The trailer for The Crow has finally dropped, and has revealed even more puzzling changes to the story and characters… and, to be honest, the reactions haven’t been great.
I first noticed some of the confusing plot differences when the first-look images for the film were released, and questioned them at the time. Now that I’ve seen the trailer, I’m even more discombobulated.
Variations from the original film include:
- A planned attack on Shelly due to “the demons of her dark past catching up with them” – in the original film, it was a random street crime.
- Eric Draven appearing to come back from the dead the day after the attack, rather than the following Devil’s Night (a year later, the anniversary of the attack)
- Scenes in the afterlife where Eric is trying to save Shelly’s soul – where on Earth did that come from? The original story was purely about vengeance.
It feels like all they’ve kept from the original film are the crows, the character names, and the idea of a man coming back to life and murdering people – even changing the entire motivation behind it.
To be honest, if they’d just called it something else and changed the character names, I’d have respected it a lot more. I’m not really holding out much hope here.
As some of you may know, I have been known to partake in the odd trailer podcast, so I asked my trailer podcast Fenn for his opinion. He said: “It currently looks like a cargo cult John Wick, starring Suicide Squad’s Joker, and featuring all the heart of an episode of CSI Miami.”
I can’t disagree, Fenn! Anyway, if you’re still game, you can watch the full trailer below:
More reactions included:
“Worst thing about the 2024 trailer is that it simply *looks* like a product of its pop culture environment, whereas The Crow 1994 influenced an entire generation of filmmakers. There would be no The Matrix without Alex Proyas’s The Crow,” said one fan.
“The Crow 2024 trailer abandons the atmosphere and grit of the original and replaces it with uninspired clarity. James O’Barr doesn’t want this adaptation and I don’t think I do either,” someone else tweeted.
“I think it actually looks good, as a movie. Just not a fan of that look, in general,” said a fan of the original movie. “My main beef is that, other than a loose variation of the plot, it doesn’t resemble the OBarr material at all. I would’ve liked to see this as The Crow part 5 rather than a reboot of Eric Draven.”
“I’m not feeling it at all. Just feels like a basic Sony superhero movie, the gothic atmosphere is pretty vital to The Crow,” another person wrote. “This looks like any given basic studio comic film.”
Another fan stated, “It’s also yet another trailer that gives way too much away. I feel like I watched the whole movie.”
Some people are managing to somehow stay optimistic about the upcoming film, and some just want to watch it as it looks cool as a film in its own right. I can’t say I’m in that camp, but each to their own.
And you’ll be able The Crow when it hits cinemas on 7th June.
What’s your opinion on The Crow trailer – are you feeling enthusiastic, or have your hopes of this being a decent movie been completely dashed? And either way, were you a fan of the original? Comment below.
