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| Photo Credit: ryanjdowney.blogspot.com |
Great Aspects of the Film
- The mood created in the motion picture is extraordinary, it is dark, moody, and matches the sense of loss and revenge portrayed in the graphic novel perfectly. The scene is mainly of urban decay, hopelessness, and squalor. This alone is enough to pique the interest of the audience and sustain it throughout the plot.
- Brandon Lee's portrayal of The Crow - Eric Draven is brooding, intense, and powerful. Many movie-goers went to see The Crow just because Brandon Lee had died from a freak accident on-set, however, his performance is undeniably strong and comprises most of the strength of the film.
- Brandon Lee's portrayal of The Crow - Eric Draven is brooding, intense, and powerful. Many movie-goers went to see The Crow just because Brandon Lee had died from a freak accident on-set, however, his performance is undeniably strong and comprises most of the strength of the film.
- The action sequences are vivid and intense. Often, many different fights are happening simultaneously. These segments can be easily watched many times. Many of the fighht scenes stay true to the graphic novel, with some changes to increase cinematic effect and interest.
- Much of the dialogue presented in the graphic novel is included in the film, especially the dark passages recited by Eric, his conversations while encountering his enemies etc.
- A good blend of revenge, romance, fantasy, and loss.
- The characters (even the minor ones) are portrayed with depth and strength. All of the original characters are included in the motion picture, even if their roles are slightly changed.
- Great Soundtrack. It includes artists such as: The Crow, Stone Temple Pilots, Nine Inch Nails, and Pantera. You can view it here.
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| http://www.thecrow.info/images/crow_54.jpg |
Differences between the Graphic Novel & The Motion Picture
- The character of Sherri in the book is renamed as Sarah in the movie. Instead of being a girl Eric meets on a doorstep, in the movie, she knew both Eric and Shelly before their deaths. She appears younger in the book and has much less of a role in the plot.
- In the book, Eric gets a cat and names him Garfield, presenting him as a gift to Shelly on their anniversary. In the book, Garfield was Shelly and Eric's pet before they died.
- The movie has a focus on the gang's actions centering around "Devil's Night", which is not mentioned in the comic.
- Eric's last name is not mentioned in the book, in the movie his full name is Eric Draven.
- Eric seems to struggle to remember the events of that night, even asking Officer Albrecht to recall the details for him. Hence, he is not exactly sure of his purpose. In the graphic novel, Eric is aware of his purpose from the start.
- In the graphic novel, Eric and Shelly become the victims of T-Bird and his gang, being at the wrong place at the wrong time. In the movie, the couple falls prey to the gang in their home, targeted specifically.
- The comic book does not include the fact that Eric would lose his powers if the crow was destroyed.
- The character of the leader's sister is not included in the book, nor their fascination with eyes.
- The leader in unnamed, is the character of Top Dollar. In the graphic novel, T-Bird is the leader.
- In the movie, Eric's former occupation was as a musician for the band The Hangmen, it is not mentioned in the book at all.
- Eric is shot twice on the side of the road in the book while Shelly is attacked from the car. Shelly dies on the scene of the assault while Eric is rendered brain dead in the hospital after talking to Captain Hook. In the movie, Shelly is attacked first in their apartment, Eric is stabbed and thrown from their window and dies immediately. Shelly is transported to the hospital where she suffers for hours in the intensive care unit before succumbing.
- The manner of T-Bird dying is completely different, the book does not involve a car at all.
- The character of Skank and his experiences in the movie are unique to the movie alone.
- Officer Albrecht was a minor character in the book, and meets Eric when he is sabotaging Gideon's pawnshop. When the bomb explodes, Albrecht calls in to his superior, Captain Hook. In the movie, Officer Albrecht has a larger role, interacts with Eric more, and is central to the conclusion of the movie.
- The movie has no inclusion of The Skull Cowboy.
- Darla meets Eric, and he does say many of the same things to her, but in the movie he holds her arm and morphine pours out. This does not happen in the book.
- In the movie, Gideon survives the pawnshop bomb in order to tell the others about Eric's return for vengeance. In the book, Fun Boy is responsible for rounding up the gang.
- The crew spends much of its time above a busy night club, this does not exist in the book.
- The book includes poetry that isn't used in the motion picture.
In My Opinion . . .
I really enjoyed the film "The Crow" when it first came out in 1994. I watched it several times over the years, and it is a shame really that with today's new technology, the original begins to look a little dated. I did not, repeat did not, enjoy the movie sequel nor the television series. I was not aware the film was based on a graphic novel, but I am very pleased that I learned of it. I have purchased James O'Barr's The Crow to add to my personal collection of books I enjoy, and will undoubtedly read it again in the near future. That being said, there were times that I was disappointed in the movie while rewatching it for this assignment, and after reading the comic. I found some aspects - perhaps the inclusion of heightened violence, the mention of Devil's Night as the cause of all of the fires and attacks, and particularly the changing of the circumstances of Eric and Shelly's deaths perhaps as mere fodder for Hollywood and hopes of added ratings. I did not find much use for the Top Dollar's sister character, as she was not originally involved in the graphic novel and is perhaps created for added sexual implications. The emphasis on the eyes also seemed unnecessary. Overall, I think the film did an adequate job of depicting the graphic novel, and would have to deem the graphic novel by James O'Barr undeniably better. I highly recommend the read!
The Crow - Recommended Resources & Links
- YouTube offers a long list of videos pertaining to character of Eric Draven and the motion picture The Crow. Below are a couple of interest:
2) The Crow Music Video
3) The Crow - Extremely Rare Behind the Scenes
- Facebook has a Eric Draven/Crow page.
- DVDNear has multiple reviews for the motion picture.
- Open Movie Database presents the cast list and Wikipedia entry.
- Comic Book Movie discusses the possibility of a new "The Crow" film.
- A Website review of the graphic novel.
- Wikipedia entry on The Crow. Provides information about the graphic novel, the film, and Brandon Lee as well as the spin-off efforts.
- IMDb film information, including cast list and information, photos, fun facts, trivia.
- A crow discussion forum.
- You can purchase the Graphic Novel from Amazon.
- Amazon also has The Crow - Collector's Edition, 2 Disc Set in DVD format for purchase.
- LibraryThing's The Crow page. Includes tags, reviews, descriptions.
- Images from J. O'Barr's graphic novel.
- Retrojunk crow forum.
- The graphic novel synopsis.
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