Remaking a movie like “The Crow” was a pretty ambitious undertaking. The original film from director Alex Proyas gained a hefty cult following after its 1994 release. It was also a movie scarred by the death of its star, Brandon Lee, the son of martial arts icon Bruce Lee. While filming one of the movie’s most intense action scenes, Lee was fatally shot by a prop gun that hadn’t been properly checked. The finished movie was a success, but Lee’s death still looms over it.

2024’s “The Crow” is an adaptation of a 1989 comic book series created by James O’Barr and a reboot of the lackluster feature film franchise. It’s directed by Rupert Sanders who works from a script by Zach Baylis and William Schneider. It’s also a significant downgrade from the 1994 film and its comic book inspiration. There are numerous issues which compound to the point of being impossible to overlook. By the end, we’re left wondering how such an intense story can feel so drab and uninspired.

The problems reach to nearly every facet of movie. The first thing fans of the original film will notice is the absence of the dark gothic aesthetic. The world Sanders gives us is a little gritty and grimy in spots, but it doesn’t stand out at all. It lacks the grim and forbidding edge that proved vital to drawing us into the 1994 film’s story. Sanders chooses to dial back to a more generic city setting which ends up sucking potential energy out of the movie.

One thing the film doesn’t dial back is the supernatural element of the story. Baylis and Schneider make dramatic changes to the source material including several ill-advised choices that simply don’t work. Rather than a street-wise gang leader, here the main baddie is a wealthy uptown crime lord who works for the Devil. Even weirder, he’s able to possess people by whispering unintelligible words in their ears. Much like the world, he leaves no impression whatsoever despite being played by the great Danny Huston.

The supernatural silliness goes even further. A fundamental part of the story is the intense love between Eric (Bill Skarsgård) and Shelly (FKA Twigs). Sanders spends considerably more screen time developing their relationship yet it never feels organic or authentic. The two meet in a heavily secured rehabilitation center and then easily escape together. After a couple of scenes the two fall in love, and the next 15 minutes is spent convincing us they really do love each other. But Shelly has some history that’s about to catch up with her and Eric.

And that leads to another fundamental part of Eric and Shelly’s story – their murder. It turns out Shelly’s friend texted her a video that proves Vincent Roeg (Huston) is the Devil’s right-hand man. Vincent can’t let his demonic secret get out so he sends out his henchman to track down and murder Shelly and Eric. It’s a much more sanitized killing than what we witness in the 1994 film, but it’s also considerably less impactful.

Eric is resurrected from the dead in a way so vaguely defined that it’s best to not even try understanding the specifics. Some guy named Kronos (Sam Bouajila), who may or may not be from Heaven, gives Eric the lowdown. Rather than being an avenging angel, here Eric is given a chance to bring Shelly back from the dead. Kill everyone involved in Shelly’s death, including Vincent, and then she too will be resurrected. It’s a new twist to the story but one clogged by supernatural mumbo-jumbo that never makes much sense.

The performances are a mixed bag with Skarsgård being the real highlight. He gives a committed and fittingly moody performance that often elevates the material he’s trying to work through. Frustratingly, it isn’t until late in the film that we finally get to see him fully decked out in his Crow attire. FKA Twigs is a little shakier while the always reliable Danny Huston seems to be cashing an easy check.

“The Crow” admirably attempts to put a fresh spin on its material, but nearly every new idea it has falls flat. And while it may be unfair to continually compare it to the 1994 Brandon Lee cult classic, it’s hard not to when it falls short of that film in nearly every regard. It does get a third-act boost from a gloriously violent and savagely gory opera house scene that is expertly shot, edited, and choreographed. Unfortunately the movie needs a lot more than that to justify raising this IP from the dead. “The Crow” opens in theaters this weekend.

VERDICT – 2 STARS