Bill Skarsgård takes the lead in The Crow (2024) reboot, perfectly embarrassing another dark and twisted character. From James O’Barr’s comic strip, “The Crow,” writers Zack Baylin and William Joseph Schneider under the direction of Rupert Sanders bring to life a welcomed reboot of the gothic romance between Eric Draven and Shelly Webstester played by Bill Skarsgård and FKA Twigs. The original 1994 film, “The Crow,” directed by Alex Proyas, was the first installment of a franchise including a total of four separate films and a 22-episode show.
The 2024 reboot closely follows the original plot, with a few minor changes — Shelly is Draven’s girlfriend instead of his fiance, and his resurrection came immediately after his death instead of a year after their murder.
The screenplay was exceptionally well done. The characters and their accompanying supernatural abilities fit perfectly into the dark and gothic setting. Eric Draven, played by Skarsgård, was dynamic from beginning to end.
Draven’s exterior seemed to project a violent and tough image that did not quite match his gentle personality, which seemed only to be brought out by his soulmate, Shelly Webster. A simple romantic troupe quickly became something much darker and violent after their cold murder.
Having been given a chance of redemption, Draven takes it and slowly descends into a spiraling psychological shift in his personality. The film could parallel “The Joker” in regards to a character wholly accepting their psychotic destiny and becoming the villain that audiences secretly enjoy.
The cinematography for this film was intriguing yet nauseating. With a plot with so much violence, the horrors of murder and ambiguous supernatural abilities could have easily overtaken the love story at hand.
However, the cinematography reminds the audience of Eric Draven’s main motivation — his girlfriend. Frames that turn to match his point of view and flashbacks to lovely memories filled with light, continuously bring attachment back to their relationship.
The costume designs for each character also added to the gothic themes carried throughout the film. Each outfit provides a unique insight into the setting, which seems to also stay ambiguous. Though clearly set in a modern era, parts of the story remain ambiguous enough to almost insinuate a dystopian setting.
The acting in this film was remarkable. Eric Draven, at the pinnacle of his character’s development, became as captivating as Skarsgård’s Pennywise.
Needless to say, I was horrified, but more interestingly, I became very attracted to the Draven character. Skarsgård’s affinity for dark and twisted characters is completely understandable. This actor knows exactly how to draw out terrifying traits while keeping integral parts of a character alive and also capturing the attention of anyone with a previous emo phase. Dravens love interest was played by FKA Twigs, who uniquely provided amazing vocals to scenes, which helped make her character more believable.
Knowing a character has an interest in music is different from that same character being played by a real-life artist, as opposed to an actor with no musical background. This interest in music is also a way the film created more intimacy between the lead roles. Both actors did phenomenally in bringing their respective characters, and plots to life.
“The Crow” was released Aug. 23.