Movie review: The Crow (1994)

First, let me preface this review by stating that I'm not against kitsch. At all. I can only hope my pledge that I didn't dislike Lynch's Dune, loved Blade Runner and that The Matrix holds a special place in my heart can serve as a decent alibi to any sceptic.

While on the subject of kitsch, I posit that turning it to 11 is a dangerous gamble: it's a blank canvas that can receive your most baroque artistic visions but beware, the line dividing hopeless crap and endearing gems is quite thin. Tasteful kitsch is hard.

The issue here is that I've never experienced it in such quantities - across all medias, including highlights like Manowar or Highlander - and that there's not much else underneath. I think that if Eric's character AND actor had been somehow more edgy (yes, you read me well), ruthless and unhinged, it could have pulled it off; a bit like the Punisher (MAX comics ver.) or The Dark Knight's Joker.

As it stands, this lack of over-the-top together with the recurring sentimental and gothic moments downgrade what could have been a pretty cool anti-hero into a mix of Robert Smith, Trent Reznor and Edward Scissorhands wearing Juggalo makeup (for no reason I must add, because this really bugged me).

Having all this master baddie and co. thing going on was also a pretty bad move, as it added pretty much nothing to the result. On the contrary, it took away any chance for the movie to focus on its strengths. Keeping it simple with an aimless gang of violent hoodlums like in A Clockwork Orange or Death Wish would have been a much better choice. The 1h40 could have then been spent on what truly mattered: aesthetics and maybe the hunt/revenge porn aspect.

I know I'm being harsh, but it disappointed me extra hard because it started simple and had good ambiance going for it. A bit like a janky Dark City on that last point: smallish budget but handling it well.

I understand its cult status (the cool gothic and hard(er) rock OST helps), but I think the only thing it managed to do is convince me to check out the comics.