THE CROW
A film review by Sean Eric Fagan
Copyright 1994 Sean Eric Fagan
This is the third time I've tried to write a review of THE CROW, which I saw early this afternoon. My first review consisted, solely, of "Wow." The second one I gave up on because it was too chaotic.
So let's get down to the nitty-gritty: THE CROW is a fine film. I think it's going to make Tim Burton *really* jealous. It has a darkness and realism that BATMAN should have had, but didn't.
I won't talk too much about the story, because I don't want to give it away. It is, however, fairly typical (and the fact that I can say that places me in a minority of strange people, but readers of these groups do fit into the same minority) of its genre.
Some of the advertisements say, "Believe in Angels." That is a good summation of part of the movie. It could also be said to deal with magic, and has some strong, classical symbols (All Hallow's Eve, crows [who'd've guessed? 8-)], a specific time span, etc.).
Our hero is superhuman. Or maybe transhuman. Played by Brandon Lee (who, in case there is somebody who doesn't know, died just before filming finished for the movie), he manages to portray, at the beginning of the movie, a surprising amount of pain, confusion, and rage. All without saying a word, and mostly through *motion*, not facial expressions. Shortly thereafter, he puts on makeup, which reminded me of Johnny Depp in EDWARD SCISSORHANDS. (But this is not *bad*. As I said earlier, there is a starkness that is reminiscent of some Tim Burton movies, but which seems *real*, not contrived. And one of my first thoughts after Lee put on his makeup was that Depp could *never* have done this part. And Depp impressed me greatly in EDWARD SCISSORHANDS!)
Our hero is ... a captivating part of the movie. The character itself, and Lee's portrayal, were, to me, transfixing. And oh so intense! For the first fifteen or twenty minutes of the movie, all I could think was "Wow!"
It did not, however, continue that level of intensity. Which is, in some ways, a pity, but probably necessary. I can't really picture myself watching 100 or more minutes like that.
That first part of the movie is the cause for all the praise I reap on it. The rest of the movie is, unfortunately, more traditional, probably meeting some formula somewhere in Hollywood. But that doesn't mean it is *bad*. Or even not good. As a whole, it is an excellent fantasy story (I probably wouldn't classify it as horror, myself, but the distributors have).
I highly recommend this movie. I'd give it a +4.5 on a -5 to +5 scale. I also highly recommend seeing it at a *GOOD* theatre, with large screen, excellent sound, etc. I can't imagine enjoying it the same way on a small screen (such as video).
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