has just come back from the dead.’ He hasn’t gone to a martial arts class. He’s just come back to this vengeful state.”
Horton even drew inspiration from an unlikely source: the 2004 rom-com “Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.”
“There’s a beautiful fight in ‘Bridget Jones’ where the two lead characters just get scrappy in the street and they end up going into a fountain. It’s just like people that have never fought before. How would they fight?”
A tragic love story
As with many tragic love stories, ”The Crow” ends on a somber yet romantic note. Eric completes his bloody journey and faces a heart-wrenching choice: let Shelly come back to life if he is banished to hell.
Controversy over the ending
A recent interview with Skarsgård sparked some controversy about the film’s ending, with some interpreting his comments as implying that the ending was designed to pave the way for a sequel. However, Sanders disagrees.
“Ironically, I don’t think that’s true at all,” he says. “If there is a sequel down the line, maybe 30 years from now, they’re gonna have to figure out a way to get themselves out of jail a bit because it’s certainly not, ‘What happens next?’ That would be cheap and not the sentiment in which we made the film.”
Future possibilities
While Sanders has plenty of ideas for potential future installments, he remains focused on the present film.
“There’s a lot of things that I had devised and thought about that were ideas within some of the drafts of the script, or some of the elements that I was putting together that were kind of cool, but felt like they weren’t ready yet.”
A director’s reflection
Sanders reflects on the creative journey and the potential for future projects.
“I’ve given all I can creatively,” he says. “But I’m sure a couple of weeks sitting around doing nothing after the film’s been off my radar for a bit, I’ll start to get the itch and start thinking, ‘Maybe it could be…’ But we’ll see.”
Watch the trailer
For those eager to dive into this new vision of “The Crow,” you can watch the trailer here.
This reimagining of “The Crow” offers a fresh perspective while honoring the essence of the original. With its emotionally charged action scenes and a tragic love story at its core, it promises to resonate with both old fans and new audiences alike.