Good afterevenmorn!

Well, it turns out that a new version of the film The Crow was released last week. Touted not as a remake of the 1994 gothic masterpiece, but a re-adaptation of the original graphic novel (I have my doubts), it nevertheless garnered quite negative reviews on release. As of the writing of this, it has a 20% on Rotten Tomatoes.

This was… predictable.

Before anyone runs at me with accusations… you’re probably correct. I didn’t go see the film for myself. Yes, I was and remain an enormous fan of the original adaptation. Its style and story have had a profound effect on me. And, yes, when I heard that it was being remade, I actually got a little upset. Of all the films primed to get a remake, this was not the one.

It’s not that I think that the 1994 release was the perfect film (though, it’s pretty close) and therefore untouchable. I just honestly thought (and still do) that The Crow is a work of art, with a very distinct comic style that served the story perfectly. I’m upset that Brandon Lee’s last film, the one he literally died while making, would be approached at all (granted, I’m aware that this irrational protectionism for the memory of someone I have never met is a little weird. You’ll have to forgive me).

I’m also annoyed that these older, already brilliant films are getting remakes at the expense of new stories. I’m so tired of the nostalgia porn, for lack of a better term. I’m desperate for new stories to be told (even if it’s new stories with familiar characters, like the new-ish Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance series that was, criminally, cancelled. It was so good. If I had unlimited funds, I’d pay to have it resurrected myself. I digress (I’m still furious it was cancelled)).

My nostalgia is for the 80s and early 90s, but not for the reason you think. It’s not the particular stories of these eras that I’m nostalgic for. I’m nostalgic for the eras when original works hit the screen; new stories that were likely quite risky, many of which didn’t work. Sure, some of them were real drug-fueled stinkers, but at least interesting things were done, particularly when it came to genre films. Taking such risks gave us Star Wars, for goodness sake. That’s what I’m nostalgic for.

Creativity has been bled out of our film industry.

I don’t think I would have minded the new The Crow if they weren’t rehashing the same story. If it was another thing that drew Eric Draven from the grave, a different wrong to right, than the exact same story as the 1994 adaptation. Or perhaps if they had changed the medium a bit; created not a live-action, but a R-rated animation. That might have been interesting. I might have spared more grace for something like that.

The original 1994 adaptation was a masterclass in lighting, mood, shadow and setting. The use of shadow alone was very plainly an inspiration for future superhero adaptations (I’m looking at you, Batman), as well as other movies. Hell, the show-down in the church, I realized recently, directly inspired a similar scene I wrote in Human. And I wasn’t even aware of that influence until I saw the scene again when I stumbled on a recent reaction to the film. It was film with incredible style.

There was absolutely no need to remake it.

I have to point out that I’m not as much of a purist as I probably come across here. Adaptations are more than alright. I love seeing a favourite book or short story or (now) video game made real on the screen (provided that it’s done right. Even if not, I will usually go see it for myself). Remakes are more than alright if they bring something new or improve upon what came before. I enjoyed the live-action adaptations of the Transformers and X-Men franchises (for the most part), even though they weren’t the best films ever… With the exception of Logan. That movie is a masterpiece and I will brook no dissent on the matter.

The Crow did neither of these, from what I’ve read and seen. It was the same story, but with a different colour-palette. That is not enough to warrant a remake, in my opinion.

In my cynicism, I imagine that studio executives acknowledged the cult status of the original film, saw that it was very popular amongst the generation famous for gobbling up whatever scraps of our happiest memories we can get, and guessed that a remake would draw all the original fans to the cinema, without taking the time to understand why the movie is so beloved. Style had a great deal to do with it. They were looking to cash in on the nostalgia that has been plaguing the entailment industry these last few years.

I don’t blame these studios entirely. They’re a business. They’re in it to make money. They are not, sadly, all that concerned with craft, art or story. Their primary concern is not to present an incredible story well told, but what will bring them the greatest return on their investment. I think that’s why I gravitate towards video games now more than films for my visual entertainment. Original, visually stunning, well-crafted and deeply affecting original stories are finding homes in game studios, not movie or television productions. I really needed to stress ‘original.’

Some of the blame for this rests on us, because we, the consumers, have often shunned interesting and new stories for the familiar, even if the familiar lacks any artistry whatsoever. Studios are terrified of taking risks, because we simply don’t buy tickets for original works in great enough numbers to warrant that risk, from a business perspective.

That, and there remains a pervasive bias against specifically science-fiction and fantasy genre in film-making (horror is out there living its best life, I see), so, despite the obvious demand for it, fewer original stories in those genres are likely to be green-lit (specifically for adults, I should note. There’s plenty out there for the young ones). That’s a topic for a whole ‘nother day.

I will not be going to see the new The Crow. I don’t want to. But I do miss it. So instead I’ll pop in my DVD, grab some popcorn and revel in the distinctly 90s soundtrack while one of my favourite anti-heroes stylishly metes out justice in an moody, raining city against those who wronged him and his beloved.

And I’ll make a wish that film studios will once again let people’s imaginations stretch. Who knows what stories we might be able to get to see in the future if they would just take a risk?

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When S.M. Carrière isn’t brutally killing your favorite characters, she spends her time teaching martial arts, live streaming video games, and cuddling her cat. In other words, she spends her time teaching others to kill, streaming her digital kills, and a cuddling furry murderer. Her most recent titles include Daughters of Britain, Skylark and Human. Her serial The New Haven Incident is free and goes up every Friday on her blog.