The Crow
30th Anniversary Limited Edition 4K
review by Bobby Blakey
In 1994 director Dark City and I, Robot director Alex Prayas brought James O’Barr’s iconic comic classic The Crow to life on the big screen with Brandon Lee in the lead role. Since then it has spawned numerous sequels, a TV series, novels, other comics and an upcoming reimagining feature film. The film features a great cast including Michael Wincott, Rochelle Davis, Bai Ling, Tony Todd, David Patrick Kelly, Angel David, Michael Masse, Laurence Mason, Jon Polito and Sofia Shinas and Ernie Hudson. Now to celebrate its 30th Anniversary, Paramount is bringing the film home to 4K for the first time ever.
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The Crow follows young musician Eric Draven who is brutally murdered alongside his fiancée by members of a violent gang. On the anniversary of their death, Eric rises from the grave and assumes the gothic mantle of the Crow, a supernatural avenger. He then sets out on a macabre mission to mercilessly hunt down everyone responsible and make them answer for their crimes.
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There is a lot to be said about this film and its history of getting made and the
becomes a character all its own never reminding you of a real place yet seems all too familiar in its gritty and dirty underworld. Filled with iconic moments, my personal favorite being the Pawn Shop sequence, beautifully haunting visuals and a star powered performance, The Crow is a film that no matter how many others are made will always stand at the top of them all.
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I love this movie and this new 4K looks outstanding. It does make some of the effects and models pop out a little more noticeable than you might like, but it is also part of the charm. This version gives the film the version it deserves and helps introduce it to a whole new generation that will no doubt love it as well.
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In addition to the film this release also features old and new bonus content including commentaries, trailer, deleted scenes, extended scenes, featurettes and more. Step in the dangers of Devil’s Night when The Crow 30th Anniversary Edition hits 4K and 4K Limited Edition Steelbook for the first time ever on May 7th from Paramount Home Entertainment.
source material that it is based on. From his own tragedy O’Barr created this artistic piece of brilliance that has not only captured the souls of its fans but stayed relevant to this day. The films history sports its own tragedies and issues with the biggest obviously being the tragic death of its star Brandon Lee while filming. With all the real-life tragedy attached and the deep tragic story its telling you would think this film would have been lost into obscurity, but the power of its storytelling, performance by Lee and the aesthetics of Prayas this film still stands as one of if not the best comic film to date.
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It would be unfair to just say it’s a comic book film as it is so much more. The tale of revenge and redemption are not all that new, but it is impossible to not get sucked into the depth and sadness of it all. This is clear in the source material thanks to O’Barr’s brilliant art and storytelling, but this film is all Lee. As a martial arts fan and comic fan this was a dream come true for me when it came out. I was so invested in this film that I even still have clippings of the announcement of Lee’s death and remember being really affected at the time. His chilling performance is made even more powerful by this sad outcome. Knowhing this would have no doubt skyrocketed him into super stardom as well makes you watch it in different eyes.
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The film all on its one pulls you in and perfectly balances the sadness, heartache and violence to create a story that holds up in every way. Everyone in the cast is excellent with a unleashed chaos across the board that sets up revenge and emotions on a silver platter. The visuals add a whole other level as the city
