The Crow (1994) - Movie Review, Reaction, and Retrospective

The Crow (1994) - Movie Review, Reaction, and Retrospective

#Review​ #Reaction​ #TheCrow​

The Crow - Movie Review and Reaction - The Crow (1994)

Goth kids of the 90s... ASSEMBLE! (But, like, in a cool, nonconformist way.) The Story Geeks crew is getting together to review and react to The Crow (1994). As usually, we'll dig deeper into the themes and cultural relevance.

Join us LIVE on YouTube or catch the replay on The Story Geeks podcast feed! Have thoughts on The Crow (1994)? Leave them in the comments down below!

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Transcript of Questions from The Crow (1994) Review and Reaction Podcast:

Today on The Story Geeks podcast:

...90s Goth kids rejoice—and I mean that in the most brooding way possible—we’re talking about 1994’s comic book classic: The Crow!

But before we get into that, we’ve got a fascinating new sponsor… a participatory-arts podcast. At the end of this episode I’ll play a trailer, and you should listen because it’s a fascinating concept. It’s called SYGNYL—S-Y-G-N-Y-L—and it just launched, so if you find this concept interesting go check it out.

SYGNYL subtly invites listeners into a hidden world that exists all around you. And here’s where it gets really interesting. In each episode, a soothing voice will dare you to complete small, collaborative acts… in the real world.

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Will YOU choose to follow the instructions within? Visit SYGNYL.com, S-Y-G-N-Y-L dot com to check it out, and like I said, I’ll play a clip for you at the end of this show.

Let’s get into it: 1994’s R-rated Gothic romance slash revenge flick, The Crow.

 

The Crow came out in 1994, was very Goth, very Occult, and had a super 90s soundtrack—The Cure, Stone Temple Pilots, RATM, Violent Femmes, NIN—but in many ways, it was far ahead of its time. It made use of face-replacement technology that, prior to The Crow’s release, had only been used in Jurassic Park. It was a box office success, taking the #1 spot opening weekend. But it gained even more success once it went to VHS/DVD. And, of course, comic book films were a rarity in that time. Do you think The Crow still stands the test of time? What hasn’t aged well with The Crow?

 

There were a ton of accidents and incidents that happened behind the scenes in The Crow, so much so many say the film was cursed. Various cast and crew members suffered a variety of injuries and of course there was Brandon Lee’s tragic on-set death by a faulty prop gun. Do you think the behind-the-scenes tragedies led to The Crow's success or would it have stood on its own?

 

The Crow is rated R. And it truly lived up to that rating—with graphic content. Today we wonder if comic book movies should be rated R, or if they should be made with a broader and younger audience in mind. But The Crow gave no Fs about its R rating. What has changed in the comic book world and society?

 

We often talk about the “why” of a character. The catalyst that starts the protagonist on the hero’s journey. For The Crow, this catalyst is built off “fridging,” which is a term for a comic book trope where the death of a female character serves as a catalyst for the hero’s journey. Does it work in The Crow? Why or why not? (Before we dive in, I think it’s important to point out that James O’Barr, author and artist of The Crow comic book series, lost his fiancé in a car accident with a drunk driver.)

 

Is The Crow (Eric Draven) a hero, a villain, an antihero, or something else entirely? Does it work? What makes it work?

 

The Crow centers on bringing a soul back to “make things right.” There’s a whole genre of films dedicated to revenge fantasies—John Wick, The Crow, a bunch of B-movie Bruce Willis movies. These are essentially a blend of grief fulfillment and the quest for justice. What makes this a compelling concept? And, for The Crow, what would justice actually look like? Does revenge play a role in justice at all?

 

The Crow is a Goth movie. What does it mean to be Goth and what attracts people to Goth culture? What do Goth fans crave that society isn’t giving them?

 

The Crow reboot has been put on hold indefinitely. Is it worth remaking considering how underwhelming the sequels have been? And who would you cast in The Crow?

 

That’s it for today’s show! Don’t forget to subscribe to The Story Geeks podcast on YouTube or your preferred podcast provider. And make sure you check out Death of a Bounty Hunter, the book I co-wrote, AND the new participatory-arts podcast, SYGNYL.

Thanks for listening, and as always: Question everything... and always seek the Truth.